Chapter 18 He Was Swept Out
"I'm really sorry. We haven't had dinner with my dad in forever. He was in the mood today, so I had to cancel our plans."
Cordelia explained softly.
Dominic smiled warmly, as usual.
"No worries."
"Mr. Stone's important, and I just got invited to this last-minute dinner. Otherwise, I might've had to leave you at the theater."
Cordelia felt a weight lift off her shoulders at his words.
After watching Dominic's car drive away, Cordelia turned back toward the hospital.
As she approached the elevator, the doors opened, revealing Alaric standing inside with a cold expression, holding her handbag. His eyes were slightly icy.
"Your father's resting."
He handed the handbag to Cordelia, stepping past her. As they brushed shoulders, his low, disdainful voice sounded.
"You haven't told Dominic we're already married, have you?"
Cordelia paused, biting her lip.
"We're getting divorced soon anyway, there's no need to tell him."
Alaric's brows furrowed, and he stopped, anger welling up inside him.
"You want a divorce?"
Cordelia nodded lightly. "Yes."
"Mr. Hughes, let's get a divorce."
Her expression was calm, her voice gentle as she looked at him, her demeanor serene.
"We didn't sign a prenuptial agreement when we got married, so I'll have my lawyer handle the property division."
Alaric sneered coldly. "Not going for a clean break?"
Cordelia smiled softly.
She needed to get something out of this, whether it was the person or the money.
Since she couldn't have the person, she needed the money.
After all, there would be many expenses for the baby she was carrying.
If Alaric married Janet later, he would surely ignore the child Cordelia bore.
"Mr. Hughes, I was too naïve before. Now, I want to be practical."
Cordelia smiled faintly, slinging her handbag over her shoulder and walking away.
She hadn't taken more than a few steps when Alaric grabbed her arm.
His grip was strong, and she felt like her bones might break.
She frowned at the handsome Alaric. "Mr. Hughes, is there something else?"
Alaric's expression was cold, but his grip loosened. "We can get divorced, but you have to talk to Grandma."
With that, he withdrew his hand, shoving them into his pockets, his demeanor chilly.
Cordelia paused, feeling a pang of sadness at his indifferent attitude.
For a moment, when he grabbed her, Cordelia thought Alaric might try to stop her.
But it turned out he was just worried about Ruth's health.
"Fine."
Alaric's face darkened, his deep eyes filled with suppressed anger.
"She's only just recovered a bit, Cordelia. You'd better think carefully. If she gets sick again, I won't forgive you."
Cordelia bit her lip. "I have a plan for Grandma. You don't need to worry."
Alaric was momentarily speechless, turning and leaving with a stern expression.
Cordelia held back her tears, heading to the parking garage and driving back to Garden Vista Estates.
This house had been bought by the Hughes family as a wedding gift when she and Alaric got married. It was now in Cordelia's name.
Cordelia had lived here for three years and was used to it, so she wanted to keep the house.
Entering the house, Cordelia looked at the men's toiletries in the master bedroom, pursed her lips, and found a box in the storage room to pack up all of Alaric's things.Hearing the noise upstairs, Saskia came up and saw Cordelia packing. She was taken aback.
She quickly turned and called Alaric.
"Mr. Hughes, did you and Mrs. Hughes have a fight?"
"Mrs. Hughes is packing to move out."
Alaric didn't respond, just hung up.
Saskia was stunned, then hurried back upstairs, rushing to Cordelia's side.
"Mrs. Hughes, where are you moving to? You and Mr. Hughes?"
Saskia's words trailed off as she saw Cordelia was packing only Alaric's things. She was puzzled.
Cordelia smiled gently, her demeanor calm.
"Saskia, Alaric and I are getting a divorce. This house is in my name. He probably won't come back, so I'm packing his things to send to him."
Saskia looked worried. "You two seemed fine just yesterday."
Saskia knew best about the strained marriage between Cordelia and Alaric and fell silent.
"Grandma's health isn't good. I'll talk to her myself," Cordelia said, getting up to fetch Alaric's clothes from the closet.
Saskia quickly followed, helping Cordelia pack. "Mrs. Hughes, don't worry. I'll talk to Mrs. Ruth Hughes."
Cordelia nodded, smiling softly. "Thank you."
A few minutes later, Alaric arrived at Garden Vista Estates, his face cold as he walked upstairs, seeing the packed boxes at the bedroom door. He entered with a stern expression.
"Cordelia, what are you doing in the middle of the night?"
Cordelia was still packing his suit jacket, and the room was filled with his packed belongings. Her clothes were neatly in place.
Alaric was silent.
Saskia quickly explained, "Mr. Hughes, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Mrs. Hughes is packing your things, not hers."
Alaric's face was cold. "I can see that!"
Seeing his anger, Saskia quickly lowered her head, showing respect.
Cordelia lightly pressed her lips together. "Saskia, you can go downstairs."
Saskia nodded, quickly leaving the tense scene.
Alaric took his jacket from Cordelia, hanging it back in place. He stared at her, his tone cold.
"We haven't even finalized the divorce yet, and you're already packing my things. Are you making room for someone else?"
Cordelia raised an eyebrow, her tone calm.
"I thought you wouldn't be coming back during our divorce discussions, so I started packing."
Alaric interrupted her. "Is it that I don't want to come back, or you don't want me to?"
Cordelia was speechless.
"I didn't mean that."
Alaric's face was cold, and he smirked.
"If you didn't mean that, then what did you mean?"
Cordelia was still wearing that red blouse, standing under the light, her smooth skin catching his eye. She didn't answer, just looked at him quietly.
Alaric's Adam's apple bobbed, his deep eyes narrowing. After a few seconds, he sneered, turning to leave the closet, his expression colder.
As he walked, he pulled out his phone to call Robert.
"Come to Garden Vista Estates and move my things."
Robert didn't dare delay, arriving at Garden Vista Estates within ten minutes. Seeing the packed boxes, he didn't ask questions, quickly organizing people to move everything to the car.
Once everything was moved, Alaric stood up from the couch, his face expressionless, not sparing Cordelia a glance.
Robert saw Alaric coming out and quickly opened the car door.
Alaric got in, pulling off his tie in frustration and tossing it aside.
Seeing this, Robert didn't dare make a sound. It was clear Alaric had been kicked out by Cordelia.