Beyond the Divorce

Atlas remained composed as he set down my phone and said, “Let's eat the pasta before it gets cold.”

“Atlas, are you... hiding something from me? Well, maybe I shouldn't know too much,” I said cautiously.

He explained, “It’s not that I'm afraid you'll know too much. My family’s just complicated. I'll tell you about them gradually, not because I’m hiding anything from you. You'll need to know a few things first before you can accept more details.”

Atlas’s reasonable explanation eased my mind. I looked at him and asked, “Don’t you hate me for investigating you? I honestly didn’t mean to.”

“No, I don’t. On the contrary, you did well in your investigation. It shows you're actively trying to understand me, which is a good thing. It means you love me,” Atlas spoke frankly with a hint of teasing.

I blushed as I ate a mouthful of pasta to hide my embarrassment. I muttered, “I knew you'd tease me.”

He smirked and said, “Do you even have a good reason to argue? If you didn't like me, why would you investigate me?

Okay, okay, let’s eat.”

After a while, I asked him, “So, you already knew the current Stella isn’t the real one?”

“Mhm."

let her continue to be

that time,” Atlas said casually, showing

accident. It was difficult to explain to the world, the Pierce family, and the old ministers at the time. So they had the current Stella replace

alike. How could they pass her off as the real one?” I still didn't understand the twists and

The attendants who saw Annalise's appearance all died in accidents. What people knew was that Annalise had

but I finally understood it. I stared at him, somewhat stunned. “So, they

correct.” Atlas nodded

Annalise, the real Stella, has

put it that way.” Atlas

urged me to eat. "Finish your food.

couldn't help but

He smirked. "You can't let my craftsmanship go to waste, right? You don't even know how often I practiced to get the perfect onion ring size,

you say ‘ back then?’ Have you cooked it