Our Divorce Agreement

Ethan’s first love—the woman he’d pined over for ten years—got divorced and came back to the country. To give her a home again, Ethan decided to divorce me on the spot. He didn’t hesitate to transfer half of his company's shares to my name. He was terrified that if he delayed even for a second, I would cling to him. "We're divorcing by mutual consent. You are not to slander Heather in front of anyone." "And in the future, if Heather is attending any public events, you’d better avoid them." Ten years of trying to win Ethan's heart under the System's orders, only to be met with a hundred divorce terms all centered around Heather Bennett. He cherished her like a treasure. From beginning to end, he never truly looked at me. I let out a soft laugh. "You’ve finished your conditions. Now, it's my turn." Picking up the pen, I wrote the only clause that belonged to me on the final page of the divorce agreement: 【After the divorce, Ethan Vance is forbidden from ever appearing in Nicole Miller's world.】 To celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, I finished my work overseas early, flying twelve hours just to rush back to the office. But I never expected to walk into his office and see my husband tightly holding his first love. The office door was slightly ajar, and Ethan’s voice drifted out clearly: "Heather, I was wrong back then. I shouldn’t have let you go... Now that you’re back, I’m never letting go again." "I will give you a home. A home that truly belongs to us." That gentle tone was something I had never heard in our ten years together. I stood outside the door for ten whole minutes, until Heather noticed me. The moment Ethan turned and saw me, the emotion in his eyes wasn't panic. It was relief. He directly pulled a pre-drafted divorce agreement from his drawer. "Heather needs me. Sign it." I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms. "Ethan, in these ten years, was there ever a single moment when you..." "Nicole," he interrupted, his gaze finally landing on my face. "Our marriage was only because Heather was trying to make me jealous back then." "Now that she’s back, everything should go back to how it was." "Don’t worry, I’ll give you half the company’s shares. It's enough for you to live comfortably." Three sentences. Just like that, he casually erased our 3,600 days and nights together. Ten years ago, Ethan's startup faced a hostile takeover and was on the brink of bankruptcy. Heather chose to break up with him during his hardest times to marry a wealthy heir overseas. And I, bound by a System that required me to win Ethan's heart, stepped into his life when he was at his lowest. In the early years of our marriage, the company struggled. I practically lived in the office, researching markets day and night, helping him deal with various investors. I even used all my savings to help him start a new company and regain control when the board doubted him. On the day the new company went public, he hugged me tightly at the celebration party: "Nicole, the greatest luck of my life was meeting you." He knew I lacked security, so he always reported his whereabouts whenever he had business dinners. His phone password was always my birthday. Once, a female client tried to get close to him while drunk. He coldly cancelled the partnership on the spot, which became huge gossip in our circle. I had naively thought that sincerity could be traded for sincerity. Until today, when I heard with my own ears that he had never loved me. It turned out his heart was never ours. He had only bowed his head to reality temporarily. And I was nothing more than a convenient stepping stone during his rock-bottom days. I picked up the pen and signed my name on that lengthy agreement. "Ethan, as you wish, we won't bother each other anymore," I said calmly, pushing the agreement back to him. Looking at the last line on the divorce agreement, Ethan’s brows furrowed tightly. "Forbidden from appearing in your world?" He sneered, his knuckles tapping heavily on the mahogany desk. "Nicole, when did you learn to play hard to get?" Heather was wrapped in his suit jacket, leaning weakly against his shoulder, a hint of smugness hiding in her eyes. "I'm not playing hard to get." My eyes swept over Heather’s hand on his arm, and I spoke tiredly. "Ethan, it’s been ten years. I’m exhausted." Hearing my words, the anger on Ethan’s face flared even more. He crumpled the agreement in his grip, almost speaking through gritted teeth. "Not bother each other? Nicole, I hope you don’t regret this!" He grabbed the pen, signing his name as if venting his anger, then threw the paper in front of me. Somehow, a faint glimmer arose in his eyes—one he hadn't even noticed himself. "Nicole, you’d better really be as carefree as you act." Ethan had always believed I loved him to the bone. He was convinced my current calmness was just a front. Once I left him, I wouldn’t survive. Even if we divorced, sooner or later, I would face reality and crawl back to beg him. But he didn’t know that the moment he took out the divorce agreement, the long-silent System notification rang in my mind again. 