An Incomplete Divorce (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Olivia was at a loss.
The woman hadn’t noticed her yet, so if she quietly retraced her steps, nothing would happen. She didn’t want to run into her again and end up hurting—or being hurt—unnecessarily.
Yet, despite that thought, curiosity flickered within her: Why was she alone here? Her companions were supposed to be having dinner at Grand Bleu.
Between tightly clasped hands, a white handkerchief peeked out—especially noticeable against her deep navy skirt.
‘She’s been crying.’
Olivia decided to quell her curiosity right there. Yesterday’s incident still weighed on her mind. Her own confession must have played a part, she thought—and now guilt kept her feet rooted in place.
“Miss.”
Anne called out softly. Even Anne’s eyes seemed to urge her to turn back.
Just as Olivia and Anne were about to pivot away silently, footsteps muffled—
“Have you finished your amusing little spectacle?”
Startled as though caught in wrongdoing, both women froze, then slowly turned toward the voice. Their eyes met those of the woman standing tall, staring straight at them.
Olivia took a brief breath and walked toward the bench.
The woman looked up at Olivia, her tightly pressed lips swollen red, as if she’d been biting them the whole time she cried. Her eyes, too, were reddened—from weeping, it seemed. Her eyelids twitched faintly as she glared.
“Hello.”
“Do I look well?”
“…”
What a foolish thing to say first.
“Feels satisfying, doesn’t it?”
Olivia quietly absorbed the woman’s reaction.
“It’s a common trick around here. Today, there just happened to be no chair for me.”
The woman spoke in an angry tone. Olivia recalled the group of women laughing and chatting over dinner at Grand Bleu’s terrace.
“Thanks to you.”
The woman trembled slightly, stubbornly holding back tears. Apart from any sense of guilt, Olivia felt no real pity.
“Thanks to people like you. I never had a seat either.”
Olivia looked down at the woman with completely emotionless eyes.
The woman opened her mouth as if to retort, but for a long moment, only silence passed between them. Light and shadow danced restlessly across the ground, stirred by the wind rustling through the branches.
Their locked gazes felt like tightly drawn threads.
“You’ve changed.”
Elaine softened her sharp glare, as if conceding defeat, and gave a short, wry laugh.
“How did you know that necklace was fake?”
“I’ve seen the original.”
“…So it’s at the Duke’s estate. I fell for it again like a fool.”
Elaine blew her nose with an audible sniff. The tip of her nose was bright red.
“He secretly sold the land my maternal grandfather left me. When I pressed him, he couldn’t even speak. I’d suspected another woman for a while—but I never thought… You know how it is. Denial. It’s scary.”
Elaine wet her lips with her tongue, held her breath, then inhaled again.
“And then, on our anniversary, he gave me that necklace. Said he sold the land for it. Even shed a few tears about being such an ‘inadequate husband.’ Ha!”
She wiped her nose again.
“He’d always said he wanted one just like it before we married. I remembered—and was genuinely moved. How laughably stupid must he have thought me… Not even realizing he’d used it to fill another woman’s purse.”
“The one at fault is the deceiver.”
“The deceived is at fault too. I should’ve checked. It would’ve been simple enough—but I was afraid. Afraid that knowing the truth would make it impossible to stay married. So I just cowardly ran away… Never imagining I’d face the truth like this.”
“I’m… sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I won’t apologize either.”
A faint, restrained smile touched the corners of her lips as she forced them upward.
“Instead… Will you introduce me?”
“To whom?”
Olivia blinked, taken aback.
“That brilliant lawyer of yours.”
Elaine’s eyes sparkled as she fixed Olivia with a direct stare.
“…”
Olivia fell briefly silent. Then, as if suddenly remembering, she exhaled a beat too late.
“Oh!”
‘If you ever need a truly capable lawyer, do let me know. I’ll gladly introduce you. One never knows what might happen.’
She’d said it then, just to avoid seeming overwhelmed—but apparently, Elaine had taken it to heart.
Olivia stared at Elaine in stunned silence for a while.
Truthfully, there was no such lawyer.
From the start, Olivia had wanted nothing but a divorce. She needed to slip quietly offstage before Johann Leopold met Clara.
She’d been gripped by anxiety that Johann might not let her go—worried, as such stories often went, that he might become obsessed with her.
But he’d released her without the slightest hesitation—and even granted her an unexpectedly generous settlement, surprising Olivia. (Outwardly, it was likely for the sake of his reputation.)
“Actually…”
Olivia paused as if searching for words.
“There is no brilliant lawyer.”
“No lawyer?”
“Exactly. There isn’t one.”
Elaine looked incredulous. After blinking her wide eyes a few times, she abruptly stood and linked arms with Olivia.
“This isn’t the place for that. Let’s go inside somewhere and have tea. I have too many questions—I can’t stand it.”
