Chapter One

Belle smiled at the few staff who recognized her. She tried not to grab anyone’s attention. Okay, maybe a little. She may have kept her silence, but she has been possessed with her flair for the dramatic. She wore the perfect black dress, hugging her curves perfectly, and dark red lipstick like a typical movie villain. She contemplated adding sunglasses but thought nah, that would be too much.

She knew coming here at the law firm would be a hot issue in the making. People love to gossip as what can be observed with every eye trying to follow her every move subtly. She hasn’t left the area, but they are already whispering. For the first time after a long time, she didn’t care.

It was nice to feel liberated even in this last stage of her short-lived marriage. It was a marriage that made whispering feel like screaming.

Ah, there they are. She thought, spotting the conference room with glass windows. Perfect.

She opened the glass door with a wide grin, showing her perfect set of white teeth. Her brother, Preston, who was presenting something, stopped talking. "Katherine Isobelle?" He blinked several times to make sure that Belle wasn’t just a hallucination. “Can you see her too?” He even asked.

Lace, one of the partners, nodded. Not sure what was happening.

"Sorry, brother. I wouldn't want to interrupt, but I am only free today, and this isn’t something that can exactly wait." She got the folder from her bag and showed it to everyone in the room. “Urgent matter.”

"What's that?"

"A special delivery by yours truly," Belle proudly says, with her voice almost sounding lunatic with the overly joyful tone. Her hand slowly sliding at the edge of the envelope was followed by the set of eyes in the room and maybe some of the staff outside. All were curious about what it could be, but only one person knew what was inside it before it was even opened.

"When did you arrive?" Preston asked. "What- Why are you here?"

"This won't take long, brother. We can have our little chit-chat some other time but let me finish this business quickly."

Lace awkwardly smiled at Belle, and she returned her smile, reserving apologies for later.

Even with the brave front, it took a moment of convincing and channeling confidence to meet the eyes of the man in the grey suit. He wasn’t confused. In fact, Attorney Nikolai Laurent knew precisely what she came here for. He couldn’t hide his anger at Belle’s sudden appearance. There’s that petty victory.

"Long time no see.” Everyone became invisible. Their eyes spoke of the history they had hidden for themselves. Belle finally handed Nikolai the divorce papers she received a week ago. “I wanted to hand you this divorce papers myself.”

"What's that?" Preston tried to look at what it was. At that moment, he didn't seem like a lawyer. He looked like an overprotective brother who was itching to punch someone when he heard the word divorce from his sister’s mouth.

Seeing Nikolai being punched and physically getting hurt wouldn’t be a bad thing in Belle’s mind. She deliberately chose the perfect time and place for that to be possible.

Preston is usually composed, but his hands shook with confusion while holding the documents. "Why is my sister handing you divorce papers, Nikolai?"

Nikolai and Belle were exchanging glares and mental curses. Even with the increasing tension, Nikolai chose to keep his silence which infuriated Belle even more. He had always been like that since they got married. Some things never change, she thought.

He never spoke about what he felt. He always lets her guess and assume everything. Belle once thought they could trust each other, and lean on each other, but their marriage was a shit show. Nothing like she expected, or maybe she just expected much.

"You won't say a word still? I traveled for hours for what? Get a silence treatment? You haven’t changed one bit, Nikolai."

"As I told you, you will be informed of the progress-"

"You can contact my lawyer. Keeping my fingers crossed you won’t give her the same silent treatment you have given me. You could at least have the decency to inform me you are filing for divorce, but you… you can’t even do that?” Belle forced a laugh. The silence made their voices echo, filling the room with tension and anticipation for their outside audience.

She turned to the other two, who had little to no understanding of what was happening. “Sorry for interrupting your meeting. You may all proceed. That was rude of me. I am so, so, sorry.”

Walking out of the office with her chin up, everyone followed her gaze until several gasping followed after Preston’s fist landed on Nikolai’s face.

Belle turned one more time, checking on them.

“You fucking bastard!”

Her husband was ready to receive another punch with those nonchalant eyes. Nikolai wasn’t fighting. He was seated on the floor, with a swollen face and blood on his lips. And yet, she is still not satisfied until Nikolai begs on his knees with tears on his face. That is not enough.

But for today, this would do.

