Chapter 28 Signed for Divorce
At a time like this, Joanna was still thinking about the divorce?
Chris stood up angrily. "Joanna, can't you see what he did to me? How could I not go after him?"
Of course Joanna saw it.
But she also saw how Cynthia took care of him.
Chris never lacked people to look after him. It used to be her, now it was Cynthia's turn.
The divorce might have been an impulsive decision at first, but after calming down and thinking about the past, Joanna felt it was still the right choice.
"Angelo was trying to stop you; he didn't mean it," Joanna explained for Angelo.
But Chris wouldn't listen. He didn't even glance at the agreement in front of him. "Joanna, just write the settlement letter. I have a lot going on at work."
Joanna repeated herself. "My terms are final: sign the divorce papers and agree not to press charges against Angelo. Non-negotiable."
Chris's face darkened.
He thought by deliberately ignoring the agreement, Joanna would understand what he meant—
He had no intention of getting divorced!
Although there were many troublesome matters between them, once they were resolved, Joanna would come back and be obedient again.
She couldn't live without him for three years of marriage, so she couldn't really want a divorce.
"Joanna, this isn't the time or place to make a scene—we're at the police station. As for the divorce, I'll give you some time to think it over. Don't sign now and end up regretting it later!"
Chris stared into Joanna's eyes, speaking word by word seriously despite his anger.
He was giving Joanna one last chance.
Listening nearby, Cynthia unconsciously squeezed her paper cup until it deformed, water spilling out and onto her clothes.
She quickly excused herself to fix her clothes. Outside, she got angrier the more she thought about it.
Chris didn't want a divorce?!
When Joanna first brought up divorce, Cynthia was thrilled, thinking she finally had an escape.
But after all this time with nothing changing, it was clear Chris had no intention of actually going through with it!
Last time she deliberately got close to Chris, and Joanna didn't even make a scene?
Well then... she couldn't be blamed for this!
Cynthia took out her phone and sent a message to an unsaved number: [You can release the photos now.]
In the break room, Joanna stood up directly and said, "If you won't sign, there's nothing left to mediate. I'm leaving."
Chris slammed his hand down on the table, furious. "Joanna! Your dad just took a million from me, promising you wouldn't talk about divorce anymore! And this is how you're acting?"
"That's what he promised, not me." Joanna really didn't want to accept this responsibility, but deep down she knew that money in Henry's hands would never come back out. She bit her lip. "I can earn money through work to pay you back!"
Chris sneered, "How much is your salary? How many years would it take to pay back a hundred thousand? Besides, hasn't your family spent enough of my money? Joanna, are you planning to pay all of it back before the divorce?"
Joanna wanted to agree to pay the money back right away.
But she knew very well she couldn't pay it back in a short time.
And even if she worked hard to pay it back, Henry and Chad would just go to Chris for more.
It was a never-ending cycle.
Unable to break free, Joanna sat back down helplessly.
Chris said smugly, "Since you know you can't pay back what you owe me, take back the divorce agreement, and I'll pretend this never happened! Joanna, just write the settlement letter and stop wasting time!"
Joanna reluctantly picked up the pen on the table.
Just as she was about to sign, the police officer looking at his phone suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Mister, ma'am, you're... on the news!"
He looked at Joanna with sympathy.
Joanna put down the pen and took out her phone, seeing a set of intimate photos trending online under a hot topic.
There were pictures from the night Chris got drunk and Cynthia helped him home—blurry shots through a window showing them in each other's arms—and the next morning, photos of Chris in the garage with visible hickeys on his neck...
The moment Joanna saw these photos, her heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles, followed by a nauseating feeling of disgust.
Just a few hours ago, Chris was lying in the same bed with her, wanting to do all sorts of intimate things.
But now, his intimate photos with Cynthia were all over the internet!
Most of the comments below were blessings, even eagerly anticipating the wedding.
As Joanna scrolled through them, her eyes welled up with tears.
Chris never wanted to acknowledge her in public, yet he let these pictures of him and Cynthia spread all over the internet.
Was he in such a hurry to marry Cynthia?
"Why aren't you writing!" Chris urged impatiently.
Joanna showed him her phone. "Your intimate photos with Cynthia are trending. If you don't sign the divorce agreement, I'll have to announce your affair to the public and file for divorce!"
Chris scrolled through the pictures, his expression darkening. "These are just paparazzi twisting the story. You can't believe everything you see online! Joanna, are you really trying to blackmail me with this?"
Joanna wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes and said calmly, "If there was nothing going on between you and Cynthia, how did the reporters get those pictures? Chris, you'd better think twice about signing. If you keep dragging this out, you won't get the settlement papers or a chance to deal with those photos. Maybe you're not worried, but what about the company's shareholders?"
Peter directly showed Chris screenshots of the trending topic and netizens flooding Cooper Corporation's official account with questions.
"Mr. Cooper, I helped Miss Jones's brother win his case before. I'm also very experienced with divorce cases involving cheating. You might want to just sign the papers yourself, before things get messier."
Chris looked at Joanna's calm expression, trying to see a trace of regret or struggle.
But he found none.
The comments kept scrolling, and his phone kept vibrating. Chris's eyes turned red with urgency, but at this moment, he had no choice but to pick up the pen and heavily sign his name.