Elaine was serious about divorce. Compared to Rhondos’s incompetent lawyers who charged exorbitant fees yet secured pitiful settlements, the advice of an experienced divorcée was invaluable.
Especially one like Olivia Blanchet, who’d secured an absurdly large settlement.
The three of them stepped off the path and entered the nearest tea shop. From the phonograph in the quiet tearoom flowed a piano melody.
Their conversation paused briefly as a staff member brought their ordered tea. Once the server set down the black tea and departed, Elaine arched an eyebrow and asked,
“I read in the papers you got an enormous settlement—and even the Lemont villa. They said you came in with nothing and left a wealthy woman. Ah! I’m just quoting the article, so don’t take offense.”
“So they wrote even that? I didn’t know.”
“Goodness. Your divorce was major news! They even listed the brand of suitcase you carried when you left Great Hill that day. Didn’t you read the papers at all?”
“I wasn’t particularly interested.”
Olivia gave a small smile. Back then, all she’d cared about was escaping Johann Leopold’s side.
After choosing the Kingdom of Britte as her new home, she’d been busy selling the villa, preparing to leave, and researching her destination.
“You really didn’t hire a lawyer?”
“…No.”
“So you got your share of the assets peacefully, all thanks to your generous husband.”
Since Olivia hadn’t done anything specifically to secure the divorce, that was essentially true.
“You were my hope for a lawyer.”
“Wouldn’t going to court be in your favor?”
“Judges are men too. He probably has two or three mistresses himself—which just makes it seem normal.”
For wealthy men, keeping women besides their wives was an open secret. Among men, it was even a display of status.
“That’s unfair.”
“Well, not really. We can just take lovers ourselves—as long as we don’t get caught.”
Olivia found that hard to accept.
“That’s why, when a woman initiates divorce, she needs a truly capable lawyer—or her husband must have committed some grave fault beyond mere infidelity.”
As she spoke, Elaine dropped a sugar cube into her teacup, stirred until it dissolved, then added another.
Olivia watched her silently, lost in thought. As the piano piece ended, a brief pause followed—then the mellow tones of a cello glided over the lazy afternoon sunbeams.
“What if… you made your husband want to divorce you first?”
At Olivia’s cautious suggestion, Elaine looked up from her distracted stirring.
“My husband?”
“Yes.”
Elaine frowned.
“Are you telling me to get divorced? Do you even understand what that implies?”
Her voice rose slightly with agitation.
“Of course I do. But Miss Elaine, you mustn’t let him grant you a divorce.”
“…”
“You should hold out until he offers your desired settlement amount. Then he’ll file for divorce in court himself.”
“…”
“In court, all you need to show is how virtuous and compassionate a wife you’ve been.”
“What do you mean—”
“Even though he committed adultery, declare that you still love him as much as ever and wish to preserve your precious home. Say you’ll always wait for his return. Move the judge. The better your performance, the more your husband becomes the villain—and the judge will order a generous settlement along with the divorce.”
A flash of realization brightened Elaine’s eyes.
“I can make that man himself beg for divorce.”
Each time she’d worn that fake piece to balls and boasted about it to friends—what had her husband been thinking, standing beside her? The thought sent waves of betrayal and shame through her.
Was it really just the necklace that was fake?
Unlikely. Ever since the day he came home smelling of an unfamiliar perfume, perhaps everything he’d given her—even his heart—had been counterfeit.
That bastard.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t hold it in. Absolutely couldn’t.
Her stomach churned. Tears came again.
“If I succeed, let’s throw a party.”
Elaine’s lips, clenched to stop herself from crying, curved upward in a brilliant, defiant line.
[This is the timeline separator]Duke Johann Leopold’s day began as always—early in the morning.
Though it was the weekend, he worked in his study as usual, substituting breakfast with a strong cup of coffee.
With a blank expression, he signed documents indifferently. By afternoon, he took his beloved Alexander for a lap around the estate grounds.
Afterward, he changed into attire suitable for a formal dinner and attended the banquet to which he’d been invited.
As if nothing had ever changed, his life showed no difference from before the divorce—except, perhaps, the absence of a companion at social gatherings.
Diane Brook found this immensely satisfying.
It proved just how insignificant that lowborn bastard truly was. Olivia Blanchet, less than dust floating in the air, had left not the faintest mark on the nobleman’s steadfast life.
Diane Brook smoothed her outfit in front of Johann’s study door. Gently pressing her fluttering chest, she knocked—and from inside came the man’s rich, charming baritone inviting her in.
Diane, former secretary to the Duchess, opened the firmly closed study door without hesitation.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
This story deserves more hype. People should know more about this.
Sounds like someone is planning to make a misunderstanding between our couple
Here we go again, poor Olivia always getting hurt by men