"Miss Yvette, did you really want to leave the marriage empty-handed? We could do our best to secure some of the assets for you."The attorney frowned slightly, his tone cautious.

"No, thank you. I just want to get divorced as soon as possible."

After five years of marriage with Jonathan, Winona had lived in the fantasy of a perfect marriage.

Five years ago, Winona had been kidnapped by a business rival of the Yvettes and sent to a black market auction. Jonathan took the opportunity to knock out the guards and rescued Winona.Later, they got married.

After they married, he bought the copyright to a necklace she had said she liked, making sure she was the only one in the world who could wear it.

When she was sick and unwell, he stayed by her side without taking off his clothes, personally making porridge for her.

He also quietly prepared grand surprises for holidays she had forgotten, all just to see her smile.

Until that day, Winona had seen with her own eyes how Jonathan looked at the woman in front of him with indulgence and affection in his eyes.

"Sol, you can’t be so cruel to me."

She froze, and at the same time, a phone call came in. After answering the call, the caller said respectfully: "Madam, it's bad, your husband's scandal has become a hot search. Five days ago, he was photographed staying in a five-star hotel in New York with another woman." After hanging up the phone, she saw the picture and text in the hot entry. Jonathan was kissing the woman passionately in front of the hotel window, and the woman was the woman who was being gently coaxed by Jonathan.

Five days ago, she was in a terrible car accident. When she needed him the most, his phone was turned off and his assistant didn't know where he was. In the end, she could only sign the consent form and informed consent form before entering the operating room to save her life.

Now,She realized she had never truly been loved by him.

This time, she decided to divorce and leave him forever.

Winona lifted her head and said calmly, "I need to finalize the divorce as quickly as possible. Please."

"Miss Yvette, this agreement fulfills all your requests. You just need to have Mr. Blanchet sign it, by any means necessary. The divorce cooling-off period is one month. During that time, you have to be prepared to prevent your husband from changing his mind."

"I have a way to get him to sign. After thirty days, he and I will be done with each other completely."

Thirty days later, the divorce agreement officially took effect, and Winona left completely. But why did Jonathan break down after she chose to leave, looking for her all over the world, and finally broke into her wedding and begged for forgiveness?

——

After getting the divorce agreement, she took a taxi straight to Jonathan's studio. When she pushed the door open, she didn’t see any familiar figures. Seeing the closed darkroom, Winona realized Jonathan was inside, developing photos.

Whenever he developed photos, he would usually stay inside all day, not eating and not allowing anyone to enter.

Back when they had just gotten married, Winona hadn’t understood and had barged in recklessly, only to be met with Jonathan’s explosive anger.

She had burst into tears from the shock. Later on, Jonathan apologized, explaining that he simply hated anyone going into his darkroom ... it hadn’t been anything personal.

Except when it came to his sister, Linnea.

Winona had once seen Linnea walk in during the most crucial moment of photo development, but the outburst she expected never happened.

Instead, Jonathan had looked at Linnea with a hint of complaint and said, "Linnea, you ruined my photos. You owe me ... you have to eat dinner with me tonight."

His eyes were filled with a kind of tenderness and restraint that Winona had never seen before.

She sat in the office waiting for Jonathan and didn’t see him come out until night fell.

He casually took off his gloves while asking,

"Have you been waiting long? What do you feel like eating tonight? My treat."

Jonathan walked over to Winona and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Every time I come out after developing the photos and see you, I feel incredibly lucky. Having someone waiting to eat with me ... it’s such a comforting feeling."

When Winona didn’t respond, Jonathan reached out and gave her cheek a light pinch and spoke to her in a soft, affectionate tone

But he never made Linnea wait. Every time she showed up, Jonathan would immediately drop whatever he was doing and rush over to her.

There was never a time when she had to sit outside the darkroom for hours, hungry and waiting.