【Target's affection level has dropped to zero. Mission failed. Desynchronization countdown initiated.】 【In three days, the Host will depart this world via natural death.】 Only three days left. Then, I would completely leave this ridiculous world—and him.Ethan used all his connections to finalize the divorce papers the day after we signed. Then, he couldn't wait to register his marriage with Heather. While packing my things, my phone buzzed with a notification from his Instagram. The post was a picture of him and Heather holding their marriage certificate. In our ten years of marriage, he had never once made our relationship public. To the outside world, I was just his business partner. Looking at it now, it was all just to keep the position of Mrs. Vance open for Heather. I turned off my phone and continued packing. Actually, I didn't have much stuff. Most of it was bought after our marriage. However, I organized all the business files and contracts in the study, planning to hand them over to Ethan's assistant. Over the years, I had grown used to playing the perfect wife by Ethan's side. When he needed a business partner, I stayed up all night researching the market to secure projects for him. When he wanted a gentle, domestic woman, I suppressed my sharp edges, learning to cook and make soup. Now that I think about it, during those ten years, I lived like an exquisite puppet. And he never cared about the soul behind the puppet. "Ms. Miller, Mr. Vance sent me to collect the files." Assistant Marcus stood at the door, his tone polite but distant. Behind him were several movers, who began taking inventory of the items in the house. "These are the files Mr. Vance wanted. They're all organized." I handed him several sealed document boxes. Marcus took the boxes, hesitated, and then spoke: "Ms. Miller, Mr. Vance said he is reclaiming this estate as well. Please move out by the end of today." I raised an eyebrow. This house was bought in our third year of marriage. Back then, Ethan said this would be our home. The deed was in my name. "Marcus, please tell him," I said calmly, "I will move out, but according to the divorce agreement, this house belongs to me." Marcus froze, obviously not expecting me to push back. "But Mr. Vance said..." "If Mr. Vance has any objections, he can have his lawyer contact me." I turned back to pack my things, ignoring him. My phone vibrated. It was Ethan. I declined the call and immediately blocked his number on Snapchat, FaceTime, and everywhere else. Since I said he was forbidden from appearing in my world, he should disappear completely. Including his voice, his messages, and everything about him. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. I thought it was the movers, but when I opened the door, Ethan was standing there with Heather. His face was dark, eyes burning with suppressed anger. "Nicole, what kind of game are you playing?" "Do you think blocking my number will get my attention?" I stood inside the doorway, looking at him calmly. "Mr. Vance, the agreement made it very clear. You are forbidden from appearing in my world." "Now, please leave." Ethan laughed as if he’d heard a joke. He took a step forward, trying to push the door open. "I changed my mind. I'm keeping this house for Heather. She likes the garden here." I held the door firmly, looking at him coldly. "Ethan, you seem to have forgotten that the deed to this house has my name on it." Ethan froze on the spot, seemingly caught off guard by my firmness. In his memory, I was always the gentle, submissive wife who never went against him. "Nicole, since when did you become so unreasonable?" he asked, frowning. "Probably because I've finally woken up." I looked into his eyes and said: "Ethan, I don't love you anymore."The expression on Ethan's face shifted from shock to anger, and finally into a complex mix of emotions. "Fine. Great," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them. "Then let me ask you, since you’ve already taken half of the company's shares, why are you spreading rumors online!" Behind him, Heather’s eyes were red, looking pitiful. "It's my fault. Maybe I shouldn't have come back." The weaker she acted, the more heartbroken Ethan became. "Heather, you're just too kind. That's why she gets to bully you like this!" Taking advantage of their bickering, I pulled out my phone and checked Twitter. It turned out someone had anonymously leaked that the real reason for Ethan's divorce was Heather's interference. They had even posted a wedding photo of Ethan and me from ten years ago. Although Ethan’s PR team quickly took down the trending topics, the public backlash had already spread on Twitter and Instagram. I put away my phone, my tone flat: "The leak is factual, but I didn't do it." Ethan sneered. "Other than you, who else would have such malice toward Heather?" Heather pulled at his sleeve, gently advising: "Ethan, let's just forget about it." "The wedding is the day after tomorrow. If Nicole is willing to be my maid of honor, those rumors will naturally fall apart." "Me, a maid of