아린 let out a hollow laugh at 정 여사’s words.

A misunderstanding?

She had neither the luxury nor the desire to think that his reluctance to divorce her was due to lingering feelings. Rather, she hadn’t bothered to ponder why he hadn’t divorced her.

For three years, she had lived merely to survive, not to die.

[Before 유진’s return, I didn’t want to create unnecessary rumors. Besides, 재혁 and 유진 were already certain about their feelings for each other. Getting involved with this and that woman would be troublesome. And publicizing 재혁 and 유진’s relationship…]

정 여사 gently smiled while holding 유진’s hand, a smile 아린 had never seen on her face before, making her feel miserable.

[Now that 유진 is back, the divorce papers will be filed.]

Was I just a shield? Just to protect the woman he loves?

Why do I still have to listen to these things even after three years?

She was still seen as a joke by them.

The papers were already left behind. As soon as he signed them, the divorce would be finalized.

“I’ve done everything I could. It’s your son who hasn’t done it. Why are you doing this to me!”

She thought it was a connection she hadn’t severed even after three years.

It was the summer after she left 재혁 when 한 Manager, his secretary, came to see her.

[Have you been well?] [Why are you here?]

Without responding to his greeting, 아린 watched as 한 Manager awkwardly smiled.

[The Vice President said he has no intention of divorcing. He also mentioned that you don’t need to worry about his mother contacting you anymore.] [Worry? Why would I worry? Do I look like I’m anxious about 정 여사 contacting me?] [Not that. Just that…] [Don’t be mistaken. If 정 여사 contacts me, it’s because 반재혁 hasn’t granted me a divorce.]

한 Manager’s expression deepened.

[This whole mess is because 반재혁 won’t grant the divorce. Please make sure you pass that on. I want a divorce.] [I’m sorry. As the Vice President’s person, I must pass on his message, even if you don’t want to hear it.] [I don’t want to listen.] [If you want to come back, you’re welcome anytime.]

She should have been angry.

But only anger should have surfaced.

아린 knew that if he decided to, finding her wouldn’t be difficult for him. It even seemed late that it took a year.

[Tell him there won’t be such a thing. Make sure he knows I only want a divorce from 반재혁.]

Not being able to forget 재혁 and wanting to return to his side were unrelated. She had no intention of returning to his side ever again.

[Tell him I want a divorce. I don’t understand why he won’t do it. And, just in case, tell him never to come looking for me.]

She coldly sent 한 Manager away.

Nothing had changed over time.

아린 contacted her divorce lawyer.

[It seems difficult to proceed with a consensual divorce. If three years have passed, it’s time to assume that he has no intention of divorcing. If you want a divorce, it’s best to start preparing for a lawsuit now.] [Won’t everyone find out if we go to court? I don’t want everyone knowing about the trivialities, even the parts I want to keep private.] [There are no cases where the reason for divorce becomes public. Everything said in court is kept confidential. Even if a lawsuit article is published, it will likely only mention ‘irreconcilable differences’ in the media. Some media might try to dig deeper, but the concerns you have will not be publicized. So, you can be assured about that part.]

Despite the lawyer’s assurances, 아린 somehow felt reluctant about the lawsuit. She wanted a divorce, but for some reason, she wanted to avoid a divorce lawsuit. However, given the way things had turned out, she realized she couldn’t avoid it.

“Are you okay?”

유현 had approached her closely, asking with concern. 아린, snapped out of her reverie by his touch, hurriedly spoke.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll finish up soon.”

아린 organized the scattered card receipts as she spoke.

“I didn’t mean to rush you. I’m almost done with my part. Let’s do it together.”

유현 took 아린’s hand, which had been picking up receipts.

“……Sorry.”

“For what?”

유현 gently stroked her hair.

“There are days like this and days like that. Sit down for a bit. Let’s finish together.”

“Okay.”

Today had been full of mistakes. She had prepared twice the usual amount, made frequent errors in calculations, and even handed out the wrong products.

She had acted tough in front of 정 여사, but inside, she wasn’t so strong.

아린 waited for 유현, berating herself.

“Let’s go, 아린아.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

As 아린 abruptly stood up, 유현 handed her a pink mini crossbag.

“Here, your bag.”

아린 blankly accepted it.

“Thanks. Oh, I need to use the restroom for a second.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the car.”

“Right.”

As 아린 entered the restroom, 유현 turned off all the lights in the café.

“최아린, you fool.”

Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.

The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…

Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.

Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.

The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”

When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…

The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced