Elisabeth slowly walked into the living room.
A man in his forties wearing a gray suit immediately stood up when he saw her enter.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Elisabeth," he greeted politely while extending his hand.
"My name is Charles Darwin, the lawyer appointed by Mr. Darren to assist with your divorce process."
Elisabeth shook his hand softly. "Good afternoon."
Charles gestured for her to sit down on the sofa.
Several thick legal folders and documents were already arranged neatly on the table.
The atmosphere felt formal and slightly tense.
Charles opened one of the files before speaking in a professional tone.
"Before we discuss the legal process further, I need to confirm several details first."
He glanced at the notes in front of him.
"Your husband, Mr. William Marcelino… is it correct that he is a public official in Starling City and currently serves as the deputy mayor?"
Elisabeth nodded slowly. "Yes, that's correct."
Charles wrote something briefly before looking back at her.
"Because of his position as a public official with significant political influence, this divorce process will likely become quite sensitive."
Elisabeth remained silent.
Charles continued carefully, "I also need to know the primary reason you wish to file for divorce."
Elisabeth's fingers slowly tightened together in her lap.
For a few moments, she stayed quiet before finally answering softly.
"William cheated on me…"
Charles immediately focused his attention on her.
"The woman was my own best friend,"
Elisabeth continued, her voice beginning to tremble.
"And she was also his assistant at the government office."
Charles let out a quiet breath before writing everything down.
"Elisabeth," he said carefully, "do you have evidence of the affair?"
Elisabeth lowered her gaze. "I have some messages and photos."
Charles nodded slowly. "That will help."
But then his expression became more serious.
"However, I need to be honest with you, Mrs. Elisabeth."
She slowly looked up at him.
"Divorce cases involving public officials are usually quite complicated," Charles explained professionally.
"Especially when there is an affair involved that could damage a political reputation."
He slowly closed the file in front of him.
"Your husband's family will most likely not accept this divorce easily."
"There may even be pressure to preserve the family's reputation and protect his political career."
Elisabeth stared blankly for a few seconds.
Her chest tightened again.
"So… this process will be difficult?" she asked quietly.
Charles nodded honestly. "Most likely, yes."
"But that doesn't mean the divorce cannot happen."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"In divorce law, infidelity can become a strong legal reason, especially if it can be proven that it affected your mental condition and damaged the marriage."
Charles' gaze softened slightly.
"But you must be prepared to face pressure from many sides."
Elisabeth slowly lowered her eyes again.
After everything she had already gone through… it seemed her real struggle was only beginning now.
Elisabeth clasped her hands tightly on her lap.
Her eyes looked exhausted… yet still filled with hope.
"You must be an excellent lawyer if Darren personally chose you, right?" she said softly.
Charles looked at her calmly while closing the document folder in front of him.
Elisabeth continued in a quieter voice, "If Darren trusts you… then you must be able to help me solve this problem."
There was a clear sense of desperation in her tone.
Charles let out a slow breath before replying in a professional yet gentle manner.
"I will help you as much as I possibly can, Mrs. Elisabeth."
Elisabeth looked at him hopefully.
Charles leaned back slightly in his seat.
"However, I also need to be honest with you," he continued carefully.
"A divorce case like this does not involve only an ordinary marital issue."
He reopened several documents.
"Your husband is a public official. His family has significant influence. That means they likely have strong legal, political, and media connections."
Elisabeth slowly lowered her gaze.
Charles continued, "Because of that, we need to proceed carefully and use the proper legal strategy."
"But…" Elisabeth bit her lower lip softly.
"I can't continue this marriage anymore."
Her voice began to tremble.
"I lost my baby…"
Her eyes slowly turned red with emotion.
"And after everything that happened… I can't even look at William the same way anymore."
Charles remained silent for a moment before speaking more gently.
"I understand."
He then handed a thin folder toward her.
"For now, the most important thing is gathering all the evidence you have."
"Messages, photographs, recordings, or anything that can strengthen your divorce case."
Elisabeth accepted the folder slowly.
Charles looked at her seriously.
"And one more thing, Mrs. Elisabeth."
She raised her eyes toward him.
"From this point forward, there will most likely be pressure from your husband's family."
"They may try to persuade you, intimidate you, or even manipulate the situation to protect their reputation."
Elisabeth's fingers slowly curled into fists.
But this time, her gaze looked stronger.
"I don't care about their reputation anymore," she said quietly but firmly.
"I just want to live peacefully."
Charles observed her silently for a few seconds.
Then he gave a slow nod.
"Very well."
"In that case… I'll make sure this process proceeds in the best way possible for you."
Charles reopened his folder of documents while adjusting his glasses.
"For the first step," he said professionally, "I will begin filing the divorce petition with the religious court."
Elisabeth listened quietly even though her heart still felt heavy.
Charles continued, "I will need your original marriage book for the registration process."
"Once the case is officially registered, the court will schedule the first hearing."
Elisabeth nodded slowly.
Charles then looked at her more seriously. "Later, you will only need to attend the initial mediation hearing and the final hearing for the official divorce declaration."
Elisabeth slowly tightened her grip on the edge of her clothes.
"Will the process take a long time?" she asked softly.
Charles thought for a moment before answering, "If your husband's side does not complicate things, the process could move fairly quickly."
"However, because this involves the family of a public official, I cannot guarantee that everything will be easy."
Elisabeth lowered her gaze briefly before standing up slowly.
"Please wait a moment," she said quietly.
