Chapter 43
After we had our, I used the excuse of going to the washroom to leave the table and pay the bill. Then, I found out that Shirley had paid for it in
advance.
After sending York away, Shirley held my arm affectionately and asked, “Natalia, are you free to go shopping with me today?”
“Sure. Lamiled. For some reason. I was drawn to Shirley
Since I didn’t get to pay for lunch, Leould treat her to afternoon tea later.
1 accompanied Shirley while she checked out various high–end brands, She was picky and only bought two dresses after three hours of shopping
“Mrs. Smith. you don’t seem to be interested in these brands.” Seeing her lack of interest, I asked curiously, “Do you have a brand you like?”
Shirley replied, “Tve always lived abroad and am used to all kinds of popular styles, but I like our Neglanan style the most. I especially love Neglanan–style gowns. It fits me nicely and accentuates my curves. I think it’s the best design in the world.”
Indeed, Shirley looked elegant in Neglaman–style gowns.
She told me that the Smith family had their own tailor. The emerald–colored gown she was wearing when I first met her was made by their tailor, Penny Stone
“Speaking of which, Penny has made many of my clothes since I was young. Not only do all the clothes she makes fit me perfectly, but she is also proficient in embroidery Shirley looked at me and smiled gently. “Next time, I’ll get her to cailor a gown for you. Natalia, you’ll definitely look great in a Neglanan–style gown.”
I said, “Thi thank you in advance then,
In the blink of an eye, it was time for afternoon tea. We walked into a cafe.
My phone rang. It was a call from Raelynn The moment I picked up the call, she asked without any context, “Ms. Hinton, are you and Mr. Madden really divorced?”
“What?” I was stunned. I wasn’t sure what had happened
Right then, a news reporter was reporting the latest news on the television in the cafe. The reporter reported, “This afternoon, the Madden Group publicly announced the divorce of Mr. Quinn Madden, the CEO, and Ms. Natala Hinton”
I hung up the call, my eyes glued to the screen.
The footage from the press conference was shown on screen. The spokesperson from the Madden Group’s PR department held a press conference to formally announce my divorce with Quinn
The spokesperson announced. “Mr. Quinn Madden and Ms. Natalia Hinton have ended their three–year marriage due to personal reasons.”
Raelynn sent me a bunch of stuff over WhatsApp.
I clicked into a Twitter link she had sent me. It was a post by someone whom the Madden Group had paid to defame me. This anonymous informant exposed the reason for my divorce online
The post read: Natalia Hinton was lucky to be able to marry Quinn Maiden, but she was discontented with what she had. As a married woman, she flirted with many men and brought chaos to the Madden family. The death of her child might be karma. After the child passed away Quinn was extremely sad, while Natalia acted as if nothing had happened. She even went on a date with a man on the day of her child’s funeral. Recently, the Hinton family used the Madden family’s name to ask for invement funds. Natalia was also caught red–handed sleeping with someone. Unable to bear the stress any longer, Quinn Enally requested for a divorce]
The same account posted another post. Since Natalia was caught cheating, she didn’t get any alimony. Rumor has it that she asked for Madden Group shares, but her request was, of course, denied by Mr. Alex Madden. She was shameless |
The Madden Group’s FR department was worthy of its reputation. These posts portrayed me as an ungrateful and shameless street rat
Netizens who didn’t know the truth accused me of being a shameless slut. They praised Quinn for his wise decision of divorcing me. They cursed me and hoped that I would die in a car accident.
I sat in my seat, shocked. My eyes started to lose focus as I stared at my phone screen.
1 initially believed that when the Madden Group’s PR department announced my divorce with Quinn, they would come up with a decent reason for the sake of the company’s stock price.
To my dismay, Quinn pushed me into the abyss of condemnation without giving me a heads up.
“Natal, are you alright?” Shirley’s voice pulled me back to reality.
11:52 AM
Chapter 43
I stared at her blankly. I gapped, wanting to tell her that I was fine, but no words came to mind
“Let’s go to the car first. Shirley escorted me out of the cafe.
In the underground parking lot, we sat in the car, Shirley patted my shoulder and comforted me, saying. “Don’t overthink things. Divorce is not a big deal. You are in control of your life. You’re still young. You still have a long way to go.”
I nodded and forced myself to smile. I said, “Yes, I know. Actually, Quinn and I have been divorced for a long time. I just didn’t expect him to make it public so suddenly, I wasn’t prepared for it.
Ladded, “Mrs. Smith, others might think badly of you if they spot you hanging out with me now. I’ll send you home first.” My hands that were holding the steering wheel were trembling
My mind was filled with what Quinn had said to me…
He had indeed told me before that I had no right to decide everything. He had the right to decide when our divorce would
Since he loathed me so much, of course he would have ended our marriage in the cruelest way possible.
ty was I so sad! I thought I had everything figured out.
Why
Shirley suggested. I’ll drive and send you home first.”
Shirley could tell that I was in a bad state of mind, so she switched places with me.
Her driving skills were good, and the car moved steadily.
Along the way, I tilted my head and looked out of the car window in silence.
Shirley was focused on driving and looked straight ahead. She whispered, “Natalia, I have something to tell you”
I turned to look at her.
dbe made public.
Her gaze was firm and sincere. She said earnestly, “Ending a chapter of your life is painful, but this pain also represents a new beginning. When you feel unhappy in a relationship, you should take the initiative to end it. Only then will you have a chance to regain your happiness. In the future, you will be grateful for how brave you are now”
Stunned, 1 felt a lump in my throat. Tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably.
Shirley stopped the car by the roadside and pulled me into her arms. She patted my back gently and said, “Silly child, cry to your heart’s content. After today, you’ll no longer cry for someone unworthy of you”
Heaned into her arms and bawled my eyes out.
Quinn, this was the last time I would cry for you.
Two hours later, I said goodbye to Shirley and returned to my apartment alone.
I glanced at the countless messages and missed calls on my phone and decided to turn off my phone.
I slept until dawn. I collected myself and yowed to live for Benedict and myself from now on
I turned on my phone, and the call from Aiden came in right then
“Aiden, I’m fine.” I answered the call with a grin and spoke first
On the other end of the phone, Aiden was momentarily stunned before replying, “I know you’re fine. Rose asked me to invite you out for a drink tonight at the care home. She’s cooking tonight. Are you coming!”
“Of course. I miss Benedict too.” I replied readily, feeling warm inside
I knew they wouldn’t rest their worries until they checked on me in person
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