After Rebirth, I Decidedly Signed the Divorce Agreement
Chapter 1
It was the fifth year of my marriage to Grayson, when the girl he was keeping at his hotel became public knowledge.
Everyone knew.
To save her from being labeled a “homewrecker,” Grayson came to me with divorce papers.
“Ms. Jane helped me out years ago,” he said. “Before she passed, she asked me to take care of Willow. Now this has come out, I can’t ignore it.”
Willow was always Grayson’s first priority.
In my past life, hearing those words, I crumbled. I screamed, I raged, refused the divorce.
Until I developed severe depression. Grayson, because of Willow’s comment— “Sister doesn’t look sick”—concluded I was faking it, manipulating him, plotting to frame him for cheating. He filed for divorce immediately.
Only then did I understand: I could never compare to a debt of gratitude. I committed suicide in despair.
Then, I opened my eyes again.
I signed the divorce papers without hesitation.
1
“Autumn, after this blows over, can we remarry?”
In the villa’s courtyard, while I sat on a stone bench lost in thought, Grayson arrived with Willow.
Three hours prior, paparazzi had outed Willow as Grayson’s alleged mistress. The internet exploded, dragging her past through the mud, calling her a homewrecker, accusing her of destroying my perfect relationship with Grayson. Grayson’s image as a devoted husband shattered. The Grayson Corporation’s stock price plummeted.
In my past life, when Grayson came to me with divorce papers, I ripped out every rose bush he’d planted for me in a fit of rage, hysterically questioning his relationship with Willow.
She was only his mentor’s daughter. There were a million ways to handle it.
But he chose to sacrifice me.
Simply to prevent Willow’s depression from worsening. What Grayson didn’t know was that during the scandal, I was diagnosed with moderate depression too.
“Autumn,” Grayson called again, pulling me from my reverie.
I lowered my gaze to the divorce papers on the stone table.
He knelt at my feet, his deep eyes fixed on mine, his warm hand enveloping mine.
His voice was coaxing.
“Autumn, do it for me, please?”
“We’ll announce that our marriage was already over, that we planned to divorce a year ago, but we just hadn’t found the right time.”
I remained silent. Behind him, Willow, in a white dress with Grayson’s jacket draped over her shoulders, looked pale, her eyes red-rimmed.
“Autumn, please help me,” she pleaded. “My mother died from cyberbullying and depression. I don’t want to end up like her. I’ll kneel, I beg you…”
As she started to kneel, Grayson quickly rose, pulling her into his arms.
His face darkened. He hushed her, his voice low. “What are you doing?”
Willow choked back a sob, her voice weak and trembling. She lowered her tear-filled eyes.
“I… I just wanted to make it easier for you, Sister.”
Grayson’s brow furrowed with impatience. He looked at me, the earlier tenderness gone.
“Autumn, I didn’t come here to negotiate.”
“I’ve made my decision. If you refuse to sign…”
My gaze met his, cutting him short.
I knew what he’d say.
He would say: “Autumn, you know what I’m capable of. I have countless ways to make you sign.”
“If it goes to court, you won’t stand a chance against Grayson Corporation’s lawyers.”
Those were his exact words in my past life. Then, I was set up with several male models, the evidence of my infidelity undeniable.
Overnight, I became a cheating adulteress, a pariah.
He and Willow, the innocent victims.
“I’ll sign,” I said after a long pause, “but you have to promise me one thing.”
2
Grayson looked at me, then nodded his agreement.
He handed me the pen. Without a flicker of emotion, I signed my name.
“Aren’t you going to review the agreement?” Grayson frowned.
I smiled. “No need.”
He was giving up everything, all his assets to me, all for Willow, to repay a debt of gratitude.
“Let’s go to the courthouse tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I replied.
Grayson’s hand holding the divorce papers paused, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. But he said nothing.
As they left, Willow glanced back, a sneer playing on her lips. “You lost.”
I had lost.
I’d lost a lifetime, so I wouldn’t lose this time.
A moment later, my phone lit up. It was a text from Grayson.
[I’m sorry, Autumn, this was unfair to you.]
[After this is over, I’ll give you another grand wedding. We’ll remarry.]
[I can’t watch Willow’s depression worsen. You understand, right?]
Reading that, I couldn’t help but laugh, tears in my eyes.
It was the same in my past life.
To force me to divorce him, Grayson sought advice from his friends and got drunk.
But he forgot, his friends were my friends too.
Ethan pleaded with Grayson not to throw away his marriage for Willow.
While also mediating between us, urging me to understand Grayson, saying he was a man of loyalty.
