After the divorce, Josephine felt completely disconnected from Stuart.
They were married once, sure, but even when Stuart forced himself on her, she couldn't accuse him of marital rape for Andrew's sake.
But she never thought Stuart would still dare to kiss her after the divorce!
Josephine was shocked.
Taking advantage of her surprise, Stuart moved in closer.
Since the divorce, they rarely saw each other and only for short periods.
Stuart used to travel a lot for work, sometimes not seeing Josephine for weeks. Back then, it didn't bother him much because he knew he could come home to her.
But now, after the divorce, just a few days apart left Stuart sleepless.
Especially at night, the longing was unbearable; he couldn't describe the feeling.
Every morning, he woke up irritable and angry.
Now, he finally had her in his arms, kissing her.
Stuart almost lost control, kissing her desperately, as if trying to merge with her.
Josephine snapped out of it, feeling utterly disgusted!
What used to be sweet kisses had turned sour.
She struggled hard, not caring if she got hurt.
Stuart wasn't afraid of her biting him, but he couldn't let her hurt herself.
Who knows how long it took before they both stopped, panting heavily.
"Josephine," he whispered, his voice rough. "Will you get back together with me?"
Josephine, still panting and blushed with anger, glared at him.
Stuart continued, "I swear I'll treat you well. I won't buy gifts for those people you don't like. And Angela..."
Josephine waited to see what he'd say.
Stuart added, "She's different. I hope you understand my feelings for her."
Josephine let out a cold laugh.
She knew she couldn't expect anything from Stuart!
"You!" Stuart suppressed his anger. "You treat Liam so well. I haven't said anything."
"Indeed, you haven't," Josephine replied coldly. "How many times have you hit him?"
Stuart retorted, "He hit me too."
Stuart's current skills were mostly honed by fighting with Liam.
He joined the military base to train and eventually beat Liam.
But then that incident happened, and Angela saved his life.
Thinking about all the fights with Liam, Stuart was filled with rage.
"From childhood to now, how many times has he hit me? Why don't you mention that?" Stuart fumed.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. "So, we're about even. If you remarry me, you don't have to worry about Angela. And as long as Liam doesn't go too far, I won't hit him anymore. Is that okay?"
Josephine almost laughed in anger. "Oh, don't be so aggrieved, Mr. Haustia."
Stuart, hearing her sarcasm, angrily asked, "What do you want then?"
His eyes blazed with anger, as if saying, "How can you be so unreasonable and selfish?"
"Let go of me," Josephine said calmly.
She was now very different from the desperate woman who had just struggled. This calm Josephine made Stuart uneasy.
Born into the Haustia family, Stuart was used to success. In business, he was almost invincible, expanding the family empire many times over.
But with Josephine, he felt embarrassed and helpless. He couldn't make her follow his wishes.
He was used to controlling everything and thought admitting his mistakes to Josephine was humble enough. Yet she remained indifferent.
Stuart took a deep breath. "Josephine, I can tolerate your temper. Even though you humiliated me at the shareholders' meeting, I can let it go. If you remarry me, I can pretend nothing happened and give you whatever you want."
"Stuart," Josephine said, feeling a sharp pain in her heart, "are you dreaming?"
She thought that by now, even if Stuart hadn't fully realized his mistake, he would at least stop pressuring her to get back together. But he still thought she was just throwing a tantrum.
"My patience has limits," Stuart said, looking at her deeply. "I'll give you one last chance. I'll apologize, and we'll remarry."
Josephine finally pushed him away.
She straightened her clothes, her gaze cold. "Stuart, you have no shame."
Stuart's face changed drastically.
"I'm not insulting you," Josephine continued. "I just want to ask, Mr. Haustia, do you have to force people?"
Stuart gritted his teeth. "I'm not forcing you. I just want you to know that I won't always give you chances. This is the last time, Josephine. If you don't take it, don't expect me to be soft-hearted in the future."
"Fine," Josephine smiled. "Then I hope you remember what you said and keep your word."
She opened the door and got out of the car.
Stuart grabbed her wrist.
Josephine didn't look back. "What, Mr. Haustia, regretting so soon?"
"Josephine," Stuart's voice was icy, "think it over."
"No need," Josephine said. "I can tell you very clearly. I am firm in my decision, and I will never regret it!"
Stuart's jaw tightened. After a long pause, he finally let go. "Fine, Josephine, very well."
Josephine got out and slammed the door shut.
She rubbed her wrist and saw her friends waiting at the restaurant entrance.
She walked towards them with a bright smile.
Stuart watched from the car window, feeling like they were in two different worlds. So close, yet so far apart.
Over the weekend, Liam and the others helped Josephine buy a lot of things.
On Monday, her visa was approved; she bought her ticket and finally boarded the plane across the ocean.
She was ready to embrace her new life.