Chapter 1

My face almost exploded with heat when I read the letter in front of me. My hand almost trembled with anger, and I almost crumpled it because of my grip.

"This is not what I need!" I shouted, then tore it to pieces.

I'm breathing fast, and I feel so pissed off. I spread the torn paper inside my office and immediately picked up a bottle of wine there. I don't want my day to be completely ruined because I have dinner today with my friends here. I took a deep breath and sipped the wine I was holding, but every time I remembered the letter I read, my mind warmed up.

"Let's try it another day, Lily. Maybe he's just tied up."

"Tide up! He just didn't want to receive the papers I sent for him!" I shouted when I interrupted my friend Stella.

He should be ashamed! How could he do that to me? I can't believe that he would just write to me through his secretary! Until now?! Until now, there has been no change in him!

"I'll try to contact him as much as I can. Just chill out, okay?" Stella told me to calm down.

I just shook my head because I couldn't calm down. I have been sending those documents for several months, but he has not received even one.

"I send him documents every month, Stella, but he hasn't accepted even one! So, tell me how to chill out?" I said one after the other, then poured wine into my glass again.

"How dare he reply in that f*cking way!" I screamed more, then I sat down on the chair.

"My gosh, Lily! Don't you notice? Maybe he really didn't accept it," Stella told me, then took a seat in front of me.

"For what? What will he gain?" I asked, still using an irritated voice.

"Absolutely nothing! Didn't you have a prenup agreement, right? So he won't get anything from you. Unless he really doesn't want the marriage of the two of you to be annulled," Stella explained to me one after the other.

I almost fell on my forehead and shook my head.

"And why doesn't he want to divorce me? There's no other reason! We've been separated for a long time!" I shouted again.

I really want to get rid of his last name after my name, even though I don't use it very often here in New York. I used the influence that my parents had to hide my true identity here, and it was successful.

"What if he loves you?" Stella asked suddenly.

I looked up at her and laughed because I couldn't believe what she said.

"Do you hear what you're saying, Stella? That man doesn't know the meaning of love. It's not even in his vocabulary that he can hurt even his own siblings just so his ego won't be stepped on," I said to Stella, then drank my wine again.

I don't know how Stella could say those words because that man never loved me. We both made a mistake, and that's a mistake I never want to happen again.

"If he doesn't accept all those documents, then I will give them to him personally. He can't just ignore those papers!" I added while still frustrated.

"Wait. What? Are you sure about that?" Stella asked me as if she couldn't believe what I said.

"Are you ready to see and talk to him again?" she asked more.

I stopped there for a while and immediately drank wine because I honestly didn't know what to say to her. Am I really ready? Am I ready to see the man who ruined my life again? I shook my head and took a deep breath to answer Stella.

"Do I have a choice? If I want to get rid of him, I will face him. It won't progress if I can't talk to him personally," I replied to Stella.

"Oh yeah. It's been a few years. Maybe this is the right time to go back," Stella told me, then shrugged her shoulders.

I just nodded to her, even though I still felt some fear. I know my husband. He is very well known, not only in the Philippines; that's why I had a hard time hiding my identity here in other countries. I also saw that he didn't really care about me because, for four years, I was away and hiding from him; he didn't look for me.

During that whole day, Stella did not leave my office. I am really grateful to her because, from the very beginning, she never left me, even when my life was at its worst. She's my best friend, and I'm so lucky to have her. She is the one who makes my bad days go away every day, and that's why I also calm down during those times.

"I'll see you later. Don't bring your car," Stella told me before finally leaving my office.

I laughed at her and just nodded. My friends and I have a night out, and Stella also had to leave to be with her sister, who just arrived here for a while before we have a party later.

Before I left my office, I arranged my other things there. I put aside the blueprints I made earlier. While I was snowed under there, my cell phone suddenly rang. I hesitated whether to answer that because my working hours were over, but when I saw Sabrina's name appear on the screen, I answered it immediately.

"Hello," she said.

"What's up, Sister Sab?" I asked immediately.

"Sorry. Are you busy?" Sab asked me.

"No. I just finished working. Why? Is there a problem?" I asked immediately and couldn't help but worry.

When I heard her soft laugh, I breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, they have no problem there.

