CEO Regrets Divorcing Me
","tempPercentage":"{\"dateDisplay\":1}","headTitle":"CEO Regrets Divorcing Me","sa":1,"fromType":6,"subTitle":"💘“Ohhhh baby, I love it when you do that.” She moans breathily
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","dateDisplay":1,"viewUrl":"https://www.fixbt.com/market/buenovela/3","tempType":10,"imgRemark":"","ggConversionMode":0,"downRemark":"👉CONTINUE READING👈","bookLanguage":"ENGLISH","reportUrl":"https://api.buenovela.com","bookId":"31001310566","imgUrl":"https://www.fixbt.com/booktype/booktype-xKxi8iJzra.jpg","pixelId":"573903117690110","dataMsg":"“Other than me, who would want a divorced woman like her?”
She looked at her ex-husband without the slightest trace of emotion.
Lucien raised an eyebrow and calmly produced a marriage certificate.
“Mind your manners, Mr. Scott. You should address her as Mrs. Wells.”
Chapter 1
“Sophie Lane is back. What are you going to do about your wife?”
At the doorway, the front door stood slightly ajar. Justin Scott’s voice drifted out along with that of his close friends.
Alyssa Jones paused, her hand freezing on the door as she returned from work.
Sophie Lane?
The external expert who had joined their project out of nowhere two weeks ago had the same name.
What a coincidence.
Inside, Justin did not respond.
“Justin, don’t take this the wrong way, but all these years you’ve never forgotten Sophie, your one true love.
“You’ve lived frugally yourself yet secretly wired her six hundred thousand do11ars every month to fund her research, and now she’s landed a role on a classified national project.
“If you go to her and get her to share a little about the bidding details, your position as CEO of StellarTech will be completely secure. No one will be able to shake you.”
Alyssa’s eyes snapped up, shock flashing across her face.
She suspected she had misheard.
Six hundred thousand do11ars?
Justin gave her only six hundred do11ars a month. How could he possibly be giving another woman six hundred thousand do11ars every month?
But the conversation inside was so clear, every word landing in her ears, and Justin did not refute a single line.
For a moment, Alyssa could barely breathe.
Justin suddenly stood up and glanced at his watch.
“I don’t want to put her in a difficult position. Alright, I need to go pick up Sophie from work. You don’t have to worry about the things on the table. Alyssa will clean up when she gets back.”
“I’m telling you, Justin, look at how virtuous your wife is. She keeps your home in perfect 0rder and takes such good care of your parents and sister. Doesn’t that move you at all?”
Alyssa pricked up her ears, holding her breath.
Justin said coolly, “I’ve never been into women like Alyssa who hover around the kitchen, revolve their whole lives around their husbands, and play the perfect housewife and mother.
“I’ve always liked women like Sophie, the kind who pour themselves into their careers and shine on their own.”
His words pierced her heart like knives.
Alyssa’s eyes reddened instantly, the hand hanging at her side trembling.
“Then why did you chase after Alyssa back then? Why did you marry her?”
“Back then, Sophie insisted on leaving me to go abroad.”
“So you married Alyssa just to spite her?”
Justin said nothing; his silence was an admission.
“So now that Sophie is back, you’re going to divorce Alyssa?”
Even his friends stopped acknowledging her as his wife.
Justin fell silent again.
After a long while, he spoke. “You’re right. Alyssa has taken good care of me. My stomach hasn’t flared up these past two years.
“She’s handled everything with my mom and sister. I’ve never had to worry about a single thing at home.”
Justin had not been born into privilege at StellarTech.
Half of the ladder to his presidency was built with wine glasses clinking at business dinners. In the early years, he had nearly destroyed his stomach from all the drinking.
Alyssa had felt sorry for him.
She woke an hour earlier every day to prepare a breakfast gentle on his stomach, went home promptly at five in the evening to simmer soup and wait for him to return.
If he worked late, she would bring it down to the StellarTech building and only then head back to the research institute herself.
They had been married for four years, and this had been her routine the entire time.
All of it continued until today, when the confidential chip project she had spent four years developing in secret finally succeeded.
The institute would soon open it up for public bidding. Once launched, it would benefit both the country and its people.
As the core lead of the project, Alyssa would receive a substantial bonus and a national-level honor.
She had been eager to hurry home and share the good news with her husband.
On the way back, she had even thought about what gift to buy with her bonus—something expensive, worthy of Justin’s status as CEO of StellarTech.
Yet she heard him continue, “A woman as outstanding and radiant as Sophie shouldn’t be confined by the trivialities of marriage. I can’t bear that.”
The difference between being loved and being ignored was revealed in the most humiliating way.
Tears slipped uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, the bitter, salty taste spreading across her 1ips.
Footsteps approached inside the house. Alyssa turned and hid in the corner.
When the sound faded, she slowly walked in. The coffee table was a mess.
Justin had not treated her as a wife, but as a housekeeper.
Alyssa couldn’t bring herself to tidy up.
Exhaustion swept through her, and she only wanted to lie down.
But she could not close her eyes as she lay on the bed. Scene after scene from the past rose before her.
The first time she met Justin, he had been caught in the rain, and she happened to have an umbrella.
The next time, she had been rushing to catch a ride, and he just happened to drive past.
After that, they kept running into each other again and again.
When her mentor passed away, Justin stayed by her side.
When she went back to the orphanage to visit, Justin went with her.
