Chapter 67: The Divorce Agreement
The taxi stopped outside the mansion. Evelyn walked straight into the familiar, yet now utterly alien, house. Ignoring the servants’ surprised stares, she went upstairs to the bedroom she had shared for eight years.
From the deepest part of the drawer, she pulled out the document she had prepared long ago but lacked the courage to use.
The Divorce Agreement.
She sat quietly on the living room sofa, clutching the papers, waiting for her husband to return.
At 8 PM, the front door opened. Damian was home.
He tossed his suit jacket to a maid. Seeing Evelyn on the sofa, he paused, then frowned. He walked over. “You’re finally back. Why didn’t you wait for me to pick you up at the police station?”
Evelyn looked up at the man she had once loved with all her heart. She pushed the document forward. The papers slid across the polished coffee table and stopped by Damian’s hand.
He looked down, his gaze snagging on the glaring title: Divorce Agreement.
The air froze.
At first, Damian’s expression was pure astonishment. He even let out a short, hollow laugh. “Ha.”
He picked up the file. “Evelyn, what are you doing? There’s a limit to throwing a tantrum.” He flipped to the first page, scanning the clauses. The trace of a smile vanished. He snapped his head up, his deep-set eyes losing all pretense, filled only with shock and an impending rage.
“Divorce?” he hissed, grinding the word out. “Are you joking?”
Evelyn looked at him, her eyes unreadable. “I’m not joking, Damian. Sign this, and let’s end this peacefully.”
“End this peacefully?”
Damian looked like he had heard the funniest joke of the century. He stood up, his tall shadow completely enveloping Evelyn. “What game are you playing now? Is this because I haven’t given you enough attention? Or because of Sienna?”
He sneered, moving closer. “Are you using this to threaten me, to make me focus on you again? Evelyn, since when did you become so conniving?”
Evelyn didn’t even blink. Her silence completely infuriated Damian. To him, it was a silent defiance, a scorn for his authority.
Riiiiip!
The sharp sound ripped through the silent living room. He tore the divorce agreement into shreds. The pieces fluttered down, scattering across the floor.
“I’ll tell you something, Evelyn Green!” He pointed a finger at her nose. “You are my wife! You’re not going anywhere without my permission! Divorce? Don’t you dare even think about it!”
Evelyn simply looked up with a near-alien expression. There was no love, no hate, not even fear—only empty indifference.
“Tearing it up doesn't help, Damian. I printed dozens of copies.”
Damian's rage burned hotter. “Evelyn! How dare you do this to me!”
He couldn't accept it. How could this woman—the one who had been submissive, gentle, and utterly devoted to him for eight years—suddenly change like this? Her eyes looked at him like he was an irrelevant stranger. That feeling of being utterly dismissed was more unbearable than any loud fight.
“I’m just taking back what’s mine. My freedom.”
Damian fiercely grabbed her wrist. “Freedom? I’ll show you your freedom! Your freedom is staying by my side, being Mrs. Green! You will not leave me. Never in this life!” His eyes were bloodshot.
“You don’t love me. You love yourself,” Evelyn coldly exposed him.
He released her, stumbling back two steps, his chest heaving. Evelyn rubbed her reddened wrist, stood up, and walked toward the stairs without sparing him another glance.
“Where are you going!” Damian roared behind her.
“To the room to pack my things.” Her back was resolute, without any trace of lingering attachment.
Damian froze, watching her disappear around the corner. The living room was a mess, the shredded paper a stark reminder of what had just happened. Frustrated, he kicked over a nearby trash can.
Why? How dare she? He couldn’t grasp where the soft, timid Evelyn had gone. This woman was a stranger. An unprecedented feeling of being out of control and suffocated gripped him.
He grabbed his car keys and stormed out, slamming the door.
In a dark bar late that night, the deafening music and flashing lights merged into a net, numbing the senses. Damian drank whiskey after whiskey. The harsh liquid burned his throat but couldn't extinguish the fire in his chest.
He couldn't understand how things had come to this. He had only committed... a mistake any man might make. Did she really have to threaten him with divorce? Or had she actually fallen for that doctor?
The thought made Damian’s eyes blaze with fury. He smashed his glass onto the bar. No, he wouldn't allow it! Evelyn was his, and only his!
His phone buzzed constantly in his pocket. Sienna’s name flashed on the screen. He looked at it with annoyance, about to hang up, but the phone insisted, draining his patience. Finally, Damian drunkenly swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
“Damian, where are you? I miss you so much…” Sienna’s voice came through the receiver.