"I love you, Alexander, and I don't want a divorce." Her voice cracked as she broke down, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her face. Tears poured uncontrollably, and the weight of her sadness seemed to collapse upon her shoulders.
She loved him so deeply—so much that she had been willing to discard her dignity and humble herself to dust, just for him.
From the moment they first met at the film studio five years ago, he had become a fixture in her heart, lingering there for three long years. And when fate brought them back together two years ago, she thought it was a blessing—proof they were meant to be.
But now, here they were.
"Yet I don't love you." His words, cold and mechanical, sliced through the air like ice.
The simple statement hit Emily with an unexpected force, a pain so sharp it left her breathless.
"It's been two years... and you're telling me you don't feel even the slightest spark?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and sorrow.
"No," Alexander replied, his face as stoic as ever.
"Then why wait until now to ask for a divorce?" Emily's voice cracked with a mix of confusion and hurt, still clinging to the hope that somehow, he still cared for her.
"Because the person I love has finally woken up." His words were precise, almost clinical.
The ground seemed to shift beneath Emily's feet, as if the world had just turned upside down.
The person he loves?
Had he truly been seeing someone else all along?
The rumors from two years ago suddenly flashed in her mind—of him being involved with a minor actress who had been in a car accident and was now in a vegetative state, undergoing treatment in the U.S. She had always dismissed those rumors as lies, fake news meant to tarnish his image.
But now, standing before him, those rumors no longer seemed so far-fetched.
She had always felt like a substitute bride. But now, that feeling seemed almost prophetic. She had married into the Lu family as a stand-in for her twin sister, and perhaps, just as she feared, she had only ever been a stand-in for his real love.
Now that his true love had awoken, it seemed her time was up.
No wonder he always touched her when drunk. Was it only when he couldn't see her face clearly that he could use her as a substitute for the woman he truly cared for?
"Do we really have to divorce?" she murmured to herself, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.
Without looking at him, she raised her hand and gently touched her flat belly.
She hadn't told him yet. But she was pregnant.
How could she tell him now? He was about to divorce her and had just told her that he had never loved her. If he knew about the child, would he force her to abort it?
Alexander didn't answer. His silence was an unmistakable declaration of his resolve.
Emily lifted her gaze to him. Her once starry-eyed admiration shattered as she looked into his deep eyes—eyes that now seemed filled with nothing but cold indifference.
"I'll give you one night to think it over," Alexander said, his tone unwavering. He turned and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with the weight of his words.
Emily bit down on her lip until blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, then released it with a sigh. "I'll sign the divorce papers…"
Alexander paused, turning back slowly. His expression, though still distant, flickered with a hint of surprise.
"But… you have to return my father's company to him," she added, her voice steady but laced with desperation.
Alexander's lips curved into a cynical smile. "Do you really think you're in any position to negotiate with me, Emily?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Emily? He had just called her by her real name, not her sister's.
What did that mean?
"Is it that surprising?" Alexander asked, his voice tinged with mockery. "Did you really think you could keep up the charade forever? You fooled the Lu family for two years—did you think no one would find out?"
Emily shook her head, retreating into the corner of the room, her back pressed against the cold wall. His words hit like a physical blow. The Alexander standing before her now was terrifying—his face dark with anger and an icy resolve in his eyes.
This was the first time in two years she had seen him this furious. In the past, he had been so indifferent, too disdainful even to bother showing any emotion at all.
"If you had any integrity," he continued, his voice seething with disdain, "you should have confessed your identity the day you married me in place of your sister, instead of hiding it like a coward."
Alexander had known from the very beginning. Two years ago, he had ordered an investigation into her background, because something about her didn't add up. Her personality didn't match what the Luo family had described.
They had said Luo Aiqin was a charming, alluring woman. But the woman standing before him seemed nothing like that.
And now it made sense. The older sister had run away from her marriage, and the younger one had stepped in to take her place.
Emily bit her lip, unable to speak. How could she explain? If she had revealed the truth that day, she never would have had the chance to be with him. She had waited three long years, searching for him in the film studio, hoping for just one more chance to see him. And when it finally happened—when she became his bride—how could she let go?
"You're where you are today," Alexander said, his voice sharp, "and your family is too, all because of your own choices. Don't blame me for the consequences."
Something clicked in Emily's mind. She finally understood the connection between his words and her own actions. "So, this is revenge? Because I married you, you're taking my father's company? And because I hid my identity, you want to divorce me?"
Alexander's expression remained cold, but his words were cutting. "You started this game. I'm simply playing by your rules. Of course, I have the final say in how it ends."
He leaned closer, his breath cool against her ear. "Whether you confess or not, the divorce was inevitable. But if you do confess, I'll offer you some compensation, maybe even some benefits. Unfortunately, you're getting nothing from me." He paused, his voice turning darker. "I can even sue your Luo family for marriage fraud."
"No..." Emily's grip tightened around his hand in panic. "My father... He's been in a car accident. He lost everything because of this. Please, Alexander, don't be so heartless. For the sake of the two years we've been together… Even if I was a fraud, my feelings for you are real."
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant.
With a coldness that took her breath away, he pried her fingers off his arm, one by one, before stepping back.
"The Luo Group is the price your family has to pay for your lies," he said flatly. "Whether I choose to sue or not depends entirely on how you handle this marriage, which has long been over."
His meaning was clear: the moment she signed the divorce papers, everything to do with the Luo family's deceit would vanish.
Emily moved toward the table, grabbing the pen with trembling hands. She hesitated, tears blurring her vision, before signing the papers. The weight of her actions felt unbearable, as if her strength had drained away.
It was over.
Alexander came over and picked up the divorce papers, glancing at her signature with a detached look. "Don't think I've taken anything from your father's company. Maybe you don't know, but in the past two years, I've invested 300 million in the Luo family business."
Emily froze, disbelief flashing across her face.
Three hundred million? She had always thought that the total money her father had asked for, including the most recent 80 million, was only about 60 million.
Where had all that extra money come from? Had her father secretly borrowed from him without her knowing?