“Aiden couldn’t believe what had happened to him right now.”
Erin’s sudden announcement of divorce was shocking.
It wouldn’t have been more surprising even if a war broke out right now.
Aiden couldn’t do anything.
It felt like the world was crumbling.
He couldn’t believe it so much that he thought it might be a nightmare.
But no matter how hard he tried to wake up from sleep, this was the reality.
Even if he tried to concentrate on other things to forget, the thoughts came back in no time.
He couldn’t understand why Erin suddenly said such a thing.
When did she start thinking about divorce?
‘We were like friends all this time.’
Aiden didn’t expect Erin to have such thoughts.
It was the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Tears rolled down Aiden’s face as he thought about it.
The past ten years.
As Erin said, they might not have been a perfect couple.”
However, the time that Aiden felt towards Erin as a friend was very short.
For the rest of the time, she wasn’t just a friend to him.
To him, Erin was the first person he could open up to and trust, then she became his first love.
And then his wife, the person he wanted to be with until the end.
So he waited patiently because that’s how it started.
He didn’t want to rush ahead and burden Erin.
It was painful to hold back overflowing emotions, but he was okay as long as Erin was by his side.
After all, they were going to be together for the rest of their lives.
He thought it was okay to go a little slowly.
Maintaining the relationship as it had been so far was good enough.
So whenever the urge to cross that line arose, Aiden suppressed it.
He barely held the line, but he always managed to hold back in the end.
He intended to cross that line someday, but he enjoyed waiting until then.
He was thirsty but excited, and his heart pounded.
It was a time when the days spent with Erin were filled to the brim with anticipation for that day.
“But was it all just my imagination?”
Was I nothing to Erin?
Have I never been anything more than just a friend?
“It’s not going to work like this.” Aiden stood up from his seat with determination.
“Let’s move for now.”
Aiden walked aimlessly.
He needed some fresh air, even if that was all he could do.
But…he would have been better off selling land by himself.
If he had, he wouldn’t be in this state right now.
On the way to the garden, he saw Erin.
And Erin was smiling.
He didn’t expect to see a smile on her face as if something good had happened.
Aiden couldn’t get close to her the moment he saw her like that.
It was as if his feet were frozen.
“….”
How could this happen?
It hadn’t even been a day since she asked for a divorce.
Is she happy to break up with me?
Aiden turned his steps around.
He didn’t want to run into Erin like this.
If Erin were to suggest divorce again right now, he felt like he would crumble.
Aiden avoided Erin for the first time in a long time.
He didn’t want to see her right now.
Maybe she really wants to break up with me.
Is breaking up with me really a good thing? It’s only made my heart more complicated.
Aiden became restless.
The image of Elin smiling wouldn’t leave his mind.
At this rate, it felt like Elin would really leave him.
That was something that should never happen.
“Why did she suddenly say that? Did she really want to break up with me like that?”
Negative thoughts once started to swallow Aiden’s heart, dragging him endlessly down.
Aiden looked back at his relationship with Elin.
Were the happy memories he had always cherished different for Elin? Did I do something wrong? How can I change Elin’s mind? Aiden couldn’t understand.
He had no idea until Elin spoke.
“When did my wife start thinking about divorce?”
There were some strange things when he thought about it.
Even though she always helped him, she didn’t leave anything behind.
She didn’t have any territory or mines in her name.
Even though Aiden tried to give her something, she always said it was okay.
Wait. Does that mean she can leave anytime she wants?
He thought about what was holding Erin back.
There was nothing stopping her from leaving right now.
Erin had never put down roots from the beginning.
As soon as he realized this fact, Aiden was engulfed in a feeling of his blood draining from his body.
He even thought that Erin might disappear if he slept and woke up.
No. That can never happen.
Aiden needed confirmation.
That Erin wouldn’t leave right away.
So he didn’t hesitate any longer.
Aiden headed somewhere without hesitation.
The place he arrived at was Erin‘s room. A room empty without the owner.
But Aiden opened the door without hesitation and went inside.