When her project was suspended and she lost her job, Justin held her and said it didn’t matter, then proposed.
When she became a junior staffer earning only one thousand a month, Justin smiled and ruffled her hair, saying that was impressive too.
…
It was not until two or three in the morning that Alyssa finally drifted into a hazy sleep.
At six, her body clock—trained to make breakfast for her husband—went off on time again.
She opened her eyes, utterly exhausted.
The other side of the bed was cold. The blanket in the guest room had not been touched either.
Last night, Justin had not come home.
Just as she was thinking about it, the sound of the keypad lock came from the door.
Alyssa turned her head.
Her husband walked in and, as naturally as ever, handed her his coat. He bent down as if to hug her, then seemed to remember something and stopped himself.
“I reek of sm0-ke and a1c0h0l from dinner with old friends last night. I won’t hug you.”
In the past, whenever Justin came home from business dinners, he would hold her tightly, saying that was when he truly felt at home.
Alyssa suddenly realized the last time he had hugged her was half a month ago.
For the past two weeks, even when they shared the same bed, they slept separately. She had thought he was simply exhausted from work, too tired even for a simple embrace.
Sophie had happened to return half a month ago as well.
So, the signs had been there all along.
Alyssa lowered her eyes, her long lashes hiding the sting in them.
Justin sat down on the sofa and pointed at the messy coffee table. “Why hasn’t this been cleaned up?”
“I wasn’t feeling well yesterday. I came back and went straight to sleep.”
Alyssa caught a faint sour smell.
She had always been particular about cleanliness, so she bent down to tidy the table as she spoke.
“Once I finish, there won’t be time to make breakfast for you. Just order something to get by.”
Justin suddenly sensed something was off about her.
In the four years of their marriage, as long as he wasn’t traveling for work, Alyssa always cooked for him—stews, pastries, soups—and never repeated the same menu week after week.
What was wrong this morning?
“Are you upset because I didn’t come home last night?”
The man suddenly called out seriously, “Honey.”
At the sound of that word, Alyssa felt even more suffocated.
Justin had always been gentle and good with words.
When they had just started dating, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and called her “babe,” making her ears burn red and her heart race.
“Alright, honey, don’t be mad. Look, I listened to you. Even at a gathering with close friends, I didn’t drink.”
Justin reached out and rubbed the back of Alyssa’s head.
“If you don’t want to cook, then don’t. I’ll go take a shower first.”
Alyssa gave a soft “Mm,” not looking at him.
Justin frowned, unable to suppress the doubt in his heart. “Honey, you’re a little strange this morning.”
“I didn’t sleep well.” Alyssa forced a faint smile and urged him to shower.
Justin suddenly took out a silk scarf, the logo alone making it clear it was expensive.
“I came across it last night and figured you’d like it.”
After saying that, he went into the bathroom.
Alyssa held the soft scarf in her hand, lost in thought for a moment, then placed it into her blue tie-dye canvas bag and carried it to work.
The in-house chip project had once been suspended because of her mentor’s passing.
When it restarted, she became the core lead.
Due to confidentiality regulations, her mentor’s widow had pulled some strings to place her in a nominal administrative position at Wells Group.
Her husband had always believed she was a junior staffer earning one thousand a month.
In reality, every day she left home for Wells Group, entered through the east gate, walked across the vast tech park, then exited through the west gate, where the institute’s assigned driver waited for her.
In the lab, Alyssa was distracted all day. Near evening, Jordan Reed could not help asking her, “Are you unhappy because we’re having dinner tonight with Miss Lane?”
“Sophie Lane?” Alyssa looked up.
Jordan was surprised.
“You actually remembered her name! I thought besides your husband, you didn’t keep anyone else in mind.
“Everyone’s met her already. You are the only one who hasn’t. If you still don’t meet her, people might start talking.”
Alyssa frowned.
When she first met Justin, she sensed he’d been hurt in love, but she never found out who it was.
She could not bear to reopen his wounds, so she never asked.
In the four years since, Justin never mentioned about it either, as if that person had never existed.
She thought it was all in the past.
Who didn’t have a past?
Only yesterday did she learn that Justin had not only failed to forget but had secretly been giving money and support all along.
Alyssa said nothing.
Jordan pressed his 1ips together helplessly.
He knew Alyssa wasn’t happy about Sophie’s involvement.
This project had been her mentor’s life’s work, and now it was hers too.
How could she allow someone to step in so casually and claim a share?
Giving Sophie a share of the recognition had already been a concession. Now they were asking Alyssa to have dinner with her?
It was indeed asking too much.
Still, Jordan could not help reminding her, “Don’t refuse this time. Otherwise Mr. Caldwell won’t be happy.”
Brenton Caldwell was the institute’s top leader and Sophie’s grandfather.
Alyssa had only learned of that connection from her assistant’s private gossip.
No one on the team had been pleased about Sophie’s sudden arrival. Her résumé was impressive, but who in the institute lacked credentials?
They had worked painstakingly for four years. In another month or two, the results would be announced publicly.
Then Sophie suddenly came in as an external expert—having played no part in the research, yet ready to claim a share of the credit.
It was more infuriating than being told to add a last-minute co-author to a paper.
For that very reason, Alyssa had never allowed the external expert into the core area.
Once she finished her work at the institute, she went straight home.
Sophie had never seen her.
Alyssa looked outside through the one-way glass.
Sