Chapter 7 Finalize the Divorce
Theodore casually draped his sui
ket over his arm. Maybe it
was from a sleepless night, but the
nt shadows under his eyes
only added to his natural sophistication.
Audrey hadn’t expected him to come back at this time.
The memory of Theodore’s tense tone during the call with Ava the night before briefly stung her heart.
The smell of boiling soup drifted from the kitchen.
Gathering her resolve, Audrey brushed past Theodore and went into the kitchen, turning off the heat and pouring the soup into a bowl.
Theodore remembered the text from yesterday and felt a wave of annoyance. “So, you got me here. What do you want?”
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the kitchen.
He hurried over and saw soup splattered everywhere, with pieces of the bowl scattered on the floor. Audrey was crouched down, trying to pick up the pieces.
Her pale skin stood out against the bright red burns on her arms from the hot soup, making the scene even more striking.
Theodore wanted to show concern, but his words came out
impatient. “Audrey, are you really that clumsy? You can’t even carry some soup without making a mess! Why not just call Hazel to do it?”
Audrey paused for a moment, her hands stopping.
“Hazel took the day off.”
Theodore noticed her downcast eyes and almost pitiful expression, and a wave of frustration hit him.
He thought, “Why does she feel wronged? She’s already Mrs. Ainsworth, what more could she want?”
His expression darkened as Theodore snapped, “I’m leaving for a business trip later. I’ll call Hazel back.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Audrey’s heart sank. He came back early just to leave again.
“Ugh…”
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the broken glass, and a sharp edge cut her fingertip, making it bleed.
Audrey clenched her fist, hiding the injury, then stood up and said, “Okay. When are you coming back from your trip? We should go to the courthouse and finalize the divorce.”
Theodore squinted, his icy gaze fixed on her. “Divorce? Audrey, there’s a limit to how far you can push this! Don’t forget, it was
Chapter 7
alize the DIvorce
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you who wronged Ava two years ago!”
Audrey replied, “You’re right. This title of Mrs. Ainsworth was never meant for me. Ava’s back in town, I’m ready to give it back to her.”
Theodore grabbed Audrey by the chin, forcing her to look at him. He retorted, “Give it back? Mrs. Ainsworth, that’s quite generous of you! But if you’re so generous, then why didn’t you give it back when Nicholas confronted my grandfather two years ago?”
His voice was cold, and Theodore tightened his grip. Audrey winced, trying to pull away.
But Theodore held her firm. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You’re just trying to threaten me with divorce. So tell me, what exactly do you want?”
Trapped and pale, Audrey struggled to speak, “I don’t want anything!
“Theodore, I’m serious…”
He stayed quiet, his eyes giving nothing away.
She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, choosing her words carefully. “Theodore, let’s get a divorce.”
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Theodore’s face turned cold, like a storm was brewing inside
Chapter 7 Finalize the Divorce
him.
They locked eyes for what seemed like forever.
“Theodore…” Audrey said, having to look up, feeling her strength slipping away.
“Fine!” Theodore pushed her aside.
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Audrey stumbled back a few steps, barely keeping her balance as he coldly said, “As you wish! Audrey, you’d better go through with it!”
With that, Theodore spun around and stormed out.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang.
Audrey clenched her fists, the pain from her cut sending sharp reminders through her nerves.
That evening, Hazel came back.
Still recovering from her miscarriage and a high fever, Audrey decided to take her whole vacation at once. She didn’t return to work until she felt better.
At June Architectural Design Institute, where she’d worked since graduation, Audrey had climbed from design assistant to an architect managing her own projects in almost two years.
After a week off, she had a pile of work waiting for her.
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By the time Audrey sent off the last email to the client, the sky was completely dark.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door.
She looked up, startled.
Standing there was Violet Hawthorne, leaning casually against the door frame, her fingers playing with her sunglasses, a teasing smile on her face.
“Designer Beaumont, wanna hang out with me?”
