Chapter 10
All of Andrew’s drowsiness disappeared in an instant. He shot up in bed as he repeated the words
in his head.
He’d been dumped? There were citywide ads about it?
Andrew immediately made a call, his voice icy as he commanded, “Get in touch with the head of every ad agency that runs the LED billboards in the city! Within three minutes, I want to know who allowed these ads to run!”
Before his order could even go through, the built–in smart screen on the bedroom wall flickered to life on its own. The morning news was running, and the bright red banner that scrolled at the
bottom of the screen was also sharing the “official announcement” of his divorce.
“This is an official announcement that Mr. Andrew Stone and Ms. Emily Jamison have formally dissolved their marriage as of today. Effective immediately, both parties will be going their separate ways. Ms. Jamison is now single and open to new relationships.”
Every word hit Andrew like a slap across his face. He was so consumed by his fury that his expression turned terrifyingly stormy. He almost crushed the phone in his hands.
What gave Emily the audacity to do this? How dare she humiliate him like this?
How could they be divorced? How could she have filed for it when he didn’t sign any divorce
papers?
“Look into this at once!” Andrew yelled at Tyler, who came rushing over after hearing the news. He was so furious that his veins were popping. “How did she get the divorce finalized? Who at the
courthouse would dare to defy the law on her behalf?”
Terrified by Andrew’s rage, Tyler hurriedly acknowledged the command and dashed off to investigate the situation.
Andrew tugged on the collar of his pajamas in irritation. Underneath the blazing anger was something subtler–the faint flicker of panic that even he didn’t notice.
It felt like something had just slipped out of his hands.
Soon, Tyler got to the bottom of things and shakily reported, “I–I’ve looked into it, Mr. Stone. T–The divorce was filed in accordance with the proper legal procedures…”
Sweating profusely, he steeled himself and added, “Y–Your signature is on the divorce agreement,
so it’s legally binding…”
His signature was on it?
Andrew tensed at the recollection of something. Some time ago, Lucy had said how nice his
signature looked and cajoled him into teaching her how to do it.
He relented and taught her how to replicate his exact signature well enough to fool even the best forensic document examiner, which meant that documents she signed with his signature were
Chapter 10
just as legally binding.
At the time, he even said that she could sign whatever she pleased with it!
Could it be…
212
At that moment, Lucy came out of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes. After nestling up against Andrew, she asked with a pout, “Why is it so noisy out here, Andrew? I haven’t had enough sleep
yet…”
Forcing aside his fury, Andrew pulled Lucy away from him a little before showing her the announcement on his phone.
“Lulu, did you sign something with my signature recently?” he asked grimly.
She blinked at the words on the screen. Something hit her, and for a second, her gaze flickered
evasively. However, her expression instantly morphed into one of grievous hurt, her eyes reddening.
“I–I didn’t know it was a divorce agreement. Back at the auction the other day, she stuffed a document into my hands and said it was something urgent that needed your signature. I figured that since you were so busy.
“Besides, you also said I could sign anything on your behalf. I didn’t want you to be bothered with unnecessary things, so I… signed it….”
”
was
The more Lucy spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. Her tears splattered onto the floor as she continued, “How should I know it a divorce agreement. Are you mad, Andrew? Do you regret what happened? Do you think I ruined your marriage? Are you… abandoning me?”
She cried so pitifully as she clutched his sleeve tightly, her body trembling as if enduring a great injustice and immense sense of fear.
Seeing her like this, Andrew couldn’t help but soften his attitude a little. When he remembered that he had indeed indulged her by teaching her his signature, most of his anger dissipated.
And when he heard her ask if he wanted to abandon her, he was instantly reminded of how she’d once saved his life. When he’d been on the brink of death, she was the one who stubbornly stayed
by his side.
All at once, he pinned all of the anger and displeasure he felt as a result of this incident onto Emily. It had to be her fault! She was the scheming woman who made use of both the gullible Lucy and the chaos of the situation back then to achieve her goal of getting a divorce!
It was just as well.
Taking a deep breath, Andrew pushed aside the inexplicable sense of uneasiness in his heart and pulled Lucy into his arms to comfort her.
“There, there. Don’t cry. I’m not blaming you for what happened. It’s just as well that we’re divorced. I never had any feelings for her anyway. This means I can openly be with you without anything holding us back.”