There wasn’t much to pack. All Belle brought was one small suitcase with clothes that were good for three days. After putting her phone on silent, she was aware that people were still trying to call her, and she intentionally planned to ignore all those tonight.

After what happened, Belle hoped she could get peace of mind and maybe a good night's sleep. It was the confrontation she had practiced so many times in her head, and it even came with different versions. It was what got her through those times when she felt s alone, tired, and lonely after Nikolai left.

‘Answer my call, or I will go there.’

It was hard not to roll her eyes when she read Preston’s message. He didn’t even know where Belle was staying, but this was what she expected. There was no doubt he would bend and break the rules and maybe the law just to find her. They are not vocal with their worries and problems, but Preston has always been the protective older brother. She saw that side of him again today.

The phone started to ring; it took several rings before she finally pressed answer. After all, she feels guilty about hiding something as big as marriage. If Preston does something similar, heaven knows Belle would pull some sort of crazy act.

“Good… evening? Morning? Technically, it’s morning, so that should be a good morning.”

“Is this everything you have to tell me, Katherine Isobelle?”

Hearing her full name loud and clear gave Belle the shivers. Preston only does this on the very few occasions that she deserves a scolding. At her age, she never imagined she would hear that tone again.

“There’s really no need to get angry, Preston.” She kept her tone light. “Okay, you deserve an apology. I’m sorry for the mess I made at your workplace. I knew better, but I was blinded by… stupidity, I guess.”

“Nikolai?” He even laughed on the other line. “You are married to that asshole who shared the same office with me since day one? Hell, I’ve known him since law school. You have known him since then! And none of you bothered to give me a hint? Really Belle? And you are telling me there is no need to get angry?”

“You can get angry if you like, but that would just be crying over spilled milk. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time.”

“Stop acting like this isn’t a big deal!” Preston’s voice was so loud that she had to distance her left ear. “Marriage, Belle! A fucking marriage!”

“You curse a lot today. Goodness…” She commented.

There was an exaggerated sigh, or maybe that was an exhale of frustration. She knew this was supposed to be a serious talk, and Preston was definitely playing the big brother role, but she couldn’t help but think how oddly funny this situation was. They never really had a serious talk since he was so busy with college and then law school and then now, his law firm. For Preston to spare Belle the time to scold, what a special occasion this divorce really is.

“I’m sorry,” She said in all seriousness. “You deserved to know the truth, I know, but it was a… spur of the moment thing. What’s important is that everything is over. There’s no need for us to get stressed. In fact, after this divorce, the stress would be over. We can all pretend it never happened. Just like that! I give you full permission to treat Nikolai like how you always treat him. You punched him, right? Then, you can call it quits.”

“You’re unbelievable, Belle. This isn’t a game.”

“I just want it to be over, brother.” And that is the truth. They were long over, but it took a damn long time for her to realize that on her own. Maybe it was a good thing that he initiated the divorce papers, but it was an insult on her part to just have a delivery man mail her the letter, without any heads up.

At the very end of their marriage, Nikolai still managed to make her feel like trash as if everything he had done was not enough.

“Tell that to Nikolai’s parents tomorrow.”

She was starting to feel sleepy, but at that very moment, all the energy Belle thought she no longer possessed just ruled over her body.

“What?” She screamed so loud that if only the walls of her room weren't soundproof, she would surely be heard next door. “What did you say?”

“The famous Oliver Laurent called me to tell me himself that you will be meeting their family tomorrow. He specifically asked for his daughter-in-law’s attendance. Oh, I would be there too.”

“Shit.”

“And guess what? He might have said something to threaten the firm, saying something like making sure we wouldn’t get another client, something like that. I am not threatening you, Belle. I am merely sharing. Don’t worry, I can handle myself. You ought to know still. Never mind planning an escape, Belle. They are not here to play games."

The lights from the buildings in the window view seemed twinkling, which made Belle dizzy. This was a conversation she wasn’t ready to have today or ever.

“I would hate to be condescending, but I guess this is the price you pay for secretly marrying the son of arguably the richest man in this country.”

Belle wanted to melt exactly where she was standing at that exact moment. It took a lot of courage to do what she has done, and she doesn't want to regret any of it except at that moment, she wished she had just silently signed the papers and moved on with her life.

Nikolai’s family… isn’t the kind of people she wants to be involved with; tomorrow, things will change.