Chapter 144: And the divorce?

The slap came again. This time, it was Jessie who struck her. Aria did not move back. Instead, a dark smile formed on her lips as she looked straight at Jessie.

“That is all?” she said. “That is nothing to me, Jessie. My husband has done worse.”

Her eyes went to Dominic, who was already staring at her. “Right, my husband?”

Dominic said nothing. He just stood there, looking like he knew he had done something wrong and had no way to hide it.

Aria stood straight and faced Jessie again.

“So, is there something you want to explain?” she asked, like she did not care how ugly things had already become.

Jessie’s whole body shook with anger. “You little bitch.”

Aria laughed. “Why are you blaming me again? You are the one who caused all this. You are the killer, Jessie.”

“Where is your proof?” Jessie asked.

Aria gave a small smile. She put her clothes back on, walked to the door, and opened it.

Daisy was already there, listening.

Without asking, Aria grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

“She is my proof. A living one.”

“Daisy?” Dominic said.

“Yes. Daisy. She is the younger sister of the woman whose husband was taken by the slut standing in front of you. Because of her, Daisy lost the only sister she had.”

Dominic looked at Daisy like he could not accept what he just heard.

Daisy stared at Jessie like she could not wait to get her hands on her and make her pay.

“Do not think you can live in peace just because my sister is gone,” Daisy said, her voice shaking because she was so angry she could barely hold it in. “YOU ARE A MURDERER!”

She rushed forward and grabbed Jessie by the throat, squeezing hard until Jessie struggled to breathe.

Dominic quickly pulled Daisy away, and she fell to the floor.

“Dominic!” Aria shouted.

“I know Jessie is wrong, Aria,” Dominic said, “but hurting her like this will not fix anything.”

Aria looked at him, and the anger inside her pushed even further until she could barely hold it in.

“You are defending her?”

“I am not defending her, I…”

“YOU ARE DEFENDING HER, Dominic, AND YOU ARE STILL LYING ABOUT IT?” Aria shouted.

She nodded slowly, like everything had finally become clear.

She thought that once Dominic knew the truth, he would wake up. But she was wrong. He was still choosing Jessie.

Without any hesitation, Aria took off her wedding ring right in front of him.

“Aria, what are you doing?”

“Now I understand,” she said quietly. “I am not as important to you as this woman. What is it about her in bed that makes you forget I even exist and ignore everything I am going through?”

“Aria, why are you taking off your ring?”

“We should get divorced.”

“What? No, Aria. I will not let you go.”

“I know you will not let me go,” she said. “But I am the one letting you go.”

She let out a slow breath.

“Maybe this is my punishment. I used to be like Jessie. Maybe God is showing me what I did before. I judged her without thinking about my own past. Now I see it. This marriage was a mistake.”

Dominic shook his head and tried to reach for her, but she stepped away.

“Aria….”

“I do not know how divorce works here. My father will contact you.”

“NO. THERE IS NO DIVORCE.”

Aria laughed, but there was no joy in it.

“You are funny, Dominic. You still want to keep me? Are you not afraid your favorite woman will leave you?”

She turned to Jessie. “Go on. Continue your love story. I hope your ending is not worse than mine.”

Then Aria walked out of the office.

Dominic ran after her, but she did not stop. She had already decided, and nothing he said was going to change it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Three hours passed.

Aria was still crying in front of Harry like someone who had been holding it in for too long and could not stop anymore.

Harry had no idea what was going on. She had called him suddenly, crying and asking to meet, and now she would not stop.

He had been sitting there the whole time, watching her cry without knowing what to do.

“Aria, please stop crying,” Harry said, annoyed. “I do not even know what is wrong, and you are making me sit here looking like I do not know what to do with myself.”

He looked around. They were in the middle of a busy café, and people were starting to notice.

Aria looked at him. “My life is a mess, Harry.”

Harry let out a long breath. She had said the same thing again and again already.

“Yes, your life is a mess. I can see that. Look at your face. Your nose is running, your tears are everywhere, your makeup is ruined. You look like a complete mess right now.”

Instead of calming down, Aria cried even harder.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, annoyed. “Does this have something to do with your husband?”

Aria lifted her head. “Who else could do this to me?”

“And?”

“I left him.”

“WHAT?” Harry shouted.

Aria dropped her head back on the table.

“How is that possible? You two were fine, right?” he asked.

Aria shook her head. “We were not fine. He cheated on me. He chose his ex over me. Is she that good? Am I not enough for him anymore? Why would he choose her instead of me, his wife?”

Her voice kept failing her as she tried to speak.

Harry handed her another tissue, and she wiped her nose.

“Did you ask him why?” Harry asked.

Aria shook her head slowly. “He does not want to let me go.”

“That sounds like he still loves you. Then why are you here crying for three hours? You are ruining my mood.”

Aria shook her head again.

“He does not let me go, but he holds me while he is with another woman. Do you think I can accept that? I am thankful I am still thinking straight, because if I was not, I would have thrown her out of his office window.”

Harry looked at her, not sure if he should take her seriously or be worried.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I do not know yet. But I think I will go back to Indonesia.”

“Are you serious?”

Aria nodded. “I am serious. Maybe this is also my fault. If I tell you how I got Dominic, will you also think I am a cheap woman?”

“That depends,” Harry said. “On what you did.”

“If I tell you, you will leave me. You will think I am disgusting.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “Is it that bad?”

Aria nodded.

“Then do not tell me,” Harry said.

“Why?”

“Because if you do, I might lose a friend. And I do not want to lose the girl I know.”

Aria felt her heart beat faster. Her face warmed.

“You are praising me too much,” she said.

“I am serious,” Harry replied. “Sometimes telling people your past ruins how they see you. So keep it to yourself.”

Aria’s eyes brightened. She nodded. She would keep her past to herself.

“I did not expect that when my husband hurt me, I would meet someone like you,” she said.

Harry shook slightly. “Do not say things like that. You are making this weird.”

Aria laughed a little.

“I am glad I met you,” she said. “If not, I might have lost my mind.”

Harry sighed. “When are you going back?”

“I should have left already, but someone called me crying and stopped me,” he said.

“Including Jun?” Aria asked.

“Yes, including Jun. Are you going to buy my ticket back?”

Aria widened her eyes. “Me? Why me?”

“You brought me into this situation,” Harry said.

Aria smiled awkwardly. “You are the only one I could call.”

Harry looked at her for a moment, then sighed.

“So what now? You can not go back to your husband’s house.”

Aria looked out the window for a second, then back at him. “I am going back to Indonesia. I need my father.”

“And the divorce?”

“I do not know. I will let my father handle it.”

Harry nodded. “When you get there, call me. Do not lose contact.”

Aria nodded.

She knew what she had to do, even if it hurt.