He looked around the room.
He didn’t know if there was anything he wanted to confirm inside, but he couldn’t bear to check.
He searched through the ownerless room.
At that moment, his eyes seemed to roll back.
He opened every drawer and even searched through the walls.
And he found it.
He found out that Elin had prepared to leave by transferring cash and other money to an overseas bank.
It was something she had checked and put in the drawer not long ago.
Aiden’s hand trembled as he held the paper.
He didn’t want to see it, even though he had searched the ownerless room.
But in the end, he had no choice but to confirm it.
“She really was going to leave.”
It was when everything became blurry before his eyes that Elin came in with the news.
“Aiden.”
He heard her calling him from behind.
Normally, he would have sensed her presence before she called his name, but now he couldn’t hear anything.
Elin’s cold voice continued, “What are you doing here?”
Aiden slowly turned his head. “Elin, what is all this?”
Elin seemed taken aback when she saw the paper in Aiden’s hand.
After briefly looking down at the paper, she looked back at Aiden and spoke firmly.
“Did you go through my things without my permission and because of that, you lost it?”
She was angry at the fact that someone had touched her things without permission.
When Aiden asked what was going on, she didn’t answer.
Neither Aiden nor Erin backed down as they stared at each other tensely.
“Don’t ever go through my room without my permission again,” Erin scolded.
For a moment, Aiden felt a sense of futility and let out a bitter laugh.
If Erin leaves, won’t this be the end of the next opportunity itself?
“Did you plan on leaving me from the beginning?”
“….”
“That’s why you never had anything and were a burden all along.”
Aiden wanted to give Erin a lot.
Every time his business did well, he thought of Erin.
She always said she only needed a certain percentage from their initial contract, but Aiden wanted to give her more.
However, every time, Erin refused.
She didn’t accept the mine or the estate because she found them too difficult to manage.
He wanted to give her more, but couldn’t.
Upon realizing that the reason for it all was because she was considering divorce, Aidan not only felt shocked but also betrayed.
“Aidan.”
“……”
“I am angry about you rummaging through my room without permission.”
But Erin didn’t let it go.
Even though it was clear that Aidan was paying attention to the paper he was holding, she still questioned him about what he did.
“……”
Aidan closed his mouth.
He knew the truth.
In other places, no one could say anything about what he did, no matter what.
Aidan, too, didn’t care what people said.
It was important that he did what he wanted.
But Erin was always the exception.
It was natural to consider whether she would like it or not, and he knew that what he had done would make her very unhappy.
So, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
Aidan was afraid of Erin getting angry.
He was afraid that she might dislike him because of it.
However, what’s the use of that if you’re planning to leave anyway?
Aidan’s mind kept twisting.
His lips, which had been tightly shut, were forced open.
“What should I do then?”
“….”
Aidan groaned, his face contorted.
“I’m going crazy because I’m too anxious….”
Eventually, tears fell from Aidan’s eyes.
He murmured in a choked voice.
“I knew Erin would be angry. I know I did something wrong….”
Suddenly, a large teardrop fell.
***
In an instant, Erin was so taken aback that she forgot she had been angry just moments before.
Aidan was standing in front of her, choking back tears.
“Erin,” he called her name in a voice filled with moisture, and his tear-filled eyes looked so forlorn.
“I really don’t want to break up.”
Erin was at a loss for words.
Why was he so good at making her feel like this? She couldn’t even be angry with him.
As she watched Aidan’s overflowing tears, she felt a sudden impulse to do whatever he wanted.
Maybe it would be okay to just go along with what he wanted, even if her heart was swaying like a reed in the wind.
Sweet temptation whispered in her ear.
What if she made Aidan completely hers before Julia Charte arrived so that when Julia showed up, she wouldn’t stand a chance?
Erin’s greed writhed inside her.
Aidan came closer.
Erin just stared at him silently.
She was too caught up in his pitiful and poignant appearance that she didn’t even notice what he was trying to do.
Soon, warmth touched her lips.
thank you for the update!