Chapter 2
Mrs. Davies dragged me away, practically by force. Behind us, Liam’s furious accusations still echoed, but Mrs. Davies held herself upright, refusing to collapse. Her trembling hand clasped mine.
“Avery, Liam is the only heir left in our family. Chloe’s baby simply cannot be harmed. For my sake, please, just let it go.”
My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, a desolate pain settling over me. Liam and I weren’t just a business arrangement; we were childhood sweethearts. He was the one who chased me as a child, insisting he’d marry me someday, setting this whole engagement in stone.
“What about my twelve lost children? Am I just supposed to pretend they never existed?”
“Let bygones be bygones. We need to focus on the future. As a woman, you have to be more understanding.” Mrs. Davies’ tone grew impatient, as if I was being utterly unreasonable.
The light in my eyes slowly faded.
After the truth came out, Liam dropped all pretense and spent his days at the office. I couldn’t care less about seeing him. Since we still worked at the same company, bumping into Liam and Chloe was an everyday occurrence. Chloe suffered from severe morning sickness, but Liam didn’t have her stay home to rest. Instead, he made her his personal assistant at the office. Naturally, the whispers among the staff began.
“Look at how careful Mr. Davies is with her. That baby the assistant’s carrying has got to be his, right?”
“But I heard Mr. Davies and his wife were so in love?”
Someone scoffed, cutting in. “In love? Please. Mrs. Davies went through IVF a dozen times and couldn’t keep a baby. Rumor has it her uterus was ruined from all her past wild partying. Look at Mr. Davies – one try with someone else, and the baby’s perfectly healthy.”
Before the words even finished, everyone’s gazes flickered to me, filled with blatant contempt and mockery. I ignored them, walking straight into my office.
“Ms. Shaw, your assets are deeply intertwined with Mr. Davies’. It’s very difficult to separate them without his signature. You’ll need to discuss this thoroughly with Mr. Davies.”
I sighed, a wave of helplessness washing over me. Liam would never agree to this easily. I wanted to sort out the assets first before filing for divorce, just to avoid any further complications.
“So, all I need is his signature?”
“Sign what?”
Liam pushed the door open, his entrance perfectly timed to my phone call. Before I could answer, his eyes landed on the contract on my desk, and he frowned, displeased. “You want to split our assets? Typical. Always putting profit first, terrified of losing a single thing.”
I met his gaze, my expression chillingly calm, a faint smile playing on my lips. I softly called his name: “Liam.” My voice was so cold, it made him visibly flinch. He just stared at me, dumbfounded.
“What do you think I should do? Hand over everything I own to my husband and the child he had with another woman? Do you honestly think I’m that stupid? Don’t forget, you’re the one who murdered my children. I haven’t sought revenge. You should count yourself lucky.”
He had never seen me look at him with such intense hatred, as if I wanted to sever every last tie. His face darkened considerably. He stood there, forcing himself upright, his eyes sweeping over the contract on the desk. He let out a series of cold, hollow laughs.
“Fine. If you want to cut ties, I’ll grant your wish. I don’t care about your paltry assets anyway. Just don’t come crying to me later.”
Liam signed the contract, then flung it right at my face. He sneered, a superior smirk on his face. “What’s the point of just signing a property division agreement? If you’re so brave, divorce me outright! Deep down, you just want to use our marriage to control me. You don’t actually want a divorce.”
He wore an expression that suggested he knew me inside out, then scoffed and turned to leave. I gave a self-deprecating smile, bending down to pick up the contract before handing it to my lawyer.
“I’ve sent all the divorce-related details to your email. You can handle it from here.”