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My husband is a famous divorce lawyer, and right now I'm filing for divorce in his colleague's office. I've been Julian's secret wife for three years, and he never loved me. He only married me because his first love, Elizabeth, had married someone else. During our three-year-marriage, he left me countless times for her. I thought that as long as I kept waiting and trying, he would notice me someday. I was wrong. While they were celebrating Elizabeth's divorce, I handed him a document. Julian signed without even looking. He had no idea what he was signing was our divorce. It's time to live my own life. ------ "Hello, I'm looking to get a divorce." In my third year of marriage, I finally decided to divorce Julian—without him knowing. Lewis Fitzroy, the lawyer across from me, listened closely. "You both have to sign the papers, and then there's a 30-day waiting period. Why isn't your husband here?" I hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll make sure he signs it." "I'll draft the divorce agreement, then." Soon after, I got the agreement. I walked downstairs, suddenly a familiar voice stopped me. "Lia? What are you doing here?" When I looked up and met Julian's unreadable gaze, my heart skipped a beat. The lawyer handling my divorce turned out to be Julian's colleague. But he won't find out anyway. After all, he never cared about me. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm here for a consultation. Oh, and remember that property transfer agreement I told you about? It's ready—I need your signature." Then I took out the divorce agreement, flipped straight to the last page, pressed it onto the counter, and handed him a pen. There was nothing but a signature line on the last page. As a lawyer, Julian instinctively frowned. He was just about to read it through carefully, just then, his first love, Elizabeth, showed up near the elevator. He paused briefly. Then grabbed the pen and signed his name. "Done. If that's all, you should go home first. I still have work to do." The heavy weight in my heart finally lifted—and became a wave of crushing disappointment. If he had looked closer, he would have realized immediately that it was not a property transfer but a divorce agreement. Instead, he was completely focused on Elizabeth Osborne, who had just walked in. Looking at that beautiful face, my thr0at tightened. I squeezed my bag tight and turned to leave. "Who was that, Jules?" Elizabeth asked. "A new client who came to inquire about a divorce," Julian replied shortly, but his voice was soft. "You're early. Give me a few minutes, and we'll grab lunch, okay?" The door slid shut behind me. I smiled bitterly at myself. Indeed, I came here for divorce. In a month, Julian would finally get what he wanted. The signed divorce papers in my hand weren't even cold yet. I looked at it, trying my best to ignore the pain in my heart. Our marriage was a secret. No one knew Julian and I were married—not even Elizabeth, the girl he could never forget. Of course, he was the one who came up with this idea. We were college classmates. On the first day of school, I fell for him at first sight. I pursued him throughout our four years of college, but he never agreed. But I wasn't heartbroken about it. Even though he turned me down, he never liked anyone else either. He just didn't seem into dating. After graduation, we went our separate ways and lost touch, but I never forgot him. Then, three years later, we met on a blind date. Julian went straight to the point and asked if I wanted to marry him. I didn't know why he was in such a rush to marry, but my longtime dream was finally coming true—I was overjoyed. So I said yes without a second thought. I only found out his secret little by little after the wedding. Turns out he did like women—he was just in love with someone he could never have. His best friend's younger sister, Elizabeth, who had married her boyfriend right after graduation. Julian was heartbroken, he wanted to get over it, so he married me on impulse. I was devastated when I found out the truth. But I pulled myself together anyway. After all, I had plenty of time. If I tried hard enough, I was sure I could make him see me. During our three years of marriage, Julian stayed cold and distant toward me, but I never gave up. Until I found his photo album. The album was full of photos of Elizabeth from age six all the way to twenty-five. And he kept adding photos to the album even after we got married! There was no way I could just act like it was nothing. The very next night, Julian—who never drank—got completely wasted. His normally calm eyes lit up with a weird happiness. After asking around, I found out the reason. Elizabeth had gotten divorced. My playhouse finally shattered. Maybe it's time to end this