Winona felt a bit of bitterness in her heart. She forced a small smile and replied,

"I'm a little hungry. Didn’t eat much for lunch."

As she spoke, she pulled an agreement out of her bag.

"This is the agreement for you to film the fashion show at Paris Fashion Week next month. You have to sign it today."

Jonathan raised his eyebrows, looking at Winona with surprise, but didn’t say anything more. He took the pen and signed his name right away.

"Baby, didn’t you say your grandmother’s memorial was next month and you wanted me to go with you? Why did you agree to let me go to Fashion Week instead?"

Jonathan asked as he watched Winona put away the agreement.

When she first got the invitation, Winona kept asking him to refuse it. So why had she suddenly allowed him to go?

"I could visit my grandmother anytime. Your work is more important."

Winona’s heart tightened suddenly, but she forced herself to answer calmly.

She had wanted Jonathan to come with her to see her grandmother before, wanting her grandmother to know she had been living happily then.

But now, as Winona toyed with the divorce agreement in her hands, she thought bitterly it was pointless.

In thirty days, she would be completely free from there.

Until last month, Winona had believed she was living a happy life ... with a loving husband and a perfect marriage.

But everything changed when Linnea got divorced and returned to the country; that was when Jonathan’s behavior suddenly shifted and she finally uncovered his secret.

That was when Winona realized Jonathan had never let go of Linnea and had always been deeply in love with her.

That day, Winona had just finished signing a contract for Jonathan and had only just stepped out of the company’s front door when a car suddenly sped straight toward her. She couldn’t dodge in time and could only watch as it slammed into her, sending her flying.

As she lay in a pool of blood, memories from her past started flashing before her eyes. With all the strength she had left, Winona called Jonathan’s number, but he hung up.

On the third try, the call finally connected. A soft, seductive female voice came from the other end,

"Jonathan, you're already married. Even if I was divorced then, that didn’t change anything. I could only be loved by one man in this lifetime ... and that man was you."

"I never loved her and you knew that. I've only ever loved you. Back then, you wanted me to prove I wouldn't have fallen for someone just because of their looks or family background. I chose Winona because she looked like you. It’s been five years ... don’t you see how sincere I’ve always been?"

The phone slipped from Winona's hand and her consciousness slowly faded away.

When she woke up in the hospital, Winona found out she had lost her two-month-old baby and right then, she made up her mind to walk away from that ridiculous relationship.

She had just been a stepping stone forJonathan in his pursuit of true love.

Back when Linnea was about to get married, Jonathan couldn’t accept it. He showed up and tried to stop the wedding. But Linnea didn’t feel the same about him ... she only saw him as a younger brother and left him without hesitation to go through with her marriage.

The very next day, Jonathan approached Winona and asked her to marry him.

No one had any idea how overjoyed Winona had been at that time. She said yes to Jonathan’s proposal almost instantly.

She tilted her head to look up at Jonathan’s gentle smile, but deep down, she hadn’t felt any excitement about stepping into marriage.

Winona felt a little uneasy and asked, a bit nervously,

"Jonathan, we barely know each other. Why did you choose me?"

She hesitated for a second, but still ended up asking that question.

"Was it because Linnea and I looked alike?"

The words dropped like a stone, freezing the atmosphere between them.

After a long silence, Jonathan finally smiled and spoke, gently running a hand over her head as he said casually,

"Linnea only ever saw me as her younger brother. I tried to crash her wedding because I was afraid she'd end up with the wrong person and live a hard life, that’s all."

"Winona, from the very first time I met you, I felt like we had a special kind of connection."

Looking into Jonathan’s smiling eyes, Winona blushed and buried herself into his arms.

Thinking about that moment, Winona felt a sharp pain in her heart. Jonathan hadn’t lied back then ... Linnea really had treated him like a little brother.

But Jonathan had loved his sister deeply ever since he first learned what love was, enough to give his life for her.

Winona looked at Jonathan. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit and was seriously studying the menu.