"I'll get the marriage book first."
Charles nodded politely. "Of course, Ma'am."
Elisabeth then walked upstairs toward the bedroom.
Once the door closed behind her, she immediately opened the small drawer beside the bed.
Her hand slowly picked up the dark green marriage book.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at it silently.
Back then, this book had once felt like the beginning of happiness…But now, it felt like the beginning of a separation instead.
Elisabeth gently brushed her fingers over the cover before taking a deep breath.I hope this divorce process goes smoothly… she thought quietly.
She then walked back downstairs and handed the marriage book to Charles.
"Here," she said softly.
Charles accepted the document carefully. "Alright. I will begin processing everything immediately."
He stood up while organizing the files into his folder.
"If there are any updates, I will contact you or Mr. Darren directly."
Elisabeth gave a small nod. "Thank you for helping me."
Charles smiled politely. "That is my responsibility, Ma'am."
After saying goodbye, the lawyer finally left the house.
The atmosphere suddenly felt much quieter.
Elisabeth stood alone in the living room for a moment while letting out a slow breath.
The weight in her chest had not completely disappeared…
But at least now, she felt like she had finally taken the first step toward leaving her old life behind.
"Huek… oek…"
Aurora's soft little whimpers came from upstairs.
Elisabeth immediately snapped out of her thoughts.
She quickly walked toward the bedroom.
Aurora was moving slightly inside the crib, her tiny hands searching restlessly against the blanket.
"Hm? Aurora's awake?" Elisabeth whispered with a gentle smile.
She carefully picked the little baby up into her arms.
Aurora immediately calmed down the moment she was held.
Elisabeth looked at the baby's tiny face for a few seconds.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Elisabeth's lips without her realizing it.
At the very least… Aurora was helping ease the longing she still carried for the baby she had lost.
She gently stroked Aurora's tiny head while holding her a little closer.
But a few seconds later, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
The name appearing on the screen immediately erased the smile from her face.
Merry — Mother-in-law
Elisabeth took a slow breath before finally answering the call.
"Hello, Mom…"
Merry's sharp voice immediately came through the phone.
"Hello? Elisabeth, where exactly did you go?"
"Why did you leave the house just like that?"
Elisabeth stayed silent for a moment while continuing to hold Aurora.
Merry continued speaking without giving her a chance to respond.
"William has been stressed trying to find you."
"You're his wife. Stop making this situation worse."
Elisabeth closed her eyes briefly.
"I just want you to come home properly,"
Merry continued.
"It's normal for men to sometimes play around with other women."
"As long as you remain the legal wife, everything can still be fixed."
Elisabeth's expression immediately turned cold.
"Don't be so dramatic just because William got close to Angelica," Merry added again.
"And about the baby…"
Her tone sounded disturbingly casual, as if discussing something insignificant.
"If your baby died, you can always get pregnant again later."
Those words instantly made Elisabeth's chest tighten painfully.
Her arms unconsciously held Aurora more tightly.
"Mom…" her voice trembled softly.
But Merry kept talking.
"William was only playing around with Angelica. You're making everything bigger than it is."
Elisabeth finally spoke again, her tone colder now.
"Infidelity is a disease with no cure, Mom."
Merry immediately fell silent for a few seconds.Elisabeth continued, her eyes slowly turning red.
"We're both women…"
"If Dad cheated on you, would you still be able to speak this calmly?"
Merry's voice immediately rose in anger.
"Are you wishing for your father-in-law to cheat on me?"
Elisabeth let out a bitter laugh.
"I'm not wishing anything."
"You were the one who said it's normal for men to cheat."
"If that's true… then Dad could easily do the same thing too, right?"
"ELISABETH!" Merry shouted furiously.
"You really are a disrespectful daughter-in-law!"
But this time, Elisabeth no longer felt afraid like she used to.
Her tears were still falling…Yet her voice remained calm.
"If protecting my dignity makes me disrespectful…"
"Then so be it, Mom."
And without waiting for another response, Elisabeth slowly ended the call.
Merry let out a harsh breath from the other side of the phone.
"You'll regret this, Elsa," she said coldly.
"There is no man in this world as good as William."
Elisabeth gave a faint bitter smile while looking down at Aurora, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms.
Back then… she probably would have apologized immediately and obeyed everything her mother-in-law said.
But now, everything felt different.
With a soft yet firm voice, Elisabeth finally replied,
"Maybe you're right, Mom."
"William may look perfect in everyone else's eyes."
She paused briefly.
"But a truly good man would never slowly destroy his wife from the inside."
Merry immediately fell silent.
Elisabeth continued, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.
"He may be a great public official…"
"He may be respected by everyone…"
"But he failed to become the husband I needed."
The atmosphere on the other end of the call grew colder.
Merry finally spoke again with disappointment in her voice.
"You're being too emotional."
"One day you'll realize this decision was a mistake."
Elisabeth closed her eyes for a moment before replying quietly,
"If staying in a painful marriage is only for the sake of status…"
"Then I would rather leave."
Warm tears slid down her cheeks again.
But this time, her voice no longer sounded weak.
"And I hope…"
She took a deep breath.
"After this, we won't have to meet again, Mom."
"Elisabeth!" Merry's voice immediately rose in anger.
But Elisabeth slowly ended the call before the older woman could continue speaking.
The room became silent once more.
Only Aurora's soft breathing could be heard as the baby slept comfortably against her chest.
Elisabeth lowered her gaze to the little baby and held her more tightly.