"Let's get a divorce."

Those three icy words pierced straight through Emberly Grant's heart.

She knelt on the expensive handcrafted Persian carpet, as lowly as an insect crushed into dust.

"Why? William... why?"

Emberly crawled forward, hugging William Collins's leg desperately. "What did I do wrong? I can fix it! Please... don't leave me."

William looked down at her like he was staring at a piece of trash that was somehow still clinging to him.

He adjusted his diamond cufflinks with deliberate elegance, each movement exuding wealth and control. But every word he spoke cut like a blade. "Emberly, stop humiliating yourself. I only married you to make Grandpa happy before he died. I've only ever loved Sophie."

Then, without a flinch, he kicked her away.

"You? You're nothing but a toy I use to satisfy my desires."

"A... a toy?" Emberly felt her heart shatter like a glass bottle smashed against the floor. And yet, she still clung to that last shred of hope.

"But I love you, William! I love you so much it hurts! Without you, I'll die. I really will..."

William looked down at her tear-streaked face, not even a flicker of pity in his eyes-just disgust.

"Then die already."

With that, he raised his leg and kicked her straight in the chest without warning.

She hadn't seen it coming at all. The force sent her flying. She hit the edge of the table with her head and blacked out instantly.

William stood there motionless, staring at her lifeless body like it was no big deal. His voice, full of scorn, cut the air.

"If you're gonna die, do it somewhere else! Emberly, I am so over your crying and drama. Sign the damn papers and get out of my house. Don't pollute my space."

He kicked her shoulder again for good measure.

***********

‘It hurt-so much.'

The sharp, radiating pain jolted Emberly awake. She sat straight up, dazed and disoriented. Everything around her looked rich and overly ornate.

A massive crystal chandelier hung from the domed ceiling, thick velvet curtains covered most of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The walls had delicate relief carvings, and the room was filled with antiques that screamed money.

But... wasn't she dead?

She distinctly remembered dying, caught in a lab explosion... the fire, the smoke-being swallowed by it all.

Before she could make sense of anything, a woman's mocking laugh broke through the fog.

"William, why waste your breath on her? A lowborn bumpkin crawling out of some backwater village-does she really think she's worthy of stepping into the Collins family? If Grandpa hadn't lost his mind, she wouldn't have had the slightest chance of getting anywhere near us!"

A blonde woman chimed in as well, smirking. "Sis-in-law-wait, not for long! Emberly, seriously, what's the point of sticking around? William's always loved Sophie. Just cut the act and save yourself the embarrassment. If this ends up in the news, you'll drag us all down."

Then, like someone slammed a door open inside her brain, a wave of memories flooded into Emberly, memories that weren't hers.

It took her about ten minutes to fully absorb what had happened.

‘She'd come back.'

The original Emberly, small-town girl, no background to speak of, parents unknown, abandoned as a baby and taken in by a kind old man who raised her.

Six months ago, she married into the rich and elite Collins family in Arcton. From a nobody to a glittering trophy wife-envied by everyone.

And what led to this Cinderella story?

A year ago, she saved the old Collins patriarch when he had a seizure and nearly drowned.

The moment they met, the old man was blown away. Her natural beauty won him over-but more than that, he believed she brought good luck.At that time, Collins Group was on the brink of an unprecedented financial crash. To repay Emberly for saving his life-and to try and pull his crumbling empire back from the edge-Old Mr. Collins went against everyone's objections and forced his grandson, William, to marry her.

Right after they tied the knot, the company miraculously turned around, not just stabilizing but thriving more every day.

William, once a laughingstock, suddenly became the rising star of the business world, hailed by the media as a rare financial genius.

But the more successful he got, the less he could stand Emberly. She was a plain girl from the countryside with no background or education-how could someone like her be worthy of someone like him?

So even after six months of marriage, they'd been sleeping in separate bedrooms. They hadn't even been husband and wife in the real sense.

A month ago, Old Mr. Collins passed away from a sudden heart attack. Sophie Beaumont, William's first love, came back from abroad for the funeral. William didn't waste a second-he kicked Emberly aside and asked for a divorce, eager to rekindle the flame with Sophie.

William never truly wanted Emberly. He just used her. But Emberly, bless her heart, loved him with everything she had. She even got on her knees, begging Sophie to leave him alone so she wouldn't lose her marriage.

But Sophie? She simply told her that in the game of love, the one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker - no matter who came first.

When begging Sophie failed, Emberly broke down and told William that if he insisted on divorcing her, she'd rather die.

He just looked at her, cold as ice, and told her to go ahead.

Crushed and hopeless, she downed a whole bottle of sleeping pills.

But now-

William seems to have forgotten all of it.

Emberly wasn't just some trophy wife with a lucky aura. She had serious business skills. During the two months she spent learning from Old Mr. Collins, even he felt outshone.

It was thanks to Emberly's silent support that Collins Group managed to bounce back. But she never went around boasting-she kept things low-key to preserve William's ego.

