Damon, ra, and Selina spent about an hour at lunch. Selina yed mediator the whole time, trying to keep the conversation going between Daman and ra


    Meanwhile, Damon watched ra focus on her food. He forced himself to swallow all the questions he wanted to ask.


    Halfway through, Selina got an urgent call from work and had to leave early.


    What started as a casual lunch between a professor and former students quieldy shifted into a standoff between two people on the verge of divorce. The mood turned tense in an instant.


    When ra took thest bite of her steak, Damon handed her a napkin. She didn''t take it. Instead, she got up and grabbed a fresh one.


    Her voice was calm, but she got straight to the point. "Whatever you need to say, let''s put it all on the table now,"


    Damon''s hand stopped midair as he met her gaze. It had only been a day since theyst saw each other, but the person before him felt worlds apart from the gentle, amodating wife he remembered. He didn''t know if she had changed-or if he had never really known her at all.


    Looking back on their three years of marriage, he realized that aside from the moments


    they shared in bed, he had rarely paid attention to her face or feelings.


    ra had been like a still, ssyke-


    always there, quietly waiting nearby. Over time, he stopped wondering where she hade from or why she had stayed without moving on.


    But just when he had gotten used to it, she


    started to change. She pulled away and rushed toward a ce he couldn''t follow.


    Darmon barely managed to keep up, only to realize ra had never been as calm as he had thought. She wasn''t something that would stay put forever while bending to his expectations.


    Everything he had believed before had been nothing more than an illusion. This new side of ra threw him off bnce.


    But Damon knew she wouldn''t be asking for a divorce unless it had something to do with him. So from the very start, he offered a sincere apology.


    "I''m sorry, ra. For the past three years, I failed as a husband. I never gave you a real home, and I took everything you did for granted. I''m sorry." ra knew he meant every word. But it was toote. His apol start.


    How could someone who never loved hermit to a lifetime of marriage? Especially when Damon had never truly let go of Giselle.


    ra filed for divorce because


    she finally saw how naive and foolish she''d been three years ago, and she just wanted to set things right. It wasn''t about responsibility, family, or anyone''s efforts.


    So she simply replied, "I don''t need your apology. Just submit the divorce agreement and send me the decree when it''s done. Cash on delivery is fine." Darmon froze. On the ne here, he had convinced hims Her calmness triggered a sh of panic in his eyes, and his voice came out tight. "Do we really have to go through with this? Why?"


    Cara met his gaze.


    Her words we anymore. That''s all."


    were sharp and final. "I married you because I loved you. I want a divorce because I don''t have those feelings for you