hopeless marriage for good. -- I went back to the house we'd shared for three years. I'd built this warm home all by myself. Now looking at it, a flood of memories hit me. My gaze fell on the wedding portrait in the living room, one I had always kept meticulously clean. Julian's forced smile now felt like a sting. I couldn't help but take it down and throw it in the trash. I spent the rest of the night sorting out our shared assets. Julian noticed the portrait was gone as soon as he got home. He looked at me, frowned and asked, "Where's our wedding portrait?" "The nail came loose. I was afraid it might fall and hurt someone, so I took it down." Julian didn't ask more. He handed me some snacks, then entered the study. The strong scent made my nose stung. I opened the bag, everything in it was spicy. I ate bland food every day for three years because of my stomach problems. But Julian never noticed. Back then, I would eat it all just to please him, no matter how spicy it was. Never again. I took the bag downstairs and threw it in the trash. From now on, I would wash away all the hurt and sadness from this marriage—and get Julian out of my life completely. Chapter 2 It was the middle of the night and I still couldn't sleep. I buried my face in the pillow, mind racing, when suddenly Julian's arm slid around my waist. His breath was h0t against my neck. He leaned in to kiss me. Before his l1ps reached mine, I pulled away. He froze. In three years of marriage, I was always the one reaching for him. He was rarely in the mood, so the fact that he was trying tonight—and I turned him down—threw him off. "Not in the mood?" he asked quietly. "On my period." It was a lie. He didn't question it, just gave a soft hum and pulled the blanket up around me like he always did. He lay there quietly, probably running through his day like he had before falling asleep. Then he remembered. "That property transfer agreement from earlier—where is it? Let me take a look, make sure everything's right." My heart started hammering. I stared at him in the dark. "You really want to see it?" He noticed how tense I was. He frowned a little, but nodded. I paused for a second, then got up to study and came back with the divorce papers. Just as I was about to hand them over, his phone rang. It was Elizabeth. "Jules! Martin's drunk again and he's starting a fight. Please, he's scaring me!" Martin Gibbs—her crazy, violent ex. Julian's whole face changed. He grabbed his coat, rushing toward the door. "Is it that girl who's getting divorced?" I asked. He paused for half a second. "Yeah. Her drunk ex is outside her door waving a knife. I have to go—something bad could really happen." I didn't try to stop him. Just told him to be careful. -- After he left, I didn't sleep at all. Not even for a minute. When the sky finally started to lighten, I grabbed my phone to check the time. That's when I saw it—Elizabeth had posted a new story. I'd secretly followed her on social media two days earlier. In the video, the sun rose between mountains, spilling golden light. The camera panned, and for a split second Julian's face flashed across the screen. Caption: "Yesterday's darkness has ended. Time for a new life ahead." My heart ached so much I could barely breathe. She was officially divorced. Now that she was single again, it was no doubt that Julian would ask for a divorce to be with her. Even thought he hadn't brought it up, I could already picture it in my head—he sit next to me, his voice gentle but firm, saying the words I'd been dreading. It hurt so much. Divorce was something that would happen sooner or later, so I chose to get over it now. Better to walk away with whatever dignity I had left than wait around to be left behind. I set the phone down, stood up, and started packing. The matching mugs, the little throw pillows we'd picked out together, the framed quotes I used to think were romantic... I put it all in a cardboard box and dragged it downstairs. Right then Julian walked in. He saw me struggling and hurried over. "Why are you throwing out so much stuff?" I kept my eyes down. "We barely use any of it. Better to get rid of it than let it pile up." He nodded like that made perfect sense, then took the box from me. I watched him walk away calmly. If he just opened it—if he looked inside even for a second—he would see every single thing in there was something I used to treasure. Things I bought because they reminded me of us. He was smart. Sharp. He would've realized something was seriously off. He would ask why I was suddenly clearing out our life like this. We could talked. Maybe even fixed things. But he didn't. He just walked straight to the trash bin, dropped the whole box in, and turned back around like nothing happened. Chapter 3 That afternoon my computer decided to die on me right in the middle