Sensing Winona’s gaze, he smiled without even looking up and said, "Hungry?"

As he said that, he handed the menu to the waiter and then looked up at Winona.

"Make sure to eat more later … you’ll need the energy for overtime tonight."

His voice was low and husky, charming and his eyes were full of tender affection.

The meaning of "work overtime" was clear. Winona kept her head down without replying. Jonathan assumed she was just being shy and didn’t think much of it.

During the meal, Winona barely touched her food; she had already gone out to eat before she saw Jonathan in the dark room.

Winona looked around the whole table, which was covered with both salty and sweet dishes.

She didn’t like them but had been holding back her feelings for Jonathan’s sake.

She wouldn’t have to hold back anymore.

A little while ago, Winona found out that Jonathan didn’t like sweet flavors; the only one who truly loved sweets was Linnea.

Linnea had left, but Jonathan ended up living like her, pretending she had never left.

She had been daydreaming for too long, so she didn’t notice when Jonathan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Why aren’t you eating? Weren’t you hungry for a long time?"

"I didn’t feel like eating today, you go ahead."

Jonathan put down his cutlery and glanced at Winona with concern.

"Winona, did something happen? You seem a little off today."

Winona’s hand froze, the hand under the table slowly clenched, but her face stayed calm and composed. She spoke slowly, "I’m just a bit tired, I’ll rest once we get back."

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant. Just as she was about to get into the car, Jonathan called out to her and Winona stopped, a bit confused.

He took a pair of flat shoes from the trunk of the car, walked over and placed them in front of Winona. He naturally squatted down before her, gently lifted her foot, took off her painful high heels and put on the comfortable flats.

Winona said nothing and silently watched him finish all this.

"I noticed earlier, you were acting kind of off today. It was because of these shoes, right?"

"If the shoes were uncomfortable, you shouldn’t keep them. I would buy you new ones."

Jonathan smiled as he casually tossed the high heels into the trash bin.

"If uncomfortable shoes should be thrown away, then what about people who aren’t the right fit?"

Winona whispered under her breath. Jonathan didn’t catch it clearly and asked,

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, just throw them out."

She murmured softly, then walked past the man and got into the car.

She already threw away the person who wasn’t right for her. Just one more month and she could leave everything behind and start a brand-new life!

As soon as Jonathan got in the car, his phone started ringing. A rushed voice came from the other end.

"Jonathan, Linnea got drunk at the bar. She’s crying and refusing to leave. We don’t know what else to do. Please come over and check on her."

Jonathan’s expression changed instantly. Without waiting for Winona to finish fastening her seatbelt, he slammed his foot on the gas and the car shot forward.

Winona cried out in pain and only then did Jonathan realize what he had done. His tone softened.

"Winona, something happened to my sister. We need to go pick her up. She’s drunk and alone at the bar ... it’s not safe."

Winona held tightly onto the car handle, her face turning pale.

"Then wasn’t the person who just called you a human being?"

Jonathan was caught off guard, then snapped angrily,

"Those people aren’t her family. Why would they bother truly looking after her?"

Racing through nine traffic lights nonstop, Jonathan cut a trip that should have taken half an hour down to just 10 minutes.

As soon as the car came to a stop outside the bar, Jonathan dashed out.

"Winona, it wasn’t safe inside. You shouldn’t go in ... just wait for us out here."

She watched Jonathan’s urgent figure and was about to get out and wait for a moment, but then noticed his phone had been left behind.

After a moment’s thought, she picked up the phone and hurried inside.

After finding out exactly which private room Linnea was in, she arrived at the door.

The door to the room was slightly open and the noises from inside came through clearly.

"Jonathan really was deeply attached to Sol. He showed up immediately after just one call."

"Of course. When Sol came back last month, the first proof Jonathan gave was sending someone to hurt Winona and cause her to lose the baby ... just to prove he didn’t love her at all and that his heart belonged only to Linnea."

