STIGMA

The rain steadily poured down against the window. Closing her eyes, Sara Huo listened to the steady pitter-patter, a chill crawling up in her heart. Her pale skin was almost ghost-like against the white tunic dress she was wearing.

Raising her delicate chin, she glanced indifferently at the man in front her. Her amber eyes glistened with remorse. The love she had for him was all in vain.

Sara Huo clenched her fists to calm herself down. Her fingernails scratched the palm of her hand, drawing out small droplets of blood.

After calming herself down a bit, she forced a faint smile.

"What's wrong, Jacob? Why do you want a divorce?" she asked, her voice as clear and as cold as the rain.

The man stared at her coldly, as if she was some stranger instead of his wife.

"Your father's company has gotten enough from me, don't you think? I think both our goals have been achieved. With all that said, it is no longer necessary for us to continue this relationship we have, wouldn't you agree?"

There was a bitterness that flashed across Sara Huo's eyes. She lowered her gaze, trying to hide her sadness. "Well, is that what you really think? Do you think that I just married you for the sake of my father's company?"

Jacob Shi rolled his eyes and snorted. "Wasn't that the whole point?" he retorted. "Come on, Sara. Don't forget the real reason why we even got married in the first place. It was mutually beneficial for us. You needed the money for your father's company, and my father just desperately wanted me to get married. That's all that was and all that ever is."

Sara Huo couldn't help looking up at him. Tears were already welling up in her eyes as her heart swelled with agony.

Seeing her like this all of a sudden made Jacob Shi's heart ache as well. But then, the face of another woman appeared in his mind. Just like that, he felt nothing again for Sara Huo crying in front of him.

"Sara, I knew you were different from other women from the beginning. That was the reason I chose to marry you. I had the impression that you wouldn't get emotionally attached like other women when it was finally time to break up. I also know that you don't want this to be any harder than it already is. Am I right?"

Sara Huo swallowed hard. She didn't think that Jacob Shi thought so lowly of her like this.

"Okay, I'll sign it," she finally said, trying her best to maintain the smile on her face. It took much of her will and strength to say those words to him. Taking a deep breath, she sat up straight and squared her shoulders.

Just as Jacob Shi said, she was different from other women. Besides, for the past four years that they had been married, he had never shown her an ounce of love and affection. There was no sense to force something that wasn't there.

Besides, Sara Huo was a woman of pride. Now that they had come to the end of their deal, she had to keep her head held high. The last thing she wanted to do was beg Jacob Shi to stay. It would look bad on her if she looked upset or tried to make their relationship work. Even though her heart was heavy, she had to leave with her chin up.

The way she agreed so easily to the divorce left Jacob Shi stunned. In fact, he had cleared out his whole schedule for today to deal with this matter. It didn't occur to him that it would only take under an hour.

Because of this, a strange emotion surged up in his heart. All of a sudden, he was no longer as willing to sign the divorce papers as before.

On the other hand, Sara Huo quickly picked papers and browsed through it. Then, without a second to waste, she got a pen and signed her name, as if she was afraid that she would change her mind at the next moment.

Her fingertips turned white from how tightly she held onto the pen.

As soon as she finished signing, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her hands.

From now on, she had nothing to do with this man.

If they were going to separate, she wanted to be able to do it in her own terms.

With a small sigh, she leaned back against the sofa, her skin pale and translucent, making her amber eyes shine even brighter, even though there was a slight of despair in them. "It's still early," she said to Jacob. "Maybe we should go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and have the whole process finished today?"

It was a task that they had to do it sooner or later. If they had to do it some other time, it would be harder for her to move on and forget about him. When that happened, she might become like the 'other women' Jacob was talking about, and there was no way she was going to take her pride down with her.