of a deadline. To finish on time, I borrowed Julian's laptop. While the files were transferring, a notification popped up on his screen. "Jules, dinner at the firm tonight. Bring your girlfriend this time?" From his law firm group chat. My hand trembled a tiny bit when I read it. Three years married, and he still hadn't told anyone we were together. To them he was single. Always had been. That's why nobody recognized me when I showed up at his firm for the divorce consultation. I was just another random woman to them. Would he actually bring me tonight? Would he finally admit I existed? I didn't know and didn't dare hope. Julian saw the same message on his phone. He immediately looked up at me, as if trying to read my expression. I forced a small smile. "You going to take me to dinner tonight?" After three years, would you finally admit I'm your wife in front of everyone? He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. That silence—it felt like someone had st@bbed a kn1fe into my heart and was slowly twisting it around. I swallowed that pain down, pretended everything was fine. "I already made plans anyway," I said, keeping my voice light. "Even if you wanted to bring me, I probably wouldn't have time." His shoulders relaxed. The tension drained from his face. "I'll bring you next time, okay?" I didn't answer. Next time? There won't be a next time, Julian. -- That night Julian went to the dinner alone. A bunch of drunk coworkers swarming him the second he walked in. "Three years, man, and we've never met this mysterious girlfriend of yours. Not cool, Jules!" "Why're you hiding her? How long you gonna keep her a secret like some treasure?" They kept pushing. Finally he gave in, unlocked his phone. He had to choose—right then and there—between Elizabeth and me. After hesitating for a minute, he tapped on the first name and sent her a message. Not long after, Elizabeth showed up. The second she walked in, the whole room lit up. Everyone buzzing, complimenting his "taste," laughing, toasting. After several rounds of drinks, Lewis excused himself to use the restroom. He handed an envelope to Julian and asked him to take it downstairs to a woman. Julian dialed the number, and froze. My name showed up on the screen. He pulled the agreement out of the envelope and was about to look through it carefully when he saw me. Doubt flashed across his face instantly. He held up the papers. "A property division agreement for divorce?" His voice was low, sharp. "Amelia, what the hel is this?" Chapter 4 I hadn't expected him to see it—not like this—but I lied calmly. "My friend Stella's getting divorced," I said evenly. "I helped her get in touch with Mr. Fitzroy." His frown deepened. He opened the agreement and wanted to read it himself. Before he could, a hand slid around his arm from behind. "Jules, didn't you say you were meeting a client? What's taking so long?" Elizabeth pressed in close—too close. Julian stiffened. He couldn't meet my eyes. Didn't know how to explain. Worse—he didn't push her away. I was calmer than I expected. I stepped forward and took the agreement out of his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Cohen," I said, voice steady and clipped. "Since my friend's busy dealing with her divorce, I need to get going." Then I turned and walked away. -- On the way home, I kept replaying the moment Elizabeth with Julian—her hand on his arm, and he didn't push her away. I got hurt so many times that my heart felt numb. I was just… tired. Exhausted. Why do thirty days feel so long? I rubbed my stinging eyes. In that split second of distraction, I didn't see the car in front of me reversing illegally until I slammed right into it. A sharp pain shot through me. My face turned pale and cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My leg was trapped by the dented car door, and bl0od was everywhere. I grabbed my phone and called 911. -- In the ER, the doctors asked me to contact someone. My parents live in another state, so I tried to call Julian. But over dozen calls later, he still didn't answer. Of course. He was surrounding by his colleagues, laughing and drinking, with the woman he'd loved forever right beside him. Why would he have time to answer my call? A nurse noticed I wasn't getting through to anyone. "Can't your husband come?" she asked gently. I shook my head, calmer than I felt. "We're getting divorced." Her eyes widened. She clearly hadn't expected that. "But you're still married right now. Can't he at least come sign the paperwork?" I thought about our three years together and felt this heavy wave wash over me. I couldn't even remember how many nights I waited to have dinner with him, only to get yet another message saying he was working overtime and wouldn't be home. Hoping to have something in common with him, I studied law just