Chapter 3
After a day of observation, the doctor finally discharged me. No sooner had I completed the discharge procedures than I received a message from the Registry Office.
With the divorce certificate in hand, I took a taxi home. As I approached the main gate, I heard a burst of cheerful laughter from inside. I thought Victoria had returned early.
I was planning to give her the divorce certificate and explain everything to her face.
The next second, I heard Mrs. Sterling and Aunt Carol’s voices from inside:
“If Vicki hadn’t been so insistent on marrying him back then, and I couldn’t sway her, I certainly wouldn’t have allowed him to step foot in my Sterling family home!”
“Anyway, Vicki and Julian have children now, and Alex is completely useless. When he comes back, we’ll just have him sign the divorce papers!”
Aunt Carol quickly chimed in, “Exactly, the children grow up in the blink of an eye. You should enjoy the blessings of a house full of grandchildren.”
I couldn’t help but clench my fists. So, their entire family knew Victoria had given birth to twins outside of our marriage, and I was the only one kept in the dark, foolishly believing her all these years.
I pushed open the door, my face a mask of cold fury. The two women turned, startled.
“Are you a ghost? Make some noise when you walk!”
Mrs. Sterling shot me an impatient glance, her face darkening.
“What are you standing there for? Go make some tea! I don’t know what you learned from all those etiquette lessons over the years; you’re still so unrefined, annoying to look at.”
Years ago, Mrs. Sterling despised my humble background. Although she agreed to my marriage with Victoria, she secretly arranged various etiquette lessons for me. She implied, both overtly and subtly, that I wasn’t good enough for her daughter, and if I didn’t practice diligently, her daughter would embarrass the Sterling family when taking me out.
Despite my strong reluctance, I endured everything and complied with Mrs. Sterling’s wishes, thinking about how Victoria had faced her mother’s coldness and difficulties because of me. But I never imagined that after all these years, she still looked down on me.
As I brought them two cups of hot tea, Aunt Carol exchanged a knowing look with Mrs. Sterling.
Just as I was about to go upstairs, Mrs. Sterling casually flung a divorce agreement at me.
She said coldly, “Wait a minute. Sign this divorce agreement first.”
She paused, then added, “This is Vicki’s wish too. She’s too shy to say it herself, so as a mother, I naturally have to help her.”
“I’m sure you heard what Aunt Carol and I were saying. I won’t hide it from you, Vicki has already had children outside of this marriage. This divorce was bound to happen sooner or later.”
I looked up at her. Regardless of whose wish it was, I already had the divorce certificate in hand. This marriage was over no matter what, so what harm was there in signing another agreement?
With that thought, I quickly scribbled my signature.
Seeing how decisive I was, both women looked stunned, as if they were dreaming.
“Can I go now?” I asked, looking at their shocked expressions.
Aunt Carol instantly recovered, disdainfully saying, “You certainly should. You’re no longer the Sterling family’s son-in-law. There’s no reason to linger.”
Mrs. Sterling immediately chimed in, “Mr. Davies, quickly have someone pack his things. Tell him to get out of the Sterling house today.”
Mr. Davies heard this and was about to call for staff when I stopped him.
“No need. I’ll pack myself.”
Aunt Carol’s eyes darted around when she heard this, and she scoffed, “Someone should watch him, just to make sure he keeps his hands clean. If anything goes missing, it’ll be our Sterling family’s money lost!”
I ignored her and went straight upstairs to pack a few of my most used clothes. I didn’t touch any of the clothes Victoria had given me.
I also placed the divorce certificate in a gift box and asked Mr. Davies to give it to Victoria.
After I finished everything, I dragged my luggage out of the Sterling house. I hadn’t walked two steps past the main gate when I heard a servant mention that they were preparing to welcome back the young masters who had been living outside in a couple of days.
It was then that I realized Mrs. Sterling was in such a hurry to get me divorced because she wanted to welcome Julian’s two sons back into the family.
The next day, Victoria returned from her time off, with Julian following behind her.
She stepped inside and looked around. Not seeing me, her heart inexplicably began to pound.
Julian, however, was scanning the living room. “Vicki, Whiskers is gone. Did Alex get rid of him while you were away?”
Whiskers was the Ragdoll cat’s name.
Victoria frowned, remembering my allergy. She wanted to say something but held back.
It wasn’t until Mr. Davies said the cat had been sent for vaccinations that Victoria’s expression softened slightly.
Then she asked, “Mr. Davies, where’s Alex?”
Before Mr. Davies could reply, Mrs. Sterling spoke from the top of the stairs, “Alex has already left the Sterling house.”
Victoria was puzzled. “Mom, what do you mean?!”
Mrs. Sterling had always had issues with me, and putting me down was a common occurrence.
She was about to say more when her gaze shifted to the gift box in Mr. Davies’ hands.
Mr. Davies handed the gift box to Victoria.
“Mr. Alex asked me to give this to you.”
Victoria’s eyes flickered with hesitation as she saw the familiar gift box.
She remembered it as the box she’d used the very first time she gave Alex a gift. She never thought he’d kept it for so long.
Julian, noticing the strange look in her eyes, scoffed, “That box looks so old. Did Alex just find some broken old box to gross you out on purpose? Vicki, you shouldn’t even look at it.”
“What good could possibly be in such a piece of junk? He’s probably just messing with you. You’ll regret opening it.”
The next second, Victoria opened it right in front of everyone. When she saw what was inside, her face instantly went ashen.
Everyone looked utterly bewildered.
It was a divorce certificate.
Julian was the first to react, his tone dismissive. “Vicki, what’s Alex’s game with this fake certificate? Does he think you wouldn’t dare to actually divorce him?”