how to divorce the male lead - chapter 7
To do that...
"Would you divorce me?" Yuliana blurted out the words without thinking, and her body trembled. It felt like even the meat impaled on the knife was quivering.
Evan's gaze fixed on her was unusual, truly unusual.
"What?"
Evan opened his mouth briefly, and before Yuliana could respond, he stood up.
Thud, thud.
Yuliana realized that Evan's eyes were burning intensely, or rather, they were boiling like flames, as he approached her.
He was angry.
Very angry.
In an attempt to salvage the situation, Yuliana spoke again.
"Evan, you don't like me. Be honest."
"What are you talking about?"
Her husband, Evan, chuckled as if he found it amusing, then spoke softly.
"Do you know how much I love you?"
...But why am I breaking into a cold sweat?
Yuliana put the knife down with a light tap and wiped her mouth with a napkin, her appetite suddenly gone.
"I, I misspoke. I brought up the topic too abruptly. It wasn't something we should discuss today..."
"Did you plan to talk about it someday?"
He moved swiftly from the head of the table to right beside Yuliana's chair.
His giant, sturdy frame didn't make him seem sluggish at all. He appeared sharp, as if he were a predatory animal concealing politeness and kindness. Leaning back on the chair's armrests with his arms crossed, Evan only lifted the corner of his mouth, mocking himself as he spoke.
"You're quite bold. After returning with tears and a heartfelt reunion, who else would bring up such a topic with their wife?"
"I... I didn't mean to upset you."
Yuliana stared him down, refusing to back down. Despite her resolve, her heart was pounding.
"Why did I bring this up now? I wanted a divorce, but I didn't intend to do it this way. Why am I so impulsive, especially considering my self-awareness goes back to my past life?"
In the end, Yuliana glanced away from her husband, who was staring at her with a strange expression.
Now, it was do or die.
"Yes, but we're not a normal couple, and you know it. Furthermore, I can't figure out why you love me. Have I ever been kind to you during our marriage? Have I ever shown you respect? No, I haven't. I don't even know why I use polite language with you."
Evan leaned against the chair's armrest with his arm, looking visibly tired for the first time. He closed his eyes slowly and admitted the truth.
"I said it was because I dislike even the impression of familiarity."
"You remember that too."
Yuliana replied with a deliberately chilly tone. She lowered her head, enduring the discomfort. Because of the meat she had chewed and swallowed almost mechanically, her stomach felt uneasy.
"Yeah, maybe this is better. When I hear nonsense about divorce after our tearful reunion, I might get so angry that I actually agree to a divorce."
Silence filled the space between them.
Yuliana didn't look at Evan anymore and instead picked up her glass, drinking to moisten her dry mouth.
As the silence dragged on, Yuliana realized that it would be increasingly difficult to stand up.
She gripped the armrests of her chair firmly.
As her gaze remained fixed on the food she had not touched, Yuliana suddenly stood up, lifting her hips from the chair.
Thunk.
Evan grabbed her wrist.
Yuliana was taken aback. His touch felt unusually warm, almost like he was scalding her in flames.
"E-Evan?"
"Isn't it strange? After killing savages and returning as a hero, everyone calls me that. But my only wife still treats me like a mere nobody."
He growled like a wild beast as he revealed this.
"It's not like that."
But it really wasn't.
Flustered, Yuliana quickly lowered her head.
She tried to exert strength on her wrist and pull it away, but she couldn't even flinch from Evan's firm grip.
Eventually, when Yuliana relaxed her strength, it seemed Evan did the same. Then, he lowered the hand that held her delicate wrist down, slipping his hand between her slender fingers.
Yuliana, as if clinging to herself in desperation or adoration, couldn't avoid his approaching touch and hesitated.
At that moment, Evan's fingers completely covered the back of her hand.
It was his thumb.
Thump, thump. It gripped warmly between the two hands as if their hearts were holding each other.
"You can look down on me if you want. You even see the blood flowing in my veins as insignificant. But why? That alone isn't a reason to demand a divorce. Just as it has been until now."
He wanted an answer.
But Yuriana couldn't bring herself to answer.
Because his words were right.
Yuriana Oben didn't really think about divorce, even though she might complain and fuss about it. To be precise, she found it bothersome.
Noble divorces were incredibly complicated, and she had to respond to the strict and unfortunate demands of the Papal Court. The original Yuriana Oben wouldn't have wanted to bother with such a cumbersome matter.
But she was different now.
The reasons for wanting to break ties with Evan were more than valid, even if it meant going through such a troublesome process.
To survive.
"I will speak to my father about it. Of course, if we divorce, the family won't be able to hold their heads high, but..."
Yuriana said awkwardly. Then, she turned her head to avoid his deep gaze.
Evan, adopting an attitude that seemed calm on the surface, appeared to regain his composure. His wife wouldn't know how intensely his insides were boiling.
Still not releasing her thumb, he muttered as he got lost in thought.
"It's strange for someone who never even mentioned divorce to suddenly bring it up."
"Why? Didn't you think you'd hear it someday?"
Her heart continued to pound as if it had a mind of its own, as she covered her pale face with her free hand. Then she slowly spoke to the resolute Evan.
"I've said everything I have to say. If you have something to say, I'll listen, but I don't think I can do that right now. I'm too tired..."
"Then you have to get up."
He suddenly stood up. At the same time, the chair fell backward with a thud. Evan paid no attention to the chair and approached Yuriana with large strides. He grasped her shoulders.
"I can go by myself..."
Yuriana tried to reply, but he didn't stop supporting her.
In reality, she was so exhausted, her legs felt like they were tied to the ground. Yuriana simply leaned on him as she felt herself on the verge of collapsing with every step.
' Damn stamina. Damn conscience...'