Chapter 71 Formal Divorce
Lucas's injuries were healing well, and he should have been discharged soon, but my words upset him so much that he coughed up blood and passed out.
I walked out of the inpatient building feeling uneasy.
The smell of disinfectant seemed to linger at my nose, and the automatic glass doors reflected my thin silhouette.
"Ms. Sorelli?" Oscar stopped me. "Are you here to visit Mr. Valeri?"
He looked at me gently, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"I've already seen him." I tried to walk past him, but Oscar called out to me. "I'd like to talk to you about Mr. Valeri's condition. Could I talk to you for a moment?"
I should have refused him directly, but I found myself nodding before I could think better of it, agreeing to Oscar's request.
"Mr. Valeri has been taking his medication on time recently, but the results haven't been good." Oscar's gaze swept over my tense face, his tone growing more serious. "I think the key to the problem lies with you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you're more effective for Mr. Valeri than any medication."
I forced a slight smile at the corner of my lips. If this were ten minutes ago, Oscar's words might have had some truth to them, but now, I might have just become Lucas's newest psychological trauma.
Oscar asked me with confusion, "Your expression looks unnatural. Did I say something wrong?"
"No, please continue."
"I know Mr. Valeri isn't a qualified partner, but he's been seeking change recently. He's learning how to love someone, and I think that's a positive sign. Maybe at first he'll make mistakes and take extreme measures, but with proper guidance, he can definitely become an excellent partner." Oscar asked me, "Don't you think I'm right?"
I looked away toward the shrubs in the courtyard. "There's no point in telling me all this."
Oscar hesitated. "Are you planning to give up on Mr. Valeri? I suggest you maintain your intimate relationship. After all, Mr. Valeri is extremely starved for love, and once Amelia understands the root of the problem, she might take advantage of it."
"Lucas originally wanted me to make way for Amelia anyway, so wouldn't it be perfect for Amelia to fill the emptiness in his heart?"
My heart felt sour, with a numb ache.
I lowered my eyes, my gaze falling on my shoe tips, thinking it was already too late.
Oscar looked at me with regret. "Alright, I actually have no right to force you to continue caring for Mr. Valeri. You've done well enough these three years, and you've suffered enough grievances. Just let Mr. Valeri go torment Amelia."
After saying goodbye to Oscar, I killed time outside for half the day, only returning home in the evening.
The living room was lit with bright, warm lights, and for once, all three of my brothers were home.
Gale held a teacup in his left hand, his right hand on the laptop resting on his knees, wearing Bluetooth earphones, and quietly handling work.
Brian and Marcus sat on the carpet in front of the coffee table, fiddling with the glass menagerie set I had retrieved.
When I walked into the living room, they immediately noticed and all stood up at once.
"Bella, did you go see Lucas today?" Marcus asked somewhat anxiously. "Why didn't you ask me to go with you? He didn't bully you, did he?"
Brian shot Marcus a look. "Take you along so you could shoot Lucas again?" Brian took my coat and handbag, saying gently, "Are you tired? Let's have dinner."
Gale said the least. "Dinner is all your favorite dishes."
I tried my best to look relaxed and cheerful. "I've been hungry for a while. It's so great to see you all as soon as I get home!"
I quietly clenched my hand hanging at my side, then released it a moment later.
I could lose Lucas, but I couldn't lose any more family members.
"Lucas can never hurt me again." I shrugged. "Don't worry!"
Marcus asked with confusion, "What did you do today?"
"Not telling you!" I made a face at him and skipped into the kitchen.
"Please tell me!" Marcus chased after me curiously. "Otherwise, I'll eat all your favorite roasted chicken wings!"
I immediately tattled to Gale and Brian.
Brian grabbed Marcus's head with both hands and messed up his hair.
Gale seemed to know everything. He looked at me calmly and asked, "Will you regret it?"
I was silent for a moment, then shook my head. "No. It's just that we might have one more enemy."
"Nothing to be afraid of." Gale rubbed my head, the warmth from his palm bringing a reassuring strength.
Over the next few days, I threw myself completely into work, using busyness to fill the cracks in my heart.
Lucas seemed to have disappeared from my life, until a week later, when I received a message from him with just a few short, cold words: "Tomorrow morning, see you in court."
I stared at those words on the screen for several seconds, my fingertip hovering over the input box, and finally replied with a simple "ok."
The next day, I arrived at the court ten minutes early.
Lucas arrived five minutes after me, wearing a black suit and black overcoat, his expression solemn, as if attending a funeral.
His figure was still straight as a pine tree, but his face was terribly pale, with faint dark circles under his eyes, his whole body radiating coldness.
He walked up to me, his gaze briefly resting on my face for a moment without any emotion, as if looking at a complete stranger.
"Let's go." He spoke, his tone icy, without any unnecessary pleasantries.
I followed behind him, entering that reception room for the second time. The same two judges were waiting for us, along with the familiar emotional assessment questionnaire.
Doing the same set of questions three times, I felt like I could recite them!
I filled it out carefully for ten minutes before noticing Lucas hadn't picked up his pen.
I wanted to ask if he wasn't going to write, but Lucas glanced at me indifferently and picked up his phone to play with it.
The two judges sat stiffly to the side, the air filled with awkward, cold silence.
I suddenly understood something and also put down the tablet, no longer filling it out.
When the time was up, the assessment system gave an extremely low score as expected.
I finally understood what had happened last time.
How could people who really wanted a divorce have the patience to carefully complete an emotional assessment questionnaire from start to finish?
Two agreements were placed in front of Lucas and me. The divorce had only one final step left—signing.
I didn't hesitate and signed my name.
Lucas held the pen but didn't move for a long time.
His fingertips trembled slightly. I pressed my lips together and urged him, "Are you going to back out again?"
Lucas lifted his eyelids slightly, his silent eyes seeming like a wasteland.
"Except for the day I proposed divorce, when you cried and yelled at me, afterward—whether it was racing horses with me, pretending to be affectionate in front of reporters, or advising me not to pester you—you've been very rational." Lucas looked at me and gave a light, cold laugh.
"But me, I've been losing control of my emotions more and more each time."
"Everyone blames me for being too cold. They don't know that you're the most heartless one!"
Lucas heavily signed his name next to mine, then, as if he'd lost all his strength, the pen slipped from his drooping hand and fell to the floor.
"Congratulations, you're free."