In some places you can get divorced from your spouse without needing to go to court as long as the spouse signs the divorce papers without any problem.
If the spouse then refuses to sign the divorce papers then you will need to take the spouse to court to get the divorce to proceed.
Some places may actually request a formal hearing for the divorce to go through though and hear both sides and once you sign off on the divorce papers then you're divorced.
It's always best to just show up at court and get the divorce over with if the divorce is really necessary.
If you're served divorce papers and still won't sign the divorce papers then the spouse can go find a divorce lawyer and have them work to get an uncontested divorce.
Not signing the divorce papers doesn't mean you'll be together forever as married spouses because it is possible for the other spouse to go to court against you for not signing and with the divorce lawyer get the divorce finalized anyway.
Not signing the divorce papers just makes it more difficult for you because the divorce can still go through.
If the spouse was properly served with divorce papers and refuses to sign the divorce papers and you still want a divorce you can still get a divorce from your spouse even without the signature of your spouse.
You'll need to get a divorce lawyer and go through court and get an uncontested divorce if your spouse won't sign the papers.
The court can force the divorce to happen usually even if your spouse refuses to sign the papers so even if the spouse doesn't want to get divorced it can still legally be done.
Both spouses need to know about the divorce for it to happen but if you need to get divorced then get a divorce lawyer who can help you proceed with the divorce even though the spouse won't sign off on the papers.