Chapter 4
I turned down the divorce agreement drafted by Winston.
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As a top–notch divorce lawyer, the last thing he wanted was to handle his own divorce in court.
It’d be like admitting defeat and trashing his reputation.
I wasn’t rushing things anyway.
–
Well, maybe a little. But one thing was for sure they couldn’t wait to be together.
To Winston, Cornelia was like an angel–perfect and untouchable.
If she made the first move before they were officially together, it might ruin that image. So, she had to play hard to get and act like the moral guardian when needed.
Meanwhile, Winston was not about to mess up his divorce by doing something stupid that made him look guilty.
So, they both had no choice but to hold back.
At most, Winston would swing by Cornelia’s food stall on his evening runs for a bowl of lamb offal soup.
I hold a steaming cup of tea, gazing at the swirling snowflakes
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outside the window.
The doctor said ALS patients should keep themselves warm. Also, they had to avoid foods in high purine, or their condition would be worsened faster.
And high–purine foods mainly included animal organs.
Winston came back after staying overnight at the company for a week.
When he came in, I was sorting out the odds and ends.
He had a band–aid on his forehead and walked straight into the bedroom with a gloomy face.
He quickly came out with a suitcase, giving me a cold glance.
“I was planning to leave the house to you at first, but you totally messed up what is left between us. Now we can only divide it legally. Our joint account is frozen, so our main shared asset left is this house. You’re gonna sell the house and give me half the money or just compensate me the full price?”
I tossed the photo album into the box and chuckled. “What? Cornelia’s taken a liking to this house?”
Winston sneered. “You seriously think everyone is as greedy as you? Cornelia has never talked about having my money. Don’t insult her.”
He suddenly frowned and bent down to pick up the photo album
Chapter 4
from the box.
“What’s this for?” He asked.
“Just getting rid of trash.”
“You-
Anger flashed across his face, and he froze.
He couldn’t be more familiar with this photo album.
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It contained all the photos we had back when we were in college – from the secret snapshots he took of me, to the ones we shot when we were head over heels for each other.
I once cherished the album and kept it in a safe, saying we’d savor the good old days together when we grew old.
At this moment, I snatched the album back expressionlessly and tossed it aside.
A dull thud broke the silence.
“Aren’t you heading out? It’s time for your night run.” I reminded him.
He stood there, his face darkened.
After a while, he turned around, warning me, “Hiding Abbott is useless. He’s my son after all, and he’ll have a better future with me. I will never give up on his custody.”
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Then he slammed the door shut and left.
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Half an hour later, I dusted off my hands and heaved a long sigh of relief.
All the stuff that would remind me of him had been packed. Just needed to wait for the right time to dump them.
Turned out, Winston and I weren’t as deep in love as I thought, as there were just a few souvenirs to show for it.
While I was still sighing over it, my phone rang.
As I picked it up, I heard a young man saying, “I’m Edmund. Were you looking for me?”
I looked at the guy sitting in front of me, who was casually chewing gum.
He dyed his hair purple and wore a lip ring. And he had aloofness written over his face, acting all that swaggy.
But upon closer look, I found that he was still wearing a thin jacket though it was snowing.
The cuffs were worn out, and the torn zipper was clumsily stitched with black thread. Seems like he tried to salvage the jacket himself.
I got straight to the point.
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“You’re Edmund, Cornelia’s stepson, right?”
He looked up at me but said nothing.
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I pulled out a stack of cash and handed it over, saying, “My husband wants to divorce me because of her. I need your help.”
“Deal.” He replied, taking the money without hesitation.
I was a bit surprised and asked, “That’s it? You agreed to it that fast?”
“Why not?” he replied, still chewing gum.
“I mean, she worked hard to raise you up…”
“Pfft!” He cut me off, spitting out the gum, which landed on the floor.
With a snort, he explained, “Oh, no. Don’t be fooled by her looks. She did all that simply because she loves making herself look good to others.”
I sized him up and pulled out another stack of cash.
He took it and continued.
“I started learning piano at four. My dad had saved quite a lot for the tuition. But guess what? Cornelia donated it all to the Red Cross, telling the reporters the starving kids needed the money more than I did. ”
Trajes joj jou admus
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“Do you know how my dad died? He died from infected. bedsores on his back. She did take care of him, but only his front.”
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“You say your husband is charmed by her? That doesn’t surprise me. After all, she could always attract a fool or two with her kind and innocent image. But your husband is the first rich guy that has fallen for her.”
Before Edmund left, he tightly gripped the money in his hand and asked, “So all I need to do is find a way to make her force your husband to divorce? That simple?”
I nodded.
“Alright!”
***
Just making Winston agree to divorce me wasn’t enough. He had to do it willingly.
One task ticked off, and the next was Cornelia.
The next day, I went to Cornelia’s food stall again in the light
snow.
There, I saw her kneeling, bowing her head to tie the shoelaces of an old man with a cane.
The elderly folks nearby all gave her a thumbs–up.
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“Cornelia, you’re such a nice woman. Whoever marries you will be a lucky guy!” One of them complimented her.
Cornelia stood up, blushing, and said, “But I’m just a nobody. No one would want to marry me…”
When she turned and met my gaze, her face turned pale.
She pressed her lips together, walked up to me, and slightly raised her chin.
“Mr. Lizzie said if you dare lay a hand on me, he’ll help me sue you!” She warned me.
I lowered my gaze, and when I looked up again, anger surged, and my face twisted.
“Cornelia, why did you send me that message that day? You two hooked up already? Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose your affair and ruin your reputation forever?”
Cornelia squinted at me for a moment, then suddenly laughed, shook her head, and sighed.
“I used to think college professors were so unreachable, so impressive and amazing. You’re one of them, but you’re not better than a scoundrel.”
She looked at me with pity.
“You’re petty, so you believe that everyone else is as petty as you. Yes, I’m in love with him. After all, he gave me his heart,
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and no woman could resist such sincere love.”
“Mr. Lizzie is such an outstanding man. He’s so stressed out at work, but his family has never backed him up. You really don’t know how to cherish him!”
“But I’m not as despicable as you think. I agreed to be with him. because it was the right thing to do. But I’ll never cross the line. now that he’s still a married man! I am who I am. If he shows up, I’ll be there for him. And if he doesn’t, I won’t pester him. That’s it!”
I shouted, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re after. You’re just after his money! Otherwise, why would he insist on fighting me for property?”
She gave a faint smile, as if she couldn’t be bothered to argue with me.
“Everyone knows the last person I would be is a gold digger. Otherwise, I would’ve seized the chance and married into a wealthy family instead of taking care of my disabled ex–husband. True love is all that matters to me.”
I sneered, “Oh, really? If he loves you so much, then why hasn’t he divorced me and married you yet? It only shows he chooses money over you!”
Awkwardness began to creep on Cornelia’s face.
“As long as I know he loves me wholeheartedly, that’ll be enough.”
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I laughed triumphantly.
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“Really? If you have the guts, make him leave with nothing. If he’s willing to give up all his money just to be with you, then I’ll believe he truly loves you. Otherwise, it’s all nonsense! And you two are nothing but cheaters!”
Cornelia’s face twitched. She pressed her lips tightly for a while before staring at me and saying word by word, “What if he can do it?”
“Then I’ll go to your wedding, letting everyone know that even I, the ex–wife, am moved by your love! By then, everyone will think more highly of you!”
Cornelia’s eyes gradually lit up.
I knew it.
The endorphins and dopamine in her body were rising.
B
