Chapter 100 She'd Rather Die Than Divorce
William stood outside Juniper's bedroom door, his hand hovering in the air for a long moment before he finally knocked.
"Juniper, can I come in?"
Her voice came through the door, hoarse and ragged. "Come in."
William pushed the door open to find Juniper curled on her side in bed. Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen—she'd clearly been crying for hours.
Unease twisted in his gut. But Juniper managed a smile, her voice soft. "William, what are you doing here? Don't you have work today?"
She acted as though nothing had happened. It was the perfect move to pull him in deeper.
"Last night, we…" William's brow furrowed, his voice heavy with the weight of what he believed had transpired. "Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for what happened."
Juniper shook her head, her eyes reddening as she forced herself to stay composed. "Nothing happened between us. Please, just forget about it."
William looked at her—so selfless, so willing to sacrifice herself for his sake—and the guilt ate at him. The image of bloodstained sheets flashed in his mind. He'd made his decision.
"We should get married."
Juniper's eyes went wide, tears spilling over. "Married? No, we can't. What about Isabella? I'm fine, really. I don't want you making a mistake because you feel guilty."
Her voice broke on the last words, that fragile vulnerability impossible to ignore. William crossed the room quickly, his hand settling on her shoulder. "I wronged you. I need to make this right."
Juniper threw her arms around him. "You're a fool, William. I left without saying anything precisely so you wouldn't feel obligated. You could have just pretended nothing happened. I don't need you to take responsibility."
The more she protested, the deeper his guilt ran.
He stroked her hair, drawing a deep breath. "It's decided. I'll divorce Isabella as soon as possible, and then I'll marry you."
Finally. The moment she'd been waiting for.
Juniper suppressed the surge of triumph, lifting her tear-bright eyes to his. "William, please think this through. I can't bear to hurt Isabella. I don't want to put you in an impossible position."
William sighed. If Isabella had even half of Juniper's consideration for others, he wouldn't constantly feel like he was suffocating around her.
"I know what I'm doing. Get some rest. I'm going to the hospital."
He'd always been decisive, never one to drag things out. Once he made a decision, he executed it swiftly.
Juniper clutched his hand, her expression conflicted, her voice gentle. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you. But you have to be honest with Isabella. I don't want her to suffer, no matter how she's treated me. I still think of her as family."
William's heart softened. "You're too kind for your own good. That's why she takes advantage of you. Someone like her doesn't deserve your compassion."
Juniper's eyes shone with earnest conviction. William shook his head. "I really don't know what to do with you. Don't worry—I know how to handle this."
He stayed until she was calm, then left. The moment he stepped outside the Miller Mansion, his mood hadn't improved one bit.
Sliding into his car, he immediately dialed Dylan.
"Draw up divorce papers. Deliver them to the hospital."
"Divorce papers?" Dylan needed a second to process. Then it clicked—Juniper had stayed with William in the office last night. Had something happened between them?
William had never mentioned divorce before, no matter how furious Isabella made him.
Why this sudden decision overnight?
Dylan confirmed carefully, "Mr. Spencer… you mean divorce papers for you and Ms. Tudor?"
William's impatience bled through. "What else would I mean?"
"My apologies. I'll prepare them immediately and have them sent over."
Dylan didn't dare ask more questions. William never took advice from anyone. As his assistant, Dylan's job was to execute orders, not question them.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that after years of their toxic entanglement, this abrupt ending might not be what it seemed.
William entered the hospital room to find Isabella lying motionless in bed. Her eyes stared at nothing, barely blinking.
He stood there for two full minutes. She didn't react. Even when he moved closer, Isabella remained perfectly still.
William cleared his throat. Isabella acted as though she hadn't heard.
"I came here today because there's something important I need to tell you."
At the sound of his voice, Isabella turned her head mechanically. Her gaze landed on him briefly—cold, empty—before sliding away.
William's chest tightened. He hated when she looked at him like that.
"I've decided to divorce you."
Divorce?
Something sharp flickered in Isabella's eyes. She looked at him, confusion breaking through the numbness. "What did you just say?"
William stepped closer, his tone resolute. "I'm going to marry Juniper. Dylan's bringing the divorce papers. All you need to do is sign them."
Isabella's jaw clenched. "You're marrying Juniper?"
William nodded. "That's right. Juniper is with me now. I need to do right by her."
"No!" Isabella's shout tore from her throat with every ounce of strength she had left. "I won't divorce you. I'd rather die than divorce you. I will never let Juniper become your wife."
So Juniper had actually done it.
She'd manipulated William into proposing divorce himself—into choosing her.
Isabella would never agree. She'd fight until her last breath before letting Juniper steal the title of Mrs. Spencer.
William's fury ignited. "This isn't your decision to make. If you want to die so badly, go ahead. I wouldn't lose sleep over being a widower. After you're dead, I can marry Juniper anyway."
Isabella stared at him with an anger she'd never shown before—contempt and disgust radiating from her eyes in a way that made William deeply uncomfortable.
"William, you don't deserve to love my sister. You've betrayed her twice now, and you're about to marry someone else. What right do you have to claim you loved her?"
The words struck him like a physical blow. He lunged forward, his hand closing around Isabella's throat.
"You're asking for death. You have no right to speak her name."
Isabella coughed, but her voice remained steady. "Maybe I don't. But what about you? You say you can't forget my sister, that you loved her so much—and yet here you are, sleeping with Juniper."
William's already frayed nerves screamed under the fresh assault of her words. The pain spread through him like poison.
"That's because you killed Beatrice. You took her from me."
"Without Beatrice, you're already hunting for another woman? You're not a rabid animal, chasing whoever's within reach."
William's rage exploded. He'd never realized Isabella could be this cutting, this vicious.
His grip tightened around her throat. "You really do have a death wish."
Isabella's voice came out strangled but defiant. "One day, you'll learn the truth. And when you do, you'll realize just how much of a fool you've been."
William couldn't believe it. Isabella was so desperate to prevent this divorce that she'd dare speak to him this way.
"Isabella, you really don't want to live, do you?"
Isabella met his eyes with stubborn fire, refusing to back down. "Whether I live or die doesn't matter. But I will never divorce you. Never."
Did she love him so desperately that she'd choose death over divorce?