“M-Mom, what is it?” Isvara asked, looking at the young woman who had ruled the household in her mother’s absence.
“Nothing. There’s just something I need to discuss with you.” Lovi folded her arms and stared arrogantly at her adopted daughter.
Several seconds passed in the cold atmosphere of Isvara’s bedroom before the older woman spoke again.
“You’re a widow now. So you have to obey everything your father says!”
Isvara stared at her stepmother, her expression unreadable.
‘Again and again, I’m only being used to get her what she wants. It isn’t fair, but the universe wants me to go through all of this,’ Isvara thought.
“And one more thing—you’re going to meet the man your father chose for you. Get yourself ready, and don’t embarrass us!”
Isvara didn’t want to answer. She merely nodded while both hands clenched the edge of her vanity. Not long afterward, Lovi finally left the room. The woman in black pajamas let out a relieved breath.
“Sir, you and Miss Isvara have been together for three years. Are you really willing to let your story end in divorce?” Yuda worked up the courage to speak after driving his boss home.
“You know I’ve never been involved with any other woman besides her, don’t you?” Ezra replied, giving his assistant a cold look.
“Yes, Sir, I know. But it would be such a shame for your relationship with Miss Isvara to end just like that,” Yuda replied.
“I’ve been with her for three years, carrying out nothing more than a contract marriage. And once it’s over, of course I have to get a divorce. Besides, she’s never once said she liked me,” Ezra said flatly.
The handsome man went straight into the house, leaving his assistant standing outside. Yuda could only scratch his head, even though it didn’t itch.
“Even though I can tell from Miss Isvara’s every move that she has feelings for Mr. Ezra. What a cold, oblivious man.”
“One day, he’ll regret divorcing Miss Isvara.”
Yuda immediately got into his car and drove away from his boss’s residence.
Inside the house, Ezra didn’t go straight to his bedroom. He headed to the kitchen to get a drink because his throat felt dry. As he reached for a glass, he noticed a pink doll sticker on it.
For a long time, Ezra stared at the glass. Then his memories were thrown back into the past.
“Do you like this picture?” Isvara asked, showing him the sticker she had placed on the glass.
“Why did you put it there?” Ezra asked, staring impassively at his wife.
“Because it’s cute. Besides, all the furniture in this house looks so strange. I wanted to add a little color so it wouldn’t feel so creepy.”
Ezra nodded. “Do whatever you like.”
Isvara shifted her gaze from the glass in her hand to the man who rarely spoke. She gave him a faint but sweet smile.
Ezra fell silent as he remembered all the little things Isvara had done. He looked around the entire house. The figure who used to pace back and forth was gone, leaving behind only silence and emptiness in his heart.
He sat on the sofa in the living room and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. Suddenly, his hand brushed against something. He adjusted his position and found a bracelet Isvara often wore.
For a long time, Ezra stared at the bracelet in his hand.
“You always have a habit of forgetting things,” Ezra muttered.
He gripped the bracelet tightly, then put it away.
“It feels strange not having you in this house. I hope that someday, we can still be friends,” Ezra murmured to himself.
The next day, as Ezra was about to leave for work, he looked for a white shirt. But he couldn’t find it in the usual closet. He called a servant to ask.
“Do you know where the white shirts I usually wear were put?” Ezra asked the servant.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ezra. Ever since Madam came, I haven’t arranged your things. As far as I know, Madam put everything in the closet.”
“Okay. You can leave!”
Ezra finally called Isvara. Within seconds, the call connected.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Mr. Ezra? Why are you calling me?”
“Do you know where my white shirts are?”
“Oh, in the far-left closet. That’s where all the white shirts are stacked.”
“All right. Thank you.” Ezra ended the call after finding what he was looking for.
Meanwhile, where Isvara was, a handsome young man watched every move of the woman he had loved for several years.
Isvara followed her father’s orders and went to meet the man he supposedly wanted to arrange a marriage with her. Even though she didn’t like it, she still sat politely across from the stranger.
“Who just called?” Erwin asked, giving Isvara a flat look.
“A friend.” The beautiful woman answered briefly.
The man sitting across from her shouldn’t have been meddling in her affairs. They had only just met, and Isvara had no intention of continuing this arranged relationship.
“All right. I’m going to tell you something.” Erwin spoke in a serious tone.
Isvara merely nodded in response, ready to hear what the man across from her had to say.
“I admit that three years ago, I really liked you. I wanted to marry you. But I never expected you to marry someone else.”
“And now you’ve been cast aside. If your family weren’t wealthy, I wouldn’t even consider marrying you.”
Erwin’s words made Isvara clench both hands.
“Erwin—”
“If you marry me, you have to act like a proper wife. You need to be ready to serve me wholeheartedly.”
“You’ll cook for me and prepare everything I need. The house will be your responsibility, too.”
“You don’t need to work. I’ll be the one who makes the money. All you have to do is obey me. Then everything will be fine.”
“Besides, you’re nothing more than a discarded widow. If it weren’t for your family, I wouldn’t be willing to marry you.”
“If you don’t want to obey me, then fine. I don’t want to marry you either. You’ll probably be the one who ends up in trouble.”
Despite Erwin’s long-winded rant, Isvara felt perfectly fine. It was only the words ‘nothing more than a widow’ that tore at her heart.
What was wrong with being a widow? Isvara couldn’t understand the way people thought. As if being a widow made a woman into used goods unworthy of respect.
“I want to know why your ex-husband divorced you. Wasn’t he good to you? Did he cheat?”
“No. He was very good to me. I was the one who wasn’t worthy of him.” Isvara lowered her face as she answered.
She couldn’t stand the thought of anyone judging Ezra. That man really was kind. No one had ever treated her like a queen except him.
A notification appeared on Erwin’s phone. He picked it up and read the message. His brow furrowed, and his gaze shifted to Isvara.
The sight made Isvara look at Erwin, her expression impossible to read. Then the man said something that made her release a deep sigh.