so they could talk, yet he shattered my confidence by saying I wasn't an expert. With my whole heart, I planned birthday surprises; only for him to say he was too tired to appreciate them. From the beginning, I'd been the only one desperately holding the marriage together. Every memory proved one thing: he never loved me. The nurse sighed, full of sympathy. "Why don't you call a friend instead?" -- In the days that followed, Stella took care of me. Almost a week later, Julian finally heard about the crash and rushed to the hospital. When he walked in and saw the bandage on my ankle, confusion crossed his face. "Why didn't you tell me you were in an accident?" I opened my mouth to explain, then remembered all those unanswered calls. I swallowed the words and gave him a faint smile. "You were busy. I didn't want to bother you." Guilt flickered in his eyes. "Lizzie and I just ran into each other that day. It's not what you think." He explained. "Has her divorce been finalized?" I asked. "Yeah. It's all finalized. She's divorced now." The smile on my face grew brighter. I lowered my head and said quietly. "Congratulations." Julian looked confused and asked what I meant. I smiled without saying a word. Congratulations, Julian. You're about to be divorced too. Chapter 5 Julian opened his mouth to ask more, but his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, hesitated, then stepped into the hallway to take it. Half an hour later, he came back. The door was cracked open, and he heard me talking to Stella. "Yeah, I'm waiting out the rest of the divorce waiting period. Fifteen days left and I'm finally free." The property agreement flashed through his mind. His heart skipped a beat as he burst into the room. "A waiting period? Who's getting divorced?" I hadn't expected him to return. But thank God Stella was here. I pointed at her, trying to stay calm. "Stella. She's the one getting divorced." Julian never took the time to get to know me, so he barely knew my friends too. "I'm a divorce lawyer. Why didn't you come to me instead?" He asked. "You were busy with Elizabeth's case. I didn't want to pile more on you." The second I mentioned Elizabeth, he got uncomfortable and stopped questioning me. People always said love made people blind, and I finally understood what that meant. I watched him typing on his phone, looking all anxious, and silently counted how much longer he'd stay. By the time I counted to ten, Julian stood up and found an excuse to leave. "Lia, something came up at the firm. I've gotta go. When are you discharged? I'll come pick you up." I knew it was a lie, but I didn't care anymore. "Five days later." -- The day I got out of the hospital, I waited from morning till night. Julian never showed up. I opened my phone and saw Elizabeth had posted pictures from the beach. I called him. Before I could say anything, the sound of crashing waves gave away his whereabouts. He still tried to play it cool. "Lia, I'm on a business trip in Miami. What's up?" Of course he'd forgotten to pick me up. No matter what, Elizabeth always came first. I was always second place—never the one who mattered. But I was finally done waiting like an idiot. Instead of calling him out, I just asked softly, "Where are you? How long will you be there?" "Been here two days. Probably back tomorrow." I hummed, told him to take care, and hung up. I booked a car, opened my calendar, and counted the days left. Ten more. Then I would finally be free. The world would be mine again. I'd live on my own terms. I couldn't care less if no one was here to pick me up from the hospital. Why did that matter, anyway? Chapter 6 Since my leg wasn't fully healed, I hired movers instead. Big and small boxes were stacked all over the living room. The movers were packing and carrying things out, and the front door was wide open. When Julian came home and saw this, he quickly asked what was going on. "The house in Old Westbury is ready. It's closer to your office—more convenient. I figured we should move there." I answered smoothly. He remembered the property agreement we signed before and nodded. He walked toward the sofa and sat down. Then he noticed the boxes and asked. "Why are they only moving my stuff? What about your stuff?" "I've already taken them." He nodded and said to the movers. "Label everything clearly, don't put things in the wrong rooms after delivering them." I watched him quietly. You don't need to worry about them making mistakes—everything in those boxes belongs to you. -- As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, we ran stright into Elizabeth and her brother Ethan Osborne. All four of us froze. Julian panicked. He dropped my hand, stepped forward, and stood slightly in front of me. "Why are you guys here?