Just a week ago, she'd stayed up all night tweaking the proposal he submitted to Sinclair Group.

Without her, Collins Group would've tanked long ago, and William? He wouldn't be the so-called financial prodigy.

‘Let's be real-she was the real MVP here.'

"Knock-knock-knock-"

Suddenly, loud banging echoed through the air.

"Emberly, I'm warning you-dying won't fix anything. Once the sun comes up tomorrow, this marriage is over!"

William's voice, sharp and impatient.

To him, Collins Group had already taken off, and now that he'd earned the title of business genius, Emberly was useless.

And useless things? He didn't hesitate to throw them away.

He figured he alone was enough for the company now.

Emberly frowned slightly, about to walk over and open the door, but when she looked down, she realized she was in a silky pale-gray nightgown. The fabric was so thin it barely covered anything, her figure faintly visible beneath.

Tsk.

That body didn't look half bad. Emberly smirked. She liked it.No way was she gonna waste it on that scumbag outside.She turned around and headed for the closet.

The walk-in was full of clothes-but nearly all of them were gray.So dull it made her skin crawl.She frowned again.

Even the old lady next door, who's pushing 98, wouldn't wear an all-gray wardrobe.

The original Emberly was only 19-young and vibrant. She should've loved dressing up. But her whole closet was gray, just because that was William's favorite color.

She'd given up everything about herself in that marriage, turning into a lifeless puppet-just mimicking his tastes in a desperate attempt to please.

After some digging, she finally found the one white tee and a pair of light blue jeans. She threw them on and walked back toward the mirror.

She stood there, taking a careful look at the girl staring back at her.The girl in the mirror had a nice figure, casually dressed in a white crew-neck T-shirt that showed off her graceful neck and delicate collarbones. When she smiled, faint dimples appeared, making her look somewhat similar to how Emberly used to look in her past life.

But because the original Emberly came from a rural background, she was terribly insecure, always wanting to look perfect in William's eyes. So she put on thick makeup every single day-layers of foundation masking her features, with jet-black eyeliner drawn to the sky. The result? Way too flashy, aging her more than a few years, and honestly... kind of hard to look at.

Emberly originally planned to go back upstairs and remove the makeup, but after rummaging around and finding no makeup remover, she gave up. She threw a jacket over her shoulders and headed downstairs with that heavy, over-the-top look still on her face.

***********

Four people were sitting in the living room: William, his mother Margaret Campion, his cousin Jessica Campion, and Edward Collins, his granduncle.

As Emberly reached the bottom step, Margaret glanced up and threw her a not-so-subtle eye roll.

Seriously? This country bumpkin still looked so out of place, like no matter how she dressed up, she'd never truly fit in. Who wears that much makeup at night anyway? She looked like a ghost ready to haunt someone.

Margaret had never approved of Emberly. If not for Mr. Collins insisting that William marry her, Margaret would've never agreed.

Her son was top-notch-a rare talent in finance, practically born to shine.

And Emberly? Just a girl from the sticks who hadn't even finished high school.

In Margaret's mind, Emberly didn't even deserve to fetch William's shoes, let alone be his wife. She didn't buy into all that "business genius" stuff the girl had going on either. The idea that the Collins Group needed Emberly? Please. Even without her, the company would survive just fine. That's why Margaret had always backed her son on leaving Emberly.

To her, the only woman fit to be a Collins daughter-in-law was someone like Sophie-elegant, classy, and from the right background. Emberly didn't even come close.

"Sign it," Emberly said coolly, ignoring the sarcasm in Margaret's stare as she dropped the divorce agreement on the coffee table in front of William.

William looked up, frowning at her heavily made-up face like it was physically hard to stomach. Then he stood up and grabbed her wrist, his voice sharp and angry: "Emberly, what are you trying to pull now?"

Emberly yanked her hand back, her eyes sharp with impatience. "Didn't you want a divorce?" Her voice rose slightly. "Well, I've already signed it."

Divorce?

Already signed?

For a moment, everyone in the room thought they'd misheard.

Wasn't Emberly the type who'd cry, beg, and threaten to end her life? This calm, direct attitude? Totally out of character.

Weird. This was way too weird.

After all, once divorced, Emberly would lose everything and go back to being what she was before-a nobody from the countryside. Would she really be willing to give up being Mrs. Collins just like that?

Even William looked confused.

Emberly had loved him to the point of losing herself-she was willing to die just to stay married. So how could she now be so ready to walk away?

Something was off. Something had to be wrong.

Was there a mistake in the agreement?

William snatched up the papers and started reading carefully, word by word.

He checked it twice. There wasn't a single thing wrong. Emberly had even signed her name-clear as day-on her side of the paperwork.

What the hell?

William turned his eyes back to Emberly, brows pulled together, clearly annoyed. "Is this another one of your tricks?"

He was done. He had no patience left for her mind games.