Chapter 9
I had made it clear that I wasn’t getting a divorce. Yet Luther persisted, relentlessly pressuring me to sign the papers.
The anger I had been holding back finally began to surface, and he noticed the fury in my gaze. Even so, he remained patient and gently pulled me closer.
“Are you sure you don’t want to?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. My silence said it all.
Luther placed his hands on my shoulders and let out a tired sigh. “I always thought you were intelligent… But even smart people make foolish choices.”
I kept my gaze lowered. “I’m not being foolish. I don’t want a divorce because I see things for what they are.
“What we have now is temporary. I won’t throw away a lasting marriage for something fleeting. You helped me when I was struggling, and in return, I gave you what you wanted. That makes us even. But you don’t get to control my life anymore.”
Luther let out a low, sarcastic chuckle. “So, we’re even, huh? Is that what you honestly believe?”
What else was I supposed to believe? What more could he possibly want from me?
Seeing the confusion on my face, Luther urged me to take another careful look at the divorce papers.
But I didn’t bother to look through them. “I’m sorry if I misspoke earlier. We’ll end this whenever you decide it’s over.”
He lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. There wasn’t a trace of anger–just a heavy silence, like the calm before a storm.
“Why won’t you agree to the divorce?” Luther asked.
A surge of defiance rose within me. “And why are you so set on forcing me?”
His answer came almost casually. But it struck me like a knife–sharp and humiliating.
“Because it’s easier that way.”
It dawned on me instantly. This was about avoiding scandal and sidestepping moral judgment.
Right now, I wasn’t even Luther’s mistress. At best, I was nothing more than a convenient sex partner.
The thought that he had pushed me to divorce simply to be more convenient felt almost absurd. But the real joke was on me.
I must mean so little to him if he truly believed he could toss me aside whenever he wanted.
A sharp ache pulsed behind my temples, my mind swirling with too many tangled thoughts to fight back.
I took a deep breath. “Mr. Stone, I’m not going to be with you forever. So why do you keep insisting I get a divorce?”
We were circling the same question again.
His reply was as cold and unflinching as ever. “Convenience.”
“You can’t be this selfish,” I snapped. “How could you destroy my marriage just to make your life easier?”
Before I could say more, he pulled out his phone. “You’re so stubborn. Let’s see what he has to say.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes fixed on his screen.
To my disbelief, the call log showed that he and Ryan had already been on the phone for over ten minutes earlier. I needed to know what they had talked about.
Without hesitation, Luther dialed Ryan’s number again. The phone barely rang before Ryan answered. “Hello, Mr. Stone.”
Even through the receiver, I could picture Ryan’s ingratiating smile.
“Ryan, the branch office needs you to take over immediately. Make sure to wrap things up here as quickly as you can,” Luther ordered.
Without missing a beat, Ryan replied, “Understood, Mr. Stone. Once Sapphire is back, I’ll take her to the courthouse to finalize the paperwork.”
“That would be best,” Luther said, his tone hardening. He slipped his arm around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to the phone. “Let me ask you one more time. Are you absolutely sure this divorce is what you want?”
When Ryan said yes, it hit me like a blow to the chest.
Luther pressed further, “You put a lot of thought into this before signing the agreement, didn’t you?”
Ryan didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I have no objections. I signed it willingly and of my own free will.”
I looked down at the final page of the agreement. There it was, Ryan’s signature and fingerprint.
Luther’s gaze cut through me like a champion basking in victory, his eyes flashing a silent question. “So, is this the ‘love‘ you kept insisting on?”
My hands went numb, and the divorce papers slipped from my fingers, falling quietly to the floor. I had been defeated in the most humiliating way.
“Very well,” Luther said with a knowing smile, his gaze fixed on me. “Mr. Manning, you’re certainly a man with real potential.”
Just as Ryan was about to thank him, Luther interrupted sharply. “Not every man has the courage to simply give his wife away like that.”
Chapter 5
Ryan forced out an uneasy laugh.
Without another word, Luther ended the call and tossed his phone onto the table. “Sign it,” he said, sliding a pen toward me.
My emotions were in pieces, my mind a whirlwind of confusion. I drew in a deep breath and reached for the divorce papers. “I want to go back. I need to confirm this with him face to face.”
Seeing I wasn’t ready to let go, Luther casually lifted his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Fine. Go ahead.”
I went back to my room to change. When I returned, Luther was sitting at the dining table. “Eat something before you leave,” he said.
But my stomach was in knots. “Thanks. I’m not hungry.”
“The driver’s waiting at the door,” he added.
As I bent down to slip on my shoes, I hesitated. “Thank you,” I said, glancing back at him.
Luther gave me a pointed look. “I’m a businessman, not a philanthropist. Gratitude isn’t measured in words.”
When I arrived home, Ryan was on the phone in the bedroom. The door was closed, and he hadn’t heard me come in.
Through the door, I caught snippets of his voice. He was already discussing the divorce with his mother.
We hadn’t even started the paperwork, yet he was acting like it was already a done deal.
Without warning, I pushed the door open. It slammed against the wall, making Ryan jump. He turned to face me, his expression tightening.
He quickly covered the phone. “Mom, something came up. I’ll call you back later.”
After hanging up, he turned toward me, his face flushed with embarrassment. Wearing a pitiful expression, he stepped closer.
“Baby…”
I pulled away from his touch. “Did you sign the divorce papers?”
Pain flickered in his eyes, tears welling up. “Sapphire, I didn’t have a choice. There was no other way.”
“And why do you say that?”
“Because… I need the regional manager position. It’s the only way to fix a lot of our problems.”
I looked at Ryan. Disappointment was evident in my eyes. “The only thing you truly care about is money. You need to understand. By signing those papers, you’ve basically sold me to Luther.”
Without a second thought, Ryan dropped to his knees at my feet, clutching me tightly as tears streamed down his face.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ve failed you. I thought I was helping you find a better future. Being with him seemed easier than watching you suffer beside me.”
I forced a bitter smile and gazed down at him. “Ryan, from the moment I met you, I knew exactly who you were.
“I never wanted anyone else. I loved only you. And now you tell me you were just trying to find me a ‘better future?‘ What do you take me for?”
Ryan hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “I… I just want what’s best for you. You won’t have to suffer with him. He’s wealthy, and he’s devoted to you. I know he’ll take good care of you.”
“Was this divorce something you had planned from the start?” I asked.
Ryan quickly shook his head. “No. How could it be? I love you so much.”
“Then why do you want to divorce?” I snapped, pushing him away sharply.
Seeing I wouldn’t back down, Ryan’s desperation grew. He grabbed the divorce papers and said, “We’ve already reached this point. Just sign it.”
I knew Luther must have spoken to him before I got back.
“Reached what point?”
“It’s all laid out in the papers. We have irreconcilable differences.”
“And when exactly did we become ‘irreconcilable?‘ We were fine last night.”
Ryan sighed deeply, his head bowed as he sank onto the edge of the bed. “You slept with another man. What else is there to say?”