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Lizzie wanted to see your new place. I hadn't been here either, so I asked your parents for the address. Surprise." Elizabeth's eyes locked on me. She had seen me twice before. Once at the law firm, and once outside the bar. Her strong intuition made her curious. "Jules, who's this lady?" It was rare for Julian to fall silent, as if still thinking about how to introduce me. I stayed calm, and even extended my hand politely. "Amelia Leighton. Mr. Cohen and I were college classmates. I'm getting a divorce, so I came to ask for advice. Didn't expect him to be moving today. Bad timing." My words brought Julian back to reality. He glanced at me guiltily, then followed along with my explanation and introduced everyone. Everything seemed normal, but Elizabeth still looked suspicious. Then she came over to me and started chatting. "Lia, why are you getting divorced?" I didn't expect her to be this straightforward. I froze for a few seconds, then smiled. "My husband's in love with someone else." Chapter 7 Hearing I'd gone through something similar, Elizabeth immediately felt sympathy and couldn't help but comfort me. "I went through the same thing. But it's okay—once you get divorced, everything will be better. Jules will definitely help you." Indeed, he had helped with the most difficult part—signing the papers. I nodded. "I heard he handled your case too. Must've been really dedicated." A shy look crossed her face. Her voice got soft. "Yeah. Jules helped so much. He gathered evidence against my ex, stayed by my side to keep me safe..." Through her stories, I saw a completely different Julian. It turned out he wasn't naturally indifferent, he just didn't like me. Rather than being nonchalant, I simply wasn't the person who could stir his passion. Unfortunately, I had fallen too deeply, too long, and realized it too late, wasting so many years on him. The sun was setting. Elizabeth grabbed my hand. "Lia, come have dinner with us." Julian, who happened to be coming downstairs, froze when he heard that. He looked visibly reluctant. I smiled a little and shook my head. "I've got plans. I can't join." Before they could argue, Julian helped me to the car. "You guys go ahead. I'll drop her off and come back." -- The moving truck followed us out. In the car, his heart was clearly racing. Every red light, he seemed to be searching for words. I spoke first. "We agreed to keep our marriage a secret—only go public when we both felt ready. You're not ready yet. I get it." His shoulders relaxed. He took a deep breath, voice full of gratitude. "Thank you for being so thoughtful. Just give me a little more time and we'll definitely go public." I gave a faint response and turned to look out the window. Julian, after three years married, you still need "a little more time." But I won't wait for you anymore. Chapter 8 I stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. Julian could tell something's been off lately, but he didn't know what. He thought back on what's been happening and realized he'd been neglecting me because of Elizabeth's case. Guilt hit him. For once, he made the first move. "Our third anniversary is coming up. Let's go on a trip." With only a few days left before the divorce waiting period ended, I did not want any complications. I rejected him, using my injury as a reason. He thought for a while and listed other ideas—dinner, a show, whatever I wanted. As he listed them one by one, I always found an excuse, rejecting all his ideas. My cold responses were nothing like how excited I used to be about our dates. Seeing his confusion, I worried he would figure it out. I suggested, "Why don't we head back to our alma mater?" Julian could not figure out what was on my mind, but since he didn't want to spoil my mood, he agreed. We went quiet again. I opened my calendar app. Two dates side by side. September 7: Divorce. September 6: Our third anniversary—and the tenth anniversary of me falling for him. Going back to where it all started on that day felt right. A clean ending. A little smile popped up on my face. "This time you won't ditch me again, right?" He actually laughed. "When have I ever ditched you? Lia, stop making me sound bad." I smiled but didn't answer. -- The next week he didn't come home once. I stayed alone in the house, slowly packing the last of my things. Time flew. Soon it was September 6. I woke up early, did my makeup, put on an old dress from college, grabbed my camera, and went downstairs. Julian was already waiting. He opened the car door for me politely. Knowing I'd be free soon, I felt light. I talked nonstop about old school memories. We laughed the whole way. He relaxed too and even offered to take tons of photos for me later. Before we knew it, we pulled up to the gates of the university. I got out first and leaned against the car, waiting. Julian unbuckled