Emma’s POV:

"What?" It took me a moment to process what he was saying.

I looked him straight in the eyes and snapped, "Flirting with who? I was just chatting with a coworker. Honestly, I'm sick of your overreactions. We're getting divorced."

"You know the paperwork isn't done yet," Adrian emphasized.

"So, what? Besides, you love Aria, not me. There's no point in keeping me stuck in this."

"This isn't about love. No man wants to see his wife talking and joking around with other men."

"That's your problem. I have the right to socialize freely."

I turned to look out the window, ignoring Adrian's angry stare.

We drove in silence until Adrian gave up and started the car again.

This time, he drove even faster.

"If you don't care about leaving Aria alone, keep speeding," I said sarcastically, buckling my seatbelt.

Adrian glared at me.

A few seconds later, he let up on the gas, and the car slowed.

If I'd known mentioning Aria would calm him down, I would've done it sooner.

Looks like Aria was the only woman who could get to him.

When we pulled up to the mansion, the butler was waiting by the door, and he immediately noticed Adrian's mood.

He whispered to me, "Mrs. Hamilton, is Mr. Adrian alright? What happened?"

"He's fine, let's not bother him," I smiled at the butler.

The butler nodded and turned to close the front door.

As soon as we stepped into the living room, the elders greeted us warmly. I smiled back.

"You're finally here. Welcome. Let's start dinner. You must be starving after a long day."

Adrian's grandfather George gave me his usual kind smile, then led us to the dining room.

George sat at the head of the table.

Adrian and I sat on his right, while Adrian's parents, Eleanor, James, and Victoria sat on his left.

Dinner was served quickly, and we dug in.

Like any patriarch, George was the most respected person in the Thorne family.

Everyone both admired and respected him, but he'd always been kind to me, and we shared mutual respect.

Thinking about how the Thornes had taken care of me all these years, I suddenly felt nervous about bringing up the divorce.

But when I remembered Adrian shopping for wedding dresses with Aria before even getting divorced, I steeled myself to speak up.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry to bring this up so suddenly, but I'd like to get my marriage certificate with Adrian - we've decided to divorce."

Everyone stopped and turned to look at me.

"Dear, let's discuss about this another time. Tonight, let's enjoy our family dinner. It's been a while since we've all sat down together," George replied, his tone gentle but firm.

From his expression, I could tell he didn't want to discuss this.

George was even more against our divorce than Eleanor and Victoria.

"Grandfather, I'm so grateful for everything you and this family have done for me, truly. But I want to make my own choice about marriage." I looked at him as firmly as I could.

"Emma, have you fallen in love with someone else? Dear, you can tell us," Victoria asked, noticing my determination to divorce.

"What's going on with you two? If there's a problem, we can work it out. Let us help save your marriage. Don't be too hasty," Eleanor added before I could answer. "I know Adrian hasn't been the best husband, but marriage isn't something you can just throw away."

"Mom, Grandmother, I'm not in love with anyone right now. If I were, I would've brought him home to meet you already. Adrian and I have come to an agreement. We'll part ways amicably."

The Thorne family had taken care of me since they adopted me. They protected me like I was their own. I didn't want to hurt them, but I also didn't want to stand in the way of Adrian's happiness. Aria was his true love, and I was happy to step aside.

"Look what you've done, Adrian! You've hurt your wife so much that she wants to leave you!" Seeing my determination to divorce, James yelled at his son.

Adrian just looked away. He sat there in silence.

"This is our fault. We shouldn't have forced you two to marry," Victoria mumbled.

"No, Mom. This is my fault. I should have taught my son better about how to treat his wife," Eleanor consoled Victoria while giving Adrian a stern look.

The next moment, Adrian's phone rang, and all eyes turned to him.

Then, dead silence.

Everyone waited for Adrian to answer.

Aria always had a way for calling at the most inconvenient times.

George's calm expression turned to anger. He narrowed his eyes at Adrian and ordered, "Let's eat. That call can wait."

"Aria isn't feeling well. I should be with her. She'll be scared and worried," Adrian said calmly, clearly unconcerned about his grandfather's reaction.

Then he grabbed the phone and walked out.

"Boy, if you leave now, don't bother coming back. That woman might be sick, but she's not on her deathbed. All she's doing is keeping you away from your wife and family. She calls, and you come running - where's your self-respect?" George said it all in one breath.

"Let him be, George. Adrian doesn't know how to appreciate the right person. He'll regret it soon enough. There's no need to let him get under your skin." Victoria gently patted her husband's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

I sat there in silence until I heard Adrian's car drive away.

After a while, George spoke again. "Could you go upstairs and get Adrian and Emma's marriage certificate?" George asked his wife.

"What? I thought you wanted to talk about this another day." Victoria said, shocked.

"Emma's a good girl. We've already wasted three years of her life by marrying her to our foolish grandson. She deserves happiness and freedom. Even if she doesn't end up with Adrian, she'll always be part of our family."

"Very well."

Victoria shot me a reluctant look, then gave me a weak smile.

She slowly got up from her seat and went upstairs to get our marriage certificate.

Ten minutes later, I left the mansion with that paper in hand.

I should have felt relieved, but I didn't.

Our elders had always been concerned about us, and I knew they didn't want our marriage to end like this.

But some things can't be changed. Now, all we could do was let time heal the hurt.