"There's no problem here, Lily. Actually, I just woke up and Dad called me. He asked me to call you to ask again when you're coming home. He didn't mention it to you yesterday when you talked," she said to me after another.

"It's his birthday next week, and they will also celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. Don't you still have plans to go home?" Sabrina asked me another question.

Yes, it is. It turns out that Dad's birthday is coming up, and I know that day is very special for him and for Mom. Maybe that is the right time for me to return to the Philippines. Also, I have a lot to fix there.

"I'm sorry, Sab, but I can't. I have a lot of meetings next week, and I can't cancel them because I already canceled my meeting that was supposed to happen this week," I said to make up some reasons, even though the truth is that I don't really have a meeting.

"Are you sure about that, Lily? For sure Dad will be sad if he hears this. Anyways, I'll just explain to them why you can't go home," Sab answered me, and the disappointment was also obvious in her voice.

I smiled because they didn't know I would be coming home that day. I just want to surprise them, especially Dad, who has been nagging me for a long time to go home to the Philippines. They also can't visit me here because they are busy with their business.

My sister and I didn't talk for long, and she didn't scold me anymore because she probably knew in herself that no matter what she tried to convince me, I wouldn't really be able to go home.

I left my office and went home. I just cooked my dinner there and ate before showering and getting dressed. I'm just wearing an elegant, sexy deep-V party shinny dress. It was black in color, and the glitter was clearly visible. I also just wore three-inch heels and put on light make-up. I also let my long and curly hair hang loose.

"I'm leaving, Stella. Are you still not sure that I'm not coming? Gosh!" I told Stella when she called me.

She just laughed, so I just rolled my eyes there. She didn't want me to bring my car, so I just took an Uber to the place where we were going to party. After I arrived, I was immediately greeted by my other friends, including Stella.

"You look so stunning, Architect Smith!" Marcus told me; he was also my best friend in college.

I don't know if I will be happy with what he said, but I just made him suffer.

"F*ck you, Martinez!" I said to him, then I showed him my middle finger.

They laughed and teased me. A lot of us were there at the club, and I also saw some celebrities there. I know the others, so I stop almost all of them when I pass them.

We also started drinking there, and Stella was planning to get me drunk because she ordered a lot of drinks for me.

"Don't worry, Lily. I got you tonight! I'll take you home," Stella told me, then immediately gulped down the wine she was drinking.

"No thanks, Stella. I want to live for a long time," I answered her while shaking my head.

"Right! Let's fulfill the annulment she wants before she dies," Marcus said, then laughed to tease me again.

"Right! I still want to see how your child gets to know you because your ex-girlfriend has been hiding it from you until now!" I said to him to make up for the teasing, so we laughed there as well as with our friends.

That's what we often tease about every time we're hanging out with other friends. None of us were offended, even if the teasing was a bit personal. Maybe we just got used to each other. My friends and I just had fun there, and I mingled with other celebrity acquaintances there.

"Have you met Mike? He's been looking for you for a while," said Caroline, who had just returned to our table.

"Oh, you're still dating him? I thought it was Saint?" Marcus asked me.

I was just in agony because I saw the strange looks they gave me. Yes, I've dated so many guys here and abroad, but that's all. I only meet and bond with them, but I never attach myself to them. I see the same in them, and the others that I dated are being serious, which I immediately stay away from. I'm still married on paper, and even if the day comes when my marriage is no longer valid, I still have no intention of entering into a relationship.

"I already talked to Mike. I made it clear in what we talked about that we were only going to hang out or date," I answered, then shrugged my shoulders.

"Then how about Saint?" Stella asked me while raising an eyebrow.

"We're just good friends," I answered, then shrugged my shoulders again.

"I can't believe that anymore. Two weeks later we'll find out again that he's the one you're dating," Caroline said one after the other.

I laughed and shook my head because they had already memorized me, but as for Saint, we are really just friends. We are just planning a business deal; that's why they always see us together.

"Stop that, okay? It's up to you. Saint and I are just friends," I answered, then looked at them and drank some more wine.

They didn't even bother me there and forced me to say that Saint and I used to be together, even though it wasn't really true. I can't blame my friends for thinking that either, because I have dated many men here and was happy there because somehow I forgot the pain in my past.