Isvara made it home safely. But she also had to be wary of her parents' house and its current state. As she opened the door, she worried that the lock code might have been changed.
But when the door opened, Isvara felt relieved. The moment she stepped inside, she saw her father, sister, and stepmother waiting for her.
"Dad, I'm divorced from Ezra." Isvara got straight to the point, especially since her father's eyes were fixed on the suitcase she was carrying.
"You ungrateful child. You lived with Ezra for three years and didn't get any smarter. If anything, your stupidity has only gotten worse!"
"Dad, Ezra and I were only in a contract marriage for three years. You knew that. And today, it had to end," Isvara said.
"Let me see the divorce papers." Yudistira held out his palm toward Isvara.
The beautiful woman reached into her bag and pulled out the divorce papers she had received a short while ago. Yudistira snatched them from her.
"Useless! You were married to him for three years, and you couldn't find a single way to keep Ezra by your side? Huh?" Yudistira glared angrily at his daughter.
"Dad, how could Ezra possibly like a woman like me?"
"Tch. He's a shining star. Powerful, and capable of doing anything because he already has an unparalleled name in the business world."
"You should have made that man your partner for life. So where's the money he gave you after the divorce?"
"Dad, he didn't give me anything. Besides, three years ago, you already got a lot of money from Ezra."
"Your company has grown even more successful and is now well known. I think that should be more than enough of a benefit for us, Dad."
Yudistira rubbed the back of his neck, furious at what he considered Isvara's foolish and weak attitude.
"Our family can't use him anymore. If anything happens later, we won't be able to get his help. Did you even think about that, huh? Before agreeing to the divorce?"
Isvara lowered her head and closed her eyes, afraid of her father's words. What she had feared on the way home had come true.
She was returning to a hell of endless suffering. Her real home had changed completely. Everything was filled with deceit and arrogance. Power had become something they fought over to earn recognition.
All that remained was misery. There was none of the sense of safety and comfort she had felt living with Ezra. Isvara's chest grew tighter and tighter, with no respite from her grim fate.
"If we'd known it would end like this, your sister should have handled Ezra in the first place," said Lovi, Isvara's stepmother.
"Are you senile or something? Didn't Grandpa deliberately choose Isvara from the beginning? No one could refuse or oppose his wishes." Yudistira turned toward his wife, who was sitting not far from him.
"If Alexa had married Ezra, she would already have had a child by now. And there wouldn't have been any divorce, even if they were in a contract marriage," Lovi said, refusing to back down from her husband's words.
Yudistira turned back to his wife. "You think I didn't want that?" the older man demanded harshly.
Isvara's eyes darted between her father and stepmother. The pressure in their gazes sent fear spreading through her mind.
"Lovi, have you forgotten that Grandpa forced me to sign the contract for Isvara and Ezra's marriage? I had to keep my mouth shut forever. It couldn't be allowed to reach the public," Yudistira asked angrily.
Everyone fell silent. Yudistira drew a long breath, trying to calm his anger. Still standing in front of his daughter, he spoke again.
"I'm asking you one more time. You have to answer honestly!"
Isvara looked seriously at her father. She nodded slowly without looking away from him.
"He didn't give you a single cent?"
Isvara shook her head. "No, Dad. Even if he had, I still would have refused it. Don't forget, he gave you a lot of money."
"It wasn't that much. He was so stingy and calculating with me," Yudistira replied, as though trying to deny the truth about how much money Ezra had given him.
Isvara let out a quiet sigh. She still couldn't believe she had returned to a place where her existence had never been valued.
Alexa walked toward Isvara. The woman smiled meaningfully at her stepsister, open contempt in her eyes.
"Didn't you two ever sleep together during those three years?" Her probing gaze remained fixed on Isvara's beautiful eyes.
Isvara had prepared herself for any question that would inevitably hurt her. But she had to face everything. She couldn't keep avoiding it.
"We only respected each other because of the marriage agreement," Isvara replied.
A sly smile curved Alexa's lips. Isvara had no idea what her stepsister was thinking, but she didn't want to dwell on it.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. One of my friends has a son who works at a large company. He's a manager there. His salary isn't bad."
"Now that you're divorced from Ezra, we'll need money for everything. So I hope you'll meet him, grow closer, and get married," Yudistira said with a sly smile.
"Dad, I just got divorced, and you're already trying to set me up again?" Isvara asked, looking at her father imploringly.
"Yes. What's wrong with that?" Yudistira looked at his daughter with disdain.
"Besides, who would want you with your status as a divorcee now, huh?" Alexa stood arrogantly in front of her stepsister. "Just do everything Dad says. You won't have to suffer in the future," Alexa added.
Isvara lowered her gaze. A dull ache spread through her chest when Alexa called her a divorcee. But it was the truth. She shouldn't feel disappointed or hurt.
Holding back her tears, Isvara gripped the handle of her suitcase. She looked at each member of her family in turn—the people who had never acknowledged her existence.
"Enough arguing. Now that you're home and no longer Mrs. Davendra, you have to do the housework like you used to!" Lovi ordered, her arrogant gaze fixed on Isvara.
Isvara could only draw a deep breath and slowly let it out. She put all her things in the living room, then began cooking for the entire family.
She should have received comfort and a warm embrace from her father. But in reality, she was nothing more than someone whose existence was unwanted.
After cooking and serving her family, Isvara chose to retreat to her room. She had no desire to eat with them. If she did, she'd have trouble swallowing even though her stomach was growling.
They would keep insulting her and tearing down her dignity. Her divorce would remain the main topic of conversation in the family. Isvara cleaned herself up, but while she was fixing her hair, someone entered her room, terrifying her.