Chapter 11: Divorced Three Years Ago?

After Edmund dropped the truth bomb, everyone was left speechless.

Kalista went ghostly white; she never thought Edmund would call her out like that.

"Mr. Edmund Porter, I..." Kalista stammered, clearly rattled.

"The bracelet is a symbol of the Porter family's true wife," Edmund declared, "You have no right to it."

Kalista was at a loss for words. Her lie was out in the open, and if she didn't think fast, she'd be humiliated in front of everyone!

"This is the result of my collaboration with a talented online artist, Mr. Edmund Porter. This technique isn't exclusive to Nora!" Kalista tried to defend herself.

"An online artist?" Edmund scoffed, "Do you think we're idiots?"

Edmund pressed on, "I watched Nora paint this with my own eyes. Who's this online artist of yours?"

"I don't know who she is." Kalista tried to keep her cool and pointed at Nora. "Nora, did you secretly team up with me just to set me up now?"

"Kalista, you're shameless!" Nora finally snapped.

Kalista, furious, shouted, "Nora, you bitch! You set me up!"

Nora smirked. "Kalista, I told you not to take this paiting. Edmund and I did this together, with him overseeing the whole thing. See these words? Edmund wrote them!"

Kalista's face drained of color; she never imagined the painting was a joint effort by Edmund and Nora. Now, no matter what she argued, it was pointless.

Seeing everyone in the banquet hall looking at her with disdain, Kalista finally realized how badly she had screwed up.

She also noticed Isaac's deeply furrowed brows and the disappointment in his eyes.

"I was wrong, Isaac. I truly was. I just wanted to make Mrs. Katie Porter happy. " Kalista cried, trying to gain Isaac's sympathy.

Katie's face was stone-cold. She had rarely trusted someone so much and almost had a falling out with Edmund, only to be fooled by Kalista.

Katie ordered, "Get Kalista out of here! What bad luck!"

"I am sorry." Kalista cried as she clung to Isaac's hand, hoping he'd stand up for her.

But Isaac just brushed her hand away. "Kalista, if you stay here, Grandma will be even angrier. You should leave first."

His tone was cold, but Kalista could tell he wasn't completely done with her. Her eyes lit up with hope as she said, "Okay, I'll go out first. Please come find me later."

Isaac nodded half-heartedly. While Kalista, still hesitant, was eventually dragged out by the people Katie had called.

The banquet, which had been going so well, was now awkwardly tense.

With Kalista out of the picture, Edmund's anger cooled. He raised his hand to call Nora over, intending to give her the bracelet, but then something unexpected happened.

Everyone's phones started buzzing one after another. When they checked, they saw a photo of Nora in the arms of an unfamiliar man.

In the photo, Nora's face was flushed with shyness, and the man's eyes were gentle and affectionate, making it look anything but innocent.

The crowd was in an uproar.

"What's going on? Is the woman in the photo Mrs. Nora Porter?"

"Don't call her Mrs. Nora Porter anymore. It's so obvious she's cheating. How can she still be the wife of the Porter family?"

"Who is that guy? He kind of looks like Mr. Porter."

"The Porter family is really putting on a show this time."

Isaac's face was dark, trying to figure out who was messing with the banquet.

"Why are you all gossiping? They're not even kissing. Can't you see they're in a hospital? Nora must have been hurt, and this is just a misunderstanding."

Amidst all the gossip and snickering, only Edmund stood firmly by Nora's side.

Katie's emotions were all over the place, and she glared at Nora with anger.

This bitch, as Isaac's wife, had the nerve to get cozy with another man. She didn't buy a word of what Edmund was saying.

The daughter-in-law of the Porter family should never be so close to another man, no matter the situation!

"Nora, explain yourself. Katie will believe you." Edmund held Katie's hand and looked at Nora.

But Nora just pressed her lips together. It wasn't that she couldn't lie, but facing Edmund's hopeful eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say anything in her defense.

"Grandpa, I did have some trouble with my legs at the time, and as for that man..."

She was silent for a long time, trying to figure out how to explain, when Isaac stepped forward. "Everyone, since you're all here, I might as well tell you something. Nora and I dissolved our marriage three years ago."

The room exploded with even more intense chatter.

"What's going on? They got divorced?"

"Does that mean Nora really has another lover?"

"Are you dumb? They're not even married anymore. Whether she has a lover or not doesn't matter."

"Really? Mr. Isaac Porter suddenly announcing a divorce, could it be to save face?"

With doubts swirling, most people thought this was a move by the Porter Group to protect their reputation.

Isaac had Wesley quickly bring a file folder containing the official divorce agreement and a divorce decree.

Isaac then took out the divorce agreement and showed it to everyone. Besides their signatures, there was a date, exactly three years ago.

"They really got divorced a long time ago!"

"What's going on? They divorced three years ago, and it was kept so secret."

"I thought it was strange before. That woman who stole the painting seemed to be Mr. Porter's mistress, right?"

"Are you crazy? Mr. Isaac Porter is right here."

The person who was stopped sneered, "What's there to hide? Mrs. Katie Porter was just about to give the legitimate wife's bracelet to that painting thief."

Nora hadn't expected Isaac to so bluntly announce their divorce.

They had been divorced for less than three days, and even if the truth came out, people wouldn't be able to tell whether the divorce or her supposed affair came first. The date on the divorce agreement played a crucial role.

Thanks to the divorce agreement Isaac had prepared three years ago, everyone present was convinced. This was good; their relationship was now clear.

But... She slowly walked up to Edmund and, facing his shocked expression, apologized. "Mr. Edmund Porter, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Isaac and I were not meant to be. I have let you down after all these years of your guidance. We originally planned to announce the divorce after Katie's birthday banquet, hoping not to ruin your mood, but it didn't go as planned. I'm sorry!"