Chapter 3 Done Cooking For Him

By the time Emilia returned to Shalley Cove, where the home she had shared with Andrew since their wedding was, it was already two in the afternoon.

Not once had Andrew called or texted her.

That no longer surprised her.

Whenever he wanted something, Emilia was expected to drop everything for him, even if she was caring for her mother in the hospital or barely able to function from illness herself.

But whenever Emilia needed him, Andrew somehow always had time for Madisyn instead.

She headed straight for his study.

Throughout their five-year marriage, Andrew had forbidden her from entering that room.

He had always called it his private space and made it clear that she wasn't welcome inside.

Today, Emilia no longer cared what he allowed.

The room was immaculate. His desk held only a computer, a pen holder, and a framed photograph of him with Madisyn.

Both of them were dressed in graduation gowns, smiling brightly at the camera.

Someone had pinned a white veil to Madisyn's graduation cap, making the picture look almost like a wedding portrait.

The sight brought back an old ache Emilia thought she'd buried.

After five years as husband and wife, she and Andrew had never taken wedding photos or even posed together for an ordinary picture. Their wedding announcement had used an edited image created from two separate photographs.

Andrew hadn't bothered to attend their wedding reception either.

Emilia had faced every guest by herself that night.

Still wearing her wedding gown, she had moved from table to table with a glass in hand, thanking everyone and drinking to their good wishes while enduring looks filled with pity and ridicule.

"No groom in sight—guess he'd rather be anywhere but at his own wedding reception."

"If that were me, I'd walk out. Staying would only make the humiliation worse."

Those comments had wounded her deeply, and even five years later, she could still remember every word.

Emilia picked up the frame and looked closely at Andrew.

Warm sunlight touched his features, while genuine happiness brightened his eyes.

So this was how he looked when he truly smiled.

He seemed younger, relaxed, and almost carefree, nothing like the man Emilia had known during their marriage.

She placed the frame back on the desk, turned on his computer, and began drafting the divorce agreement.

Their prenuptial agreement, arranged with Andrew's grandfather, stated that if Emilia ended the marriage after more than three years, she would receive ten percent of Murray Group's shares, eighty million dollars, and a house.

She had no intention of giving up a single thing she was legally owed.

Once the documents were printed and signed, Emilia slid them beneath the photograph and went upstairs to pack.

There wasn't much to take. She had entered the marriage with one suitcase, and five years later, everything she wanted to keep still fit inside it.

Emilia rolled the suitcase downstairs and had almost reached the front door when Martha Higgins, the housemaid, stopped her.

"Ms. Lloyd, shouldn't you start preparing dinner? Mr. Murray will be angry if it's not ready on time."

Martha spoke without a trace of respect, sounding as though she were ordering around another servant.

Emilia turned back, her eyes turning cold. "I'm done cooking for him."

Martha stared at her in disbelief. Emilia had always endured whatever people demanded of her, so seeing her push back was completely unexpected.

"But he's used to your food. He refuses to eat anyone else's cooking." Martha's voice grew uneasy. She had prepared meals for Andrew before, only to watch him throw them away in disgust.

"Then he can go hungry." Emilia gave a dismissive laugh and pulled her suitcase through the doorway.

Martha remained rooted to the spot behind her, too stunned to say anything.

Andrew returned home later that evening.

The house felt unusually quiet. No sounds came from the kitchen, and there wasn't even the faint smell of dinner in the air, as though the room hadn't been touched all day.

A vague irritation settled over him, though he couldn't immediately explain why.

Most evenings, Emilia would meet him with coffee and a plate of something she'd just baked.

She often made cookies in silly cartoon shapes, then held them up with a bright smile and asked what he thought.

Andrew's response was always the same. "Why do you keep wasting time on pointless things like this?"

No matter how dismissive he sounded, Emilia never seemed discouraged. By the following day, she would simply make something new.

"Where is Emilia?" Andrew finally asked after waiting for quite a while without seeing her.

"She... left earlier. I don't know where she went," Martha answered cautiously.

Andrew's expression hardened. Emilia had become far too willing to ignore him.

He pulled out his phone and sent her a message. "You have thirty minutes to get home. If you're not back by then, don't come back at all."

Emilia didn't respond.

Shortly after parking the car, Andrew's assistant, Laurence Wilson, entered the house. "Mr. Murray, the contract dispute has been going on for nearly three months. Our legal team still hasn't found a workable way to win. We may have to bring in Attorney E. Her courtroom record is exceptional, and from what I've heard, she's never lost a commercial case."

"Then hire her," Andrew said impatiently.

Losing the lawsuit could push his company to the brink of bankruptcy.

Laurence hesitated. "I've reached out to her office several times, but her secretary keeps saying she isn't accepting cases."

Andrew's face darkened. "I don't care what it takes. Pay whatever she wants and get her on this case."

"But..." Laurence paused before continuing, "Attorney E apparently stopped practicing five years ago. She disappeared from the legal world without explanation, and no one seems to know why."

Andrew let out a humorless laugh. "Five years ago? Then find her and convince her to come back. I don't care who she is or what she asks for. Money isn't the issue."