his seatbelt—then his phone chimed. He opened it. I saw his face change. Elizabeth: "Jules, are you free? I have a fever. Can you take me to the hospital?" He froze. I turned to see what was going on and happened to see his hesitant expression. He decided fast. "Lia, something came up at the firm. I need to head back." I paused, "Can't you go an hour later?" "It's very important. I don't think it can wait." Seeing how determined he was, I did not expose his bluff. I only looked at him deeply and let him leave. He buckled up again and promised, "Once it's handled, we can come back. Maybe we can invite some of our old professors to lunch." I didn't respond. There won't be a next time, Julian. I watched his car drive away, then walked onto campus alone with my camera. I visited every spot that meant something to my youth and my one-sided love. After taking my photos, I hailed a taxi and left. On the way home, I saw Elizabeth had posted a photo of herself at the hospital. Chapter 9 Julian wasn't at the company. He was taking care of Elizabeth. Thinking of his confident promise, I let out a small, bitter laugh. He couldn't even give me half an hour. "Julian, if you knew these were the last hours I'd ever spend with you, would you regret standing me up again?" No one was around to answer me, and I was no longer cared. Just then, Lewis texted me. "Ms. Leighton, today is the last day of the waiting period, the whole process is now complete. "You're officially divorced. Congratulations on your freedom." It felt like someone handed me my life back. From today on, I didn't need Julian's love. I could finally live for myself. -- With three hours left, I got rid of the last of my things, then lay on the sofa watching the sunset. At the two-hour left, I took out my laptop and edited the photos I had taken today into a video. WIth one hour left, I finished the montage. After watching it once, I turned the camera toward myself and pressed record. I wanted to record a farewell letter I had written to Julian. When it was done, I placed the camera and the divorce papers on the bedroom nightstand, and wrote a short note. "Dear Julian, as of this moment, we're officially divorced. Congratulations to both of us." After doing all this, I picked up my last suitcase and left. -- Meanwhile, Julian didn't leave Elizabeth's house until she had almost fully recovered. He drove while calling me, wanting to keep his previous promise. No one answered. He kept getting directed to voicemail. In three years of marriage, it was the first time he couldn't reach me. Thinking of my recent car accident, he could not help but worry and turned back home. In the new house, all the items were placed neatly in their original positions. But something was wrong. There was nothing of mine here. Not a single trace. Realizing this, Julian's heart skipped a beat, and he hurried back to the old house. Much to his dismay, the whole house was empty. Completely empty. He looked everywhere, but no one was there. Only when he entered the bedroom did he see a camera and a stack of documents on the nightstand. Remembering how happy she had been holding the camera a few days ago, Julian felt momentarily relieved and pressed play to see what she had recorded. He pressed play. Cheerful music started. Clips of Washington University flashed by—plaza, library, basketball court—with captions. "Julian, the plaza still has kids skateboarding. Remember where I first confessed? You turned me down so gently. I cried all day. "Julian, the library's still packed. I didn't want to bother anyone, so I shot from far away. Your favorite spot, right? "Julian, this is the court where you played. I watched you secretly for four years." Scene after scene, he felt like he was back in college—carefree, six years ago. He remembered how hard I'd chased him back then. A small smile tugged at his lips. The music faded. One minute left. He thought maybe it was a surprise—maybe I'd appear. He kept watching. After a few black frames, my face appeared in the center of the screen. My eyes were red and tired. Julian suddenly felt a sense of unease. "Julian, this is our tenth year knowing each other—and my tenth year of secretly loving you. Hard to believe, right? "A whole decade. I'm surprised too. How many decades do we even get? "In ten years I spent seven crushing on you, three as your wife. I've tried so hard, given everything and wanted to become the person you loved. "But life doesn't always work that way. You never liked me. Even another three, seven, ten years—it wouldn't change a thing. "So on this day that means so much to me, I decided to let go of this obsession, and I wish you and Lizzie happiness. "When you watch this, I have something to tell you. "Julian, we're officially divorced."

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