Chapter 1 - The Last Straw that Broke the Camel's Back

"Let's end this, I want a divorce."

Clayton Strong threw the divorce paper in front of Emerald Trueman.

The ruthlessness of the man was like a sword piercing her heart. Emerald pursed her lips as she suppressed the pain.

She foolishly thought he finally warmed up with her as he had set a dinner date with her for the first time.

Taking into consideration that he was swamped with work as his father gave the whole reins of the family's huge company to him, Emerald patiently waited for him for three hours.

Enduring the scornful gaze thrown her way.

Now, he showed up half an hour before the restaurant's closing hour. Then, unapologetically sat down while he threw the divorce paper at her.

How cruel could this man be? Throwing divorce paper at her on their first wedding anniversary.

"The 500 million dollars alimony after the divorce will allow you to live a life of luxury all through your life," Clayton didn't bat an eye when he wrote this amount of alimony as he only wants to be out of this marriage as soon as possible.

"I'm pregnant, are you still going to divorce me?" Emerald looked into Clayton's eyes to search for even a slight hesitation in his eyes but found not even an iota.

His eyes were piercingly cold. His demeanor was like an aloof iceberg. Unreachable and untouchable.

"I will never acknowledge the child, so better abort it!" His words were the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Emerald's world fell apart. Her hands that were on her lap shook violently. She lowered her head blinking back the tears in her eyes and stopped her trembling hands.

There was no point in begging this cold hearted man, Emerald has to protect her remaining dignity.

Enough of the humiliation.

It's true that she and Clayton lived under one roof but they never shared a bedroom.

Though she didn't suffer domestic violence as Clayton was not a person who would physically hurt a woman, Clayton never regarded her as his wife.

Disrespecting her by bringing Lizzy to their home and totally disregarding her feelings.

Even the maids in the villa paid no respect to her as she was nothing but a rejected wife.

Bad enough to love a man who didn’t love her. But it was rampantly unpleasant to love a man who zealously disliked her.

She stilled her heart by taking a deep breath and took the pen. Her steady hand and unblinking eyes as she signed the divorce paper displayed her determination.

Clayton was taken aback at Emerald's resoluteness. What he foresaw was a weeping woman with trembling hands signing the divorce paper.

He should be happy that she didn't beg him not to divorce but why was his chest feeling stuffy at her unbothered behavior?

The chiming of his phone interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Hello, Lizzy," his usual cold and harsh tone greatly changed into a warm and tender tone. This warm and tender side of him belonged to Lizzy alone. "Yes, wait for me, we'll have dinner together."

Emerald questioned her intelligence, how on earth did she fall in love with this man? What did she see in him?

Clayton hung up after saying a few words at Lizzy which Emerald didn't bother to listen to.

"Let's just treat it like everything was just a dream, you and I waking up from a nightmare," Emerald said, stuffed the divorce paper in his hand and left, not sparing him another glance.

Clayton didn't go back to the villa that night and only came back the following day after work.

Clayton sat on the couch and rested his back on the backrest as he closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes when there was no one taking off his shoes and socks and putting on the slippers to his feet.

"Emerald!" Clayton called his wife gruffly.

Each evening he comes home, his wife would automatically do it without being told. He was irritated that she didn't immediately attend to his needs.

"Sir?" A maid came near Clayton with a bewildered expression.

"Where's my wife?" Clayton asked coldy.

"?" The maid was confused and speechless, it was her first time to hear her employer call Emerald, 'wife'.

However it was too late for him to start acknowledging his wife.

"Did you hear me?" The temperature in the living dropped a few centigrade making the maid shudder in fear.

"Sir, Ms. Emerald left around eleven in the morning," the maid was really confused at his employer.

"Where did my wife go?" In their one year marriage, Emerald never leaves the house without informing him and always knows her timing.

She would come back before dusk so she could attend to his needs.

"We have no idea sir, she was carrying a suitcase," the maid almost peed in her trousers as the man before her exuded a chilling aura.

They aren't officially divorced yet as he only handed the divorce papers to his lawyer this morning, so she has to stay until the divorce certificate is released.

Clayton dragged his exhausted body up the stairs and towards his bedroom.

"What happened to my room?" Clayton bellowed to Mr. Hodge, the butler.

Working for the Strongs since his youth, Mr. Hodge knew Clayton's temperament as he had seen him grow. He only acted this way when he was super agitated.

"The missus, told us to change back to the color you prefer," Mr. Hodge answered monotonously, his voice had not fluctuated at all.

A week after they got married, Emerald changed the black beddings, curtains and furniture into a pastel color, reasoning that the black monochromatic design of his bedroom was too depressing.

At first he got angry at her but unknowingly, Clayton, eventually took a liking to the changes she introduced.

"Change it back to the way she liked it," Clayton said, unknotting his tie as he felt as if a heavy rock pressed against his chest.

Mr. Hodge, raised his eyebrows and answered, "I am sorry sir, the missus told us to leave no trace of her in this house. Everything was thrown away before she left this morning."