If not for Willow’s father recognizing Grayson’s talent, investing in him, helping him start his business…
Grayson wouldn’t be where he is today.
Back then, I cried, arguing:
“Grayson has a million ways to clear this up, why does he have to divorce?”
Ethan was silent.
He’d asked Grayson, and he’d replied:
“I have to hurt someone. I can only hurt Autumn. She loves me, she’ll understand.”
Because I love him, I’m the sacrifice.
What kind of logic is that?
Thankfully, I have another chance.
3
Grayson always acted quickly when it came to Willow.
The divorce papers were signed in the morning, and a press conference was scheduled for the evening. His assistant came to invite me.
Before I could speak, the assistant, anticipating my refusal, relayed Grayson’s message.
He said, “Ms. Autumn, you should attend this press conference. Even if not for Mr. Grayson, it’s for your reputation.”
I paused, then scoffed.
Grayson was threatening me.
Trying to use the same tactics as before, to smear me, to leave me struggling under public scrutiny.
Forcing me to submit.
I’d never understood if Grayson considered me his wife or his enemy…
Now, he wanted a public clarification of our relationship.
And so would I.
The press conference was held in the grand ballroom of the city’s most luxurious hotel, attended by the most influential journalists.
When Willow, in a cheongsam, appeared arm-in-arm with Grayson, the reporters swarmed them.
Grayson instinctively shielded Willow, smiling as he deflected microphones. “Please wait, I will answer your questions one by one.”
“Could everyone please make some space?”
His voice was gentle. As he looked up, his eyes met mine, surrounded by reporters.
For a moment, I foolishly hoped he’d step in to help me.
But the next second—
He calmly looked away, a smile on his face, leading Willow to the stage, as if he hadn’t seen me.
I sneered.
The closest reporter, probably an intern, nervously offered me the microphone. “Ms. Autumn, are you really divorced from Mr. Grayson?”
“Yes,” I smiled, nodding.
The intern pushed up her glasses. “But you and Mr. Grayson met in high school, dated for seven years, married for five.”
“Just last month, Mr. Grayson bought you an island, named after you.”
I still smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes.
“He owed me.”
He’d missed my birthday to take care of a sick Willow, and the island was his belated gift.
In my past life, I’d been thrilled, only to learn later that Ethan had suggested it, that Grayson’s assistant picked the island, and Grayson didn’t even know where it was.
“Do you still love Mr. Grayson?”
She looked at me nervously. The reporters around me fell silent. Even Grayson on stage looked at me.
His brow furrowed slightly.
I met his gaze, then calmly said, “No.”
4
I left the interview before it ended. After Grayson clarified that our marriage had ended a year ago, I withdrew.
Overnight, I became Grayson’s discarded ex-wife.
While Willow became the only innocent victim in this narrative.
The interview was on social media for days, the hype unrelenting.
Especially Grayson’s statement: “Autumn and I planned to divorce a year ago, we just hadn’t found the right time. We wanted to keep it private, but this has affected innocent people, so we had to clarify. Ms. Willow was not involved in the breakdown of our relationship. She’s my mentor’s only remaining family, it’s natural for me to take care of her. I hope everyone can understand.”
Fans were manipulated, saying our split was because I was jealous, twisting their brother-sister bond, their supposed debt of gratitude.
Saying I was petty and lacking in grace; five years of marriage and I hadn’t learned anything about Grayson’s loyalty.
The hype lasted days.
I became the target of public anger.
Leaving the courthouse after getting my divorce papers.
Grayson stopped me. “Don’t worry about what’s being said online, people will forget soon.”
I paused, letting out a quiet laugh.
We were both publicly vilified, but the difference in treatment was stark.
“Autumn, it’ll be Christmas in two months.”
“Let’s remarry next year, okay?”
He looked at me, about to approach, but I stepped back, my gaze on the reporters held back by security guards.
Grayson seemed to realize his mistake, stopping in his tracks.
“Grayson, I’m going back to Hong Kong.”
“You haven’t been back in a while, it’s good to go back, I’ll pick you up for——”
“I’m not coming back,” I interrupted calmly.
His smile froze, his eyes clouded with confusion.
I continued, “When I agreed to sign the divorce papers, you promised me one thing. It’s time you fulfilled it.”
Grayson stared at me.
Upon my rebirth, it only took a few seconds to process my love and hatred for Grayson.
When I saw the divorce papers, I thought about tearing them up, making a scene. But reason prevailed.
After a long moment, I smiled, “Grayson, I hope you never appear in front of me again.”
