Chapter 10
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1.2
I was burning with rage as I shouted, “Ryan, wasn’t it because of you that I ended up sleeping with Luther?”
Ryan lost his temper too, or maybe he just couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore.
“I sent you there, but you could’ve said no. You still went in, didn’t you?” Ryan snapped. “And now you’re blaming me? Really?”
He rolled his eyes with disgust. “Don’t act like I forced you. You should be thanking me. Without me, how could you have landed a rich guy?”
I completely lost it. My eyes were bloodshot as I screamed, “Are you out of your damn mind? You want me to thank you? You’re a damn bastard!”
Ryan frowned and waved me off. “Enough. Just sign the papers. After that, we’ll go to the courthouse and finish this.”
At this point, dragging it out any longer would only make me look pathetic.
When we arrived at the courthouse, Luther’s lawyer, Harry York, was already waiting. To my surprise, Ryan seemed quite familiar with him and even greeted him warmly.
With Harry’s help, we began handling the paperwork.
During our marriage, the only joint assets were the house and a used car. We had no extra savings.
The house had a 50–year mortgage. The down payment came from our combined savings and loans from friends and family, and we both contributed to the mortgage payments.
Ryan had bought the used car during his second year at work, so I had nothing to do with it. Now, the only thing left to argue over was the house.
Ryan assumed I wouldn’t claim anything. He thought that since I was with Luther, I wouldn’t care about money. However, I insisted on getting back the portion of the down payment and mortgage payments I had made. The negotiations stalled.
He called me petty and tried to get Harry to talk me down. Yet, I stood my ground, and Harry conveyed my position to him.
Shortly after receiving a call, Harry told me Ryan had transferred my share to my PayPal account. I suspected Luther was pulling the strings again. Once the paperwork was filed, we were told to return in 30 days to collect the divorce certificate.
As we left the courthouse, I stopped Ryan.
“Ryan,” I said.
He paused.
“Was it you or him who first brought up divorce?” I asked.
I caught Harry staring at Ryan, who avoided my gaze like a guilty thief. Ryan’s evasiveness said it all. The answer was obvious. I didn’t need to hear it out loud.
I turned and walked away, but Ryan called after me, “We’re already divorced. Why are you still hung up on this? Just go live your life with Mr. Stone.”
I haited, then spun around and stormed back toward him. Before Ryan could react, I slapped him hard.
The sound echoed through the hall. Ryan’s cheek reddened where my hand had struck.
“Ryan, you’re disgusting,” I said coldly.
I knew everyone was staring. In the past, I would never have done something like this in public, but for him to say I should enjoy life with Luther was beyond insulting. Only a fool would think Luther would marry a divorced woman.
Ignoring the stunned look on Harry’s face, I walked away. I knew Harry would tell Luther what happened, but I didn’t care anymore. That chapter was closed.
Now, it was time to face my future.
The driver took me back to Woodmont Crest. When I entered, Luther wasn’t home. Lucy was tidying the living room.
She used to call me Ms. Miller, but I had asked her to switch to Sapphire. It felt warmer that way.
“Sapphire,” Lucy said as she tidied up the living room, “Luther went to the office. He wants you to rest at home today.”
“Alright, Lucy,” I replied, heading toward the bedroom. Just as I opened the door, I turned around and added, “Lucy, I’m not feeling well. No need to call me for lunch.”
Lucy walked over with concern etched on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
I forced a small smile. “Just a headache. It’s nothing serious,” I said.
She looked uneasy. “If it gets worse, you should go to the hospital.”
“No need,” I said gently. “A nap will do,”
I closed the door and lay face down on the bed, thinking over everything that had happened these past few days. It all felt like a bad dream. How did my life suddenly turn into such a mess?
Chapter 1
I must have dozed off because I was startled awake by my phone ringing Without checking the number, I answered, “Hello?”
“Sapphire, it’s me, Zachary.” I heard Zachary Bell’s familiar voice over the phone. He was a college classmate of mine but had done much better than I
had.
“What’s up, Zachary?” I asked.
He asked, “I saw on your Instagram Stories that you’re with Northstrike Air now. Is that true?”
“Yes,” I replied,
“I’m in charge of the Hilstone terminal’s exhibition. Your company is coming this year too, right?” Zachary asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said honestly.
Zachary sounded disappointed. “Ah, I got excited for nothing. I thought we could catch up if you were coming”
Just then, I heard Luther returning outside the door. “Even if the company sends someone, I might not be the one attending,” I added.
Zachary replied, “No worries. There’ll be plenty of chances in the future. If you have any questions, just give me a call.”
I heard Lucy telling Luther I was sick, and I hung up before he came inside.
He pushed open the door and stepped in. I was still standing by the window and didn’t turn on the light.
Luther walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Lucy told me you’re not feeling well. Is that true?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I replied softly.
“Did everything go smoothly with the paperwork?” he asked.
I turned my face slightly toward him. “Didn’t you already know?” I said.
He smiled faintly. “Why does it sound like you’re blaming me?”
I shook my head. “I’m not blaming you. If anyone, I blame myself.”
Luther said thoughtfully, “But it sounds like you’re blaming me.”
I said quietly, “I know you didn’t ask for the divorce.”
He asked with interest, “And?”
“I want to thank you for sending Harry to the courthouse to help me. Without him, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the share of property that’s rightfully mine,” I said.
Luther pulled me closer. “Honestly, that little money isn’t worth fighting over.”
“That fight was my last bit of dignity,” I said, resting my head on his arm.
Luther grinned. “I’m a businessman. I don’t accept verbal thanks.”
I asked, “Will Northstrike Air be at the Hilstone Airshow?”
“Of course,” he replied. “But there’s a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” I pressed.
“Don’t ask,” he said, tugging me toward the door. “Let’s go out for dinner.”
He seemed to think I wouldn’t be much help and that it was pointless to explain.
“My classmate is in charge of the Hilstone Airshow. I can get him to arrange a good exhibition booth for the company,” I said.
Sure enough, Luther’s interest was piqued. He turned to me and asked, “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. You don’t accept verbal thanks, right? Consider this my way of saying thanks,” I replied,
Luther narrowed his eyes, judging whether he could trust my words.
“If you’re lying, this won’t end well,” he warned.
“My classmate just called me. If you don’t believe me, I’ll call him again,” I said confidently.
Luther believed me. “Alright, I’m putting you in charge of the Hilstone Airshow. Do well, and you’ll have a bonus waiting for you. Screw it up, and you’ll be the one regretting it.”
I said firmly, “I’ll get it done. Don’t give me a bonus. Just consider it as paying off what I owe my family, okay?”
He smiled slyly and patted my head gently with a big hand. “Keep dreaming.”
I booked a hotel room for Adeline and sent the room number to Luther.