"That poor girl... she probably still thought their love was real until now."

"Ah, Jonathan really was loyal. From the moment he first fell in love in his youth, he loved Linnea. Now that Linnea divorced and returned home, the first thing he did was to show her that his love had never wavered. Just now, the way he rushed in was truly frightening ... he simply grabbed Linnea and left."

The crowd talked excitedly, completely unaware that someone was still standing outside the private room.

Winona’s mind went blank and a ringing buzz filled her ears.

What they said was overwhelming and echoed over and over in her mind. The car accident... it had been planned by Jonathan. The child... he had made sure she lost it on purpose.

Winona’s fingertips trembled uncontrollably and she could hardly stay standing.

She couldn’t bear to hear any more and ran out of the bar. She stood alone by the roadside, feeling like an empty shell.

She inhaled deeply and flagged down a taxi.

Back at the villa, Winona slowly started packing.

The photos of the two of them on the wall, the matching mugs on the nightstand, the clothes in the wardrobe, the expensive jewelry.

She packed them one after another and placed them into a big box.

Every single item carried traces of Jonathan and none of them deserved a place in her luggage when she left.

Right after she finished putting them upstairs, her dad called her.

"Winona, were you really coming to Europe to be with Mom and Dad? Could you really let go of Jonathan, the man you loved so much?"

Winona looked around the empty room, took a deep breath and forced a smile as she said, "I honestly don’t have feelings for him anymore. And I miss both of you so much. Just a few more days and I’ll be there. Once I arrive, we’ll travel the world together!"

***

After she hung up, she saw Jonathan standing at the door, looking confused.

"Who were you just talking to? Who were you going to be with?"

Before she answered, he noticed the change in the room.

"Why did you suddenly clean up the room? Didn’t like it anymore?"

Winona answered calmly, "I was talking to my parents. They said they wanted me to stay with them. I saw those things were a bit old, so I threw them away."

The man smiled indifferently, reached out to rub her head and spoke casually, "Alright, when things aren’t busy anymore, I’ll accompany you to see your parents. If you threw those things away, then so be it. I’ll buy you new ones. It’s no big deal."

Winona said nothing. She was about to go wash up when Jonathan grabbed her. She looked up at him in confusion.

Jonathan looked conflicted. He studied her expression for a long time before deciding to speak.

"Winona, my sister got drunk. She wasn’t in a good state to go home, so I brought her back. She was only used to my bed at home. Tonight, can you move to the guest room to sleep?"

Although it was a question, his tone left no room for compromise.

Winona stared at him in shock, her voice rising.

"Jonathan, are you asking me to give our room to your sister?"

The man's eyes shifted uncomfortably, his tone turning cold as she pressed for an answer.

"It’s just for one night, Winona. When did you become so petty? She’s my sister! She’s also your family. Are you really this selfish toward your own family?!"

Seeing the displeasure on his face, she finally gave in.

"Fine."

Maybe because the bed was unfamiliar, Winona couldn’t fall asleep and got up to get a glass of water.

Just as she walked to the living room, she heard an unbearable sound. She raised her eyes and saw two entangled figures on the sofa, stuck together like glue.

"Crash!" The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

Winona stared at the two figures on the couch in shock, a wave of disgust rising within her.

The two on the sofa finally noticed her. Jonathan’s first reaction was to cover Linnea with his body before looking her way.

"Winona, listen to me. Linnea was drunk and unconscious. I was just trying to carry her upstairs. Don’t misunderstand."

Winona said nothing and silently turned to leave. Jonathan tried to stop her, but Linnea grabbed his arm and held him back.

He lowered his head and looked at Linnea in his arms, finally holding back the urge to chase after her.

Winona was shocked and didn’t see the stairs clearly; she stumbled and fell.

"Ah ... "

Before losing consciousness, she saw Jonathan rushing toward her, panic written all over his face.