**Chapter 2** Celine's gaze locked onto Adam, a softness mingled with steel in her voice as she uttered the words that would change everything. "Let’s get a divorce, Adam. Do you like this birthday gift?" Adam's expression betrayed nothing; a calm indifference cloaked his countenance. "Are you suddenly asking for a divorce because I didn't spend my birthday with you? Is Carly back, then?" The name rolled off his tongue like venom. The mention of Carly twisted the smile on Adam's lips into a sneer, and he took a step closer, his strides long and purposeful. "Are you bothered by her?" With the stature of the youngest business mogul in Mercity, Adam projected an aura of power crafted from his wealth and influence. As he encroached upon her space, Celine instinctively retreated, her delicate back pressed against the wall. In that suffocating moment, it felt as though the world around her had dimmed. Adam was now mere inches away, one hand firmly planted against the wall beside her, effectively trapping her. He peered down at her with a mockingly triumphant smile. "Everyone in Mercity knows she’s the one I'm planning to marry. Didn’t you know that when you schemed to become my wife? You didn’t mind back then, so why are you bothered now?" Celine felt her heart sink. Yes, Adam was indeed supposed to marry Carly. If it hadn’t been for that fateful accident, she would never have been the one beside him. The memory of that day hung heavy in her mind when he had awakened to find her at his side. The disappointment in his eyes had cut her deeply, a pain that still throbbed within her. Since that moment, they had become strangers, sharing only the same roof and nothing more. Celine had always recognized this reality, but she couldn’t help but stare into Adam's face now, desperately searching for some trace of the boy she had once known. "Adam, do you really not remember me?" she thought bitterly, as the years faded into a haze of misguided love. She willed herself to suppress the bitterness that threatened to spill over. "Adam, let’s put an end to this platonic arrangement." His eyebrow arched in bemusement, and the mockery in his deep voice chilled her. “Platonic?” He stepped in closer, his hand reaching out to cup her chin, his thumb trailing softly over her lips, evoking a mixture of emotions. "So that’s why you want a divorce? You long for something more? For intimacy?” Celine felt her cheeks flood with heat, her heart pounding furiously. Yes, that had been her implication, but she hadn’t expected him to take such liberties. Adam, sophisticated and refined, now toyed with her lips like a wolf with its prey, sending waves of confusion lapping around her heart. Up close, she could see the sharp angles of his face and the way his dark eyes glimmered with interest, a sight that made her breath hitch against her will. His thumb brushed against her lips, leaving behind a trail of warmth, as if igniting a spark she had long thought extinguished. "You’ve kept things hidden well," he mused, his voice thick with allure. "Do you crave for a man’s touch?" Suddenly, Celine's hand whipped through the air, her palm colliding sharply against his cheek. The sound echoed through the villa, a sharp reminder that she wouldn't be toyed with so cavalierly. Adam’s head jerked to the side, disbelief etched across his features. Her fingers trembled not from fear, but from a surge of anger that had been bottled up for too long. "How dare you humiliate me like this?" she shot back, her voice trembling at the edge of fury. "I know you’ve never let go of Carly. Make it easier for yourself; I’ll return the title of Mrs. Alvarez to her!" In an instant, Adam's gaze hardened, the warmth of the moment evaporating as frostiness replaced it. "You think you can just decide to marry me and then divorce me at will? What do you take me for, Celine? A mere plaything?" Fire ignited in Celine’s heart as she met his icy stare. "You are just a plaything taken from Carly! I'm done playing with you. I want to throw you away!" His expression darkened further, an ominous cloud gathering around him. "Fine, Celine. If you want a divorce, then let’s make it happen. But do not come crawling back to me, begging for another chance!" With those words, he stormed out, slamming the door of his study with such finality that it reverberated through her bones. Celine felt her strength drain away. She sank to the floor, curling up into herself as a wave of vulnerability washed over her. "I won’t love you anymore, Adam," she whispered in the quiet of her mind, a mantra designed to shield her bruised heart. The following morning, she made her way to Adam's study, a place filled with the remnants of their faded marriage. Adam sat at his desk, his attention immersed in the avalanche of documents laid before him, a testament to his relentless nature as a workaholic. "Mr. Alvarez," Sofia, his assistant, ventured gently into the charged silence. He didn’t look up, the tension hanging thick in the air. Concern crackled around them as she placed a cup of coffee on the table, "Mrs. Alvarez made this for you." Adam finally lifted his gaze, and the coldness melted slightly at the sight of the familiar cup. "Celine made this?" he asked, his voice softer, tinged with a hint of confusion. It was precisely how he liked it—perfectly brewed, just the right temperature. But along with that recognition came a jolt of irritation. How could she still harbor anger towards him and yet do something so thoughtful? "Did Celine realize her mistake?" he pondered aloud, frustrated yet curious. Sofia hesitated, glancing down. "Mrs. Alvarez has left." A storm brewed within him, his eyes snapping up to meet hers as she revealed that she had taken her suitcase with her. "She asked me to give this to you before she left." Adam reached for the paper she proffered, the words “Divorce Agreement” glaring back at him as if mocking his every sentiment. He found himself momentarily speechless, expecting she would come around and seek reconciliation. Instead, it seemed she had walked away for good. "She said you should finish the coffee and sign the papers as soon as possible," Sofia added, her voice barely above a whisper. "Throw it out!" he barked, fury rising within him. "I thought… I thought she was trying to make peace." But the revelation that she didn’t want a single dime from him—no alimony, no property—confounded him. What could a country girl like Celine possibly live on without money? He flashed back to when she had poured every ounce of herself into being his wife, and suddenly the reality of their situation felt as though it was crushing his chest. His eyes scanned the document until they landed on a specific line in her handwriting: "His health does not permit him to fulfill his marital duties." The implications of her words struck him like a physical blow, flooding his face with heat. Celine had always dared to challenge him—now, they were simply reflections of each other’s wounds. With a sudden rush of determination, he seized his phone, dialing Celine's number. The ring echoed ominously in the quiet of the room, rising up like a desperate prayer.