Chapter 10
The moment Mrs. Caldwell caught sight of the deep red divorce certificate, a flicker of triumph danced in her eyes. She quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a dramatic sigh, though the smugness in her voice still bled
through.
“Well, I suppose this is for the best,” she said, feigning regret. “At least she finally came to her senses.”
Brandon lifted his gaze to her. “What?”
“Last night,” she replied casually, “the housekeeper told me she stood outside your bedroom door for quite
a while… then left.”
The air seemed to freeze.
Brandon’s breath caught in his throat. A dull ringing filled his ears like an alarm, then came the explosion in
his mind.
Last night.
He suddenly remembered Vanessa draped around him, whispering in a syrupy voice, “Brandon, do you regret marrying her?”
And in that haze of lust and guilt, he’d murmured one word:
“Yes.”
Now, thinking back… Evelyn must have heard it.
All the color drained from his face. His fists clenched tight.
“Mrs. Caldwell…” Vanessa’s voice broke the silence. Her eyes shimmered with tears. “Please don’t blame
her. This is all my fault.”
Mrs. Caldwell scoffed. “What fault? If it weren’t for that woman-
“That’s enough!” Brandon snapped, his voice hoarse and sharp. “Just go. Both of you.”
The chill in his tone was unmistakable. Vanessa and Mrs. Caldwell exchanged glances, but didn’t argue. Vanessa quietly wheeled her away.
The living room fell into a heavy silence.
Brandon stood alone, chest heaving. He stumbled to the couch and dropped into it, eyes fixed on the divorce certificate still lying on the coffee table.
He should’ve gone with Evelyn to the courthouse this morning.
He should’ve been the one to withdraw the divorce application.
But instead, all he said was: “You handle it. I’ll spend a couple more days entertaining them. Everything will
be back to normal after that.”
Chapter 10
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And Evelyn had only nodded, head bowed, voice soft:
“Okay.”
Now that he thought about it… her voice had been too calm.
Like she had already made up her mind.
A crushing pressure spread through Brandon’s chest, suffocating him.
He remembered the way she stood quietly in the corner at the wedding yesterday, tears silently falling down her cheeks.
He remembered last night, when he’d drowned in lust and guilt, and whispered “I regret it” to another
woman.
He remembered this morning, brushing it all off as if nothing mattered–telling her to handle it.
And she did.
Just not the way he expected.
She hadn’t withdrawn the application.
She’d finalized the divorce.
“No…” he choked out, fingers trembling as he picked up the booklet, as if gripping it hard enough could
undo what was already done.
But the official seal was real. The date, brutal in its clarity.
She had really left him.
The realization struck him like a hammer to the chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
He shot to his feet, snatching his car keys and heading for the door.
But just as he reached for the handle, he froze.
Divorce.
Wasn’t that what he always said he wanted?
Then why did it feel like his entire chest was caving in?
Chapter 10