honor?" I almost thought I heard wrong. "Ethan, is this your idea too?" Ethan looked at me blankly. "You owe Heather an apology. This is your chance to make amends." "Remember to smile. Let everyone see that we parted on good terms." With that, he wrapped his arm around Heather and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he paused, suddenly looking back at the empty living room. He frowned, a hint of unnoticed panic in his voice, "You’ve emptied out everything in the house?" I didn't answer his question. "Don't worry, I will show up at your wedding on time." Ethan wanted to say something more, but Heather gently pulled his sleeve. "Ethan, the bridal boutique is waiting for us to try on the outfits." Ethan gave me a long look, but ultimately left with Heather. That night, Heather posted the wedding invitation on Instagram, specifically noting that I would attend as the maid of honor. Ethan also updated his feed: "Finally putting a wedding dress on you." In the video, Heather was wearing a custom mermaid-style wedding gown, looking breathtakingly beautiful. That wedding dress was the exact one I had been amazed by while scrolling through my phone long ago, showing it to him. Back then, he had said: "Once the company stabilizes, I’ll definitely give you a proper wedding, and you’ll wear this exact dress." So, he did remember. It was just that the bride in his heart was never me. In my dazed state, I heard the System's notification: 【Time remaining before departure: 24 hours.】On the day of the wedding, I arrived at the hotel right on time. In the dressing room, Heather was fully dressed, admiring her makeup in the mirror. Seeing me, her lips curled into a victorious smile. "Nicole, thank you for agreeing to be my maid of honor." "No need to thank me," I replied casually. "After all, you both demanded it." She stood up, walked over to me, her eyes filled with scrutiny. "Do you know, Ethan told me that during his ten years of marriage with you, he thought of me every single day." "He said you were boring, rigid, and knew nothing but work." "He said every time he touched you, he had to mentally prepare himself for a long time." I stared at her quietly, only finding it ridiculous. If these words were said a month ago, they might have hurt me. But now, it was just laughable. "Are you done?" I asked. "If so, I’m going to change into the maid of honor dress." Heather suddenly grabbed my wrist, her grip surprisingly strong. "Nicole Miller, who are you trying to fool with this act?" "Do you think I don't know? You’re still in love with Ethan!" "You agreed to be the maid of honor just to find a chance to get close to him, didn’t you?" I forcefully shook off her hand. "You're overthinking." She suddenly smiled eerily. "Then let’s see who is more important in Ethan's heart." As soon as she finished speaking, she violently threw herself backward, crashing into the vanity table. Bottles and jars shattered all over the floor. Her forehead was cut by the broken glass, oozing blood. "Nicole, why did you push me?" She looked at me with tearful eyes. "I just wanted to get along with you..." The door of the dressing room was slammed open, and Ethan rushed in. "Heather!" He helped Heather up, his eyes filled with heartache upon seeing the wound on her forehead. He then glared at me in fury: "Nicole Miller, do you hate her that much?" "So much that you’d hurt her on our wedding day?" Watching this scene, it felt incredibly familiar. Ten years ago, Heather had put on a similar act before going abroad. Back then, Ethan chose to believe her, giving me the silent treatment for a whole month. Now history was repeating itself, but I only felt exhausted. "Ethan, you’ve falsely accused me once. Are you going to do it a second time?" "There's a security camera." I pointed to the camera in the corner of the ceiling. Heather's expression changed slightly, and she tugged at Ethan's sleeve. "Ethan, don't blame Nicole. She just loves you too much." "Loves me?" Ethan stared at me coldly. "Her love makes me sick!" He helped Heather stand up. "Nicole Miller, apologize to Heather right now!" I met his gaze. "I refuse." "You!" Ethan clenched his fists, a flash of complex emotion crossing his face, quickly replaced by anger. "Nicole, I’ll give you one last chance. Apologize!" "Otherwise, even if you die, I will never forgive you!" The moment his words fell, the System's prompt rang in my ear. 【Departure program initiated. Host, please proceed with a logical death immediately to return to your original world.】 I looked at Ethan and showed him my first genuine smile in the last ten days. I said, "Alright." Seeing my calm smile, Ethan felt his heart suddenly squeezed by a giant hand. He suddenly felt unable to breathe, his voice trembling. "Nicole, what do you mean by that?" I kept smiling at him. "Ethan, I hope you keep your promise. Never forgive me." "And never, ever appear in my world." I walked over to the window, leaned against the sill, and curled my lips slightly. "Goodbye. I wish you two happiness." Before his terrified eyes, I let myself fall backward out of the window.