Chapter 81 Give a Big Gift as Our Divorce Present
How similar this scene is to that night?
Except the main character has changed from Gloria to James.
James kept calling her name: "Gloria, whatever you want, we can talk about it."
Gloria's steps paused slightly, but she didn't turn around.
In the darkness, he could vaguely see Gloria's silhouette. She hung her head, her fingers gripping the door handle. He couldn't make out the expression on her face, only seeing her thin shoulders trembling slightly.
Her low voice came: "James, that night, I called out to you the same way. Did you turn back?"
James froze. The scene from that night flashed through his mind.
He had hesitated, but in the end, he left without looking back.
He wasn't afraid of the cold or being tied up, but he was afraid of losing Gloria, so he spoke humbly:
"Gloria, as long as you can calm down, you can punish me however you want."
A cold smile curved Gloria's lips. Punish him?
If she died, no matter how she punished him, it couldn't bring back her life.
She slowly turned the door handle, her voice light and flat: "James, I'll give you a big gift, consider it our divorce present."
With that, she pushed the door open and walked out.
James's voice was urgent and angry: "Gloria, what are you going to do?"
What answered him was Gloria's merciless sound of the door closing.
James panicked, thinking about Gloria's recent actions.
What he couldn't bear to part with was never the property. He just wanted to use it to control Gloria, to make her dependent on him, unable to escape for the rest of her life.
But after what he did recently, trying to make up to Gloria, thinking she felt insecure without property, he gave her whatever she wanted.
The property had basically been divided according to her wishes.
In James's heart, they had eighteen years of feelings together. He hadn't cheated physically or emotionally, so Gloria would definitely forgive him.
He firmly believed he could never lose Gloria.
But from the moment Maria had that child, he completely lost control of how things would unfold.
Gloria had never given up on leaving him!
Her act these past few days was to put Vivienne at ease, then move her away.
So what comes next?
What was this big gift she mentioned?
The more James thought about it, the more panicked he became. He struggled frantically, but Gloria hadn't left him any room to struggle.
She had tied him very tightly.
Unless he forcibly pulled out the faucet, there was no way to break free.
But in their luxury mansion, quality was paramount—the excellent workmanship was now a problem.
His face felt cold as the freezing wind carried snowflakes that scattered around him.
And the water beneath him was gradually cooling.
The moment it completely cooled, it would become double torture.
The bathroom was pitch black. He could only look at the scenery outside the window, letting the heavy snow fall continuously, the bone-piercing cold wind drilling into his body like needles.
As time passed, this pain would deepen bit by bit.
He wasn't afraid of pain or cold.
James just thought of Gloria going through all this. Even though he apologized to her over and over afterward.
He knew she was cold. He even deliberately took cold showers every night to punish himself.
Only at this very moment could he truly feel what Gloria experienced that night.
Her body was so fragile, her hands were rubbed raw—how did she endure that long night?
When the bathwater cooled completely, the heart cooled completely too.
What hurt James most wasn't his body, but his heart wrapped in thorns.
Because being in the same environment, he could truly feel that piercing pain.
James lay back against the edge of the bathtub, facing upward. He closed his eyes, a tear rolling down from the corner of his eye.
He murmured softly: "Gloria, I'm sorry. So this is how much it hurt you."
On the other side of the wall, Gloria sat leaning against it, watching the heavy snow outside the terrace. There wasn't a trace of satisfaction from revenge in her heart.
Images of her journey with James flashed through her mind. She couldn't understand how they had reached this point today.
Even if he experienced the same pain as her, they could never go back to the past.
Just like her joints, which ached faintly even now in the warm room.
The wounds he left her could never be erased.
The next day.
Gloria came downstairs, smiling at Vivienne, "Grandma, good morning."
"Why are you up so early today?" Vivienne found it strange. Usually at this time, James would be up making breakfast, eating with her before going to work.
Gloria normally slept until after nine in the morning.
There was no sign of James in the living room. Gloria, fully dressed, said gently to Vivienne: "Didn't you want to go to the nursing home? I contacted one yesterday. Let me take you there early to try it out. If you don't like it, we'll switch to another one."
"That's fine, but where's James? Why don't I see him?"
"He decided to go abroad for business at the last minute. He left last night, so I'm the only one who can go with you."
Her expression was too natural. Vivienne knew James was busy with work, so she didn't think much of it.
"Work is important. Should we go now then?"
"Yes, I also have work arrangements coming up. I'll spend these two days helping you adjust, and once you're settled, I need to start working too."
Vivienne patted her hand, "Don't work too hard. Your health isn't great to begin with. You need to take care of yourself."
"I know."
Gloria was gentle and obedient. No one could guess what she was going to do next.
Vivienne followed her out. Gloria was afraid James had tampered with her car and could track her movements.
Last night she had asked Caspian to arrange a car for her.
Standing in the yard, she turned to glance at the bathroom.
The bathroom had one-way glass. She felt a burning gaze shooting toward her.
James could see her. Even though she couldn't see him, she could guess his expression now.
Vivienne asked: "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, let's go."
"Gloria, don't go!"
She seemed to hear the roar of a wild beast. The house's soundproofing was too good, effectively blocking out James's hoarse screaming.
Vivienne didn't think much and got in the car. All along the way, she kept telling Gloria to get along well with James.
To cherish this relationship.
Gloria didn't argue, obediently agreeing: "Okay."
Ten minutes after she left, she sent John a message.
John, who was washing up, received the message. He picked it up and glanced at it, his face changing dramatically.
Gloria: [Go to the bathroom at my house right now. If you're late, you'll only be collecting James's body.]
John, who had only shaved half his beard, felt his heart tighten. His hand slipped, and the blade cut a bloody line across his chin.
He couldn't be bothered to finish shaving. He wiped his face with a towel, grabbed his coat, and ran out quickly.
As he started the car, he dialed James's phone.
No answer.
It's over!
Something must have happened to James!
John drove like crazy, his mind constantly replaying the recent "wife murder cases" he'd seen.
His hands gripping the steering wheel were covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. When he arrived at the villa and got out of the car, his legs went weak.
His heart pounded wildly. He was terrified that when he pushed open the door, he would see a dismembered James.
"Mr. Williams!"
He pushed the door open forcefully, but only saw this scene.