Rhea's platonic relationship

Erza raised her eyebrows. "So the two of you would be divorcing because Rhea had a non-romantic relationship? Not because of your ex?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? My ex has nothing to do with my problem with Rhea. When I say 'ex,' it means the romantic relationship is over, okay!" Emery's voice was strained with tension. He turned to look at Erza with deep lines on his forehead.

Erza frowned at her brother Emery, who was standing with his arms crossed. She could see the frustration and bitterness in his eyes. She knew he was hurting from Rhea's asking for a divorce.

"Does Rhea know that your relationship with your ex is over?" she asked gently, hoping to persuade him to talk to Rhea and clear the air. She didn't want their relationship to suffer because of his past.

Emery sighed and rolled his eyes. He wished his sister would mind her business and stop meddling in his love life. He didn't want to have a divorce, but he didn't feel ready to open up to her about his ex. It was too painful and complicated.

"She should know. Is there any evidence that I am still dating my ex or even having a relationship like before?" he snapped back, using a sarcastic tone to hide his vulnerability. He hoped Erza would drop the subject and leave him alone.

Erza let out a sigh of frustration. She realized that the reason her brother and Rhea were having trouble was because of a breakdown in communication. "You need to talk to her about these things. Do you and Rhea have decent conversations at home?" she asked.

"Yes," Emery replied shortly.

"What kind of conversations?" Erza pressed, feeling unsatisfied with her brother's answer.

"Just normal ones," Emery answered, clearly bored and disinterested in the conversation.

"It seems like you only communicate about basic needs like food, going out, laundry, and plans for the weekend with your partner. Do you ever have any lighthearted conversations, joke around, or tease each other like Rhea and I do?" Erza was frustrated and had the urge to hit Emery's head.

Emery furrowed his brow and widened his eyes in disbelief before shouting, "That's boring stuff?"

Erza patted her forehead. "It's not a boring stuff. You haven't had enough conversations with her at home, which may have left her feeling lonely. This is why Rhea was seeking a platonic friend. We're currently having an honest conversation, so why can't you act the same with her?"

"Coz you're my sister?" Emery responded nonchalantly.

"But she's your wife. She needs you more. She needs your emotional support more than anything else in a marriage. Sex is not the only thing that matters," Erza stated, clearly dismayed by Emery's attitude. If she had a husband like him, she wouldn't want to get married at all.

Emery gave Erza a strange look. "You sound like you know a lot about marriage. Have you been married before?"

Erza blushed. "No, I just repeated something Jane told me." She had let slip a secret and was worried about Emery's reaction. Jane was Emery's business partner, and they had a romantic history before Emery got married to Rhea a year ago. However, they now maintained a professional relationship and were best friends despite their past.

"Did Jane tell you to talk to me about this?" Emery asked, standing in front of Erza.

Erza hesitantly nodded. It is too late to feel regret.

Emery clenched his teeth in frustration. He should have realized that the words coming out of his little sister's mouth were not her own. Erza was too innocent to come up with those phrases on her own. She was just repeating everything Jane had said.

"Ugh, that witch!" He muttered under his breath. Emery hastily grabbed his cell phone and wallet before storming out of the room with a frustrated expression on his face.

"Where are you going?" Erza asked, her voice filled with concern as she hurried to catch up with Emery. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad might happen if she let Emery go alone.

"To the office... I'm gonna kill that witch!" Sarcastically, he is planning to have a 'decent conversation' with Jane. How dare that woman interfere with his private life. They are business partners, not life partners. Jane has no right to get involved between him and Rhea.