After His Lover Cried, My Husband Made Me Sign the Divorce Papers

Sebastian Hale’s little canary was throwing another tantrum.

He handed me the divorce papers.

“Just sign them. It’s for show—helps calm the girl down.”

I paused, then picked up the pen and signed my name without hesitation.

As I walked away, I heard his friends jeer behind me.

“Your wife’s way too obedient, man. What, you tell her to jump and she just asks how high?”

Sebastian lit a cigarette, his expression smug.

“Wanna bet?”

They all laughed. They wanted to see it with their own eyes—how even at the divorce registration twenty days later, I'd still quietly go along with it, tears or not.

The moment our marriage certificate turned into a divorce decree, I picked up my phone and replied to a message I had just received.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

When I walked in, Sebastian was sitting at the center of the bar, surrounded by his usual crew.

The Chicken Box was loud and smoky, but his smile cut through the haze as soon as he saw me. He waved me over.

“Clara, come here for a sec.”

I walked over. He casually threw an arm across my shoulders, his voice as warm as ever.

“Need your help with something.”

He slid a folder in front of me.

Divorce agreement.

My fingers tightened instinctively, balling into the hem of my skirt.

Sebastian noticed my stiffness. He gently patted my back, voice softer now, coaxing.

“Don’t worry. It’s just for appearances.”

He leaned in and whispered into my ear.

“Vanessa’s been acting up. She won’t calm down unless she has a title.”

“Just sign it, okay? It's just to comfort the girl. Temporary.”

He took a sip of his drink, looking as relaxed as if he were talking about the weather.

“Once she settles down, all this will blow over.”

“You know you're the real Mrs. Hale. Women like her? Just a game. She’s nothing that belongs in the light.”

When I didn’t move right away, a flicker of worry passed through his eyes, but his tone stayed gentle.

“Clara, you’ve always been the understanding one. Just a signature, okay?”

Vanessa Reed was clever, I’ll give her that.

When Sebastian first tried to win her over by throwing money around, she didn’t even bat an eye.

Mocked him right to his face: “Other than your money, what else do you even have?”

That aloof attitude made her stand out to him—like she was above the gold-diggers constantly orbiting him.

And when she found out he was married, she didn’t shy away from drama. She put on an act, stubborn and self-righteous.

She cried to him, voice trembling.

“Mr. Hale, I admit I have feelings for you, but I was raised better than this. I can’t be the kind of woman who breaks up a marriage. I won’t be some homewrecker everyone spits on.”

“We… we should stop. We can’t see each other again.”

But even as she said those words, her eyes shimmered with just the right amount of vulnerability, dependence, and grief.

She didn’t leave the luxurious life Sebastian offered her. Instead, she lingered—close enough to tempt, distant enough to chase.

She knew exactly how to play the game—how the unattainable always stirs the heart, how to retreat to advance.

Sebastian fell for it hard.

I looked at his handsome face—the one I’d once adored.

The eyes I used to drown in now held only carefully staged warmth.

He was calculating, afraid I’d change my mind, afraid something might go wrong.

The part of my heart that had long since gone barren… let go of the last ember of warmth.

There was no pain. Just numbness.

“Alright.”

I heard myself say it, my voice calm and flat.

The moment I picked up the pen, Sebastian exhaled in relief. He added quickly,

“Good girl. Once this blows over, we’ll get remarried.”

“I’ll throw you an even grander wedding—invite the whole city's elite.”

“And that honeymoon? You said it was too rushed last time.”

“This time, you choose the place. We’ll go for as long as you want. I’ll be with you the entire trip.”

“You always wanted to see the Maldives, right? We’ll make it happen. Just you and me.”

He painted a future that would never exist, his tone so sincere he nearly convinced himself.

I didn’t respond. I simply lowered my head and signed my name.

The handwriting was neat and steady. Not a single tremor.

As soon as I put the pen down, Jasper Kane chuckled from beside him.

“Seb, your wife is something else. She just signs, no fuss? What, she does anything you say without a peep?”

Sebastian leaned back in his chair with a lazy smile, lighting a cigarette. The smoke curled around his face, softening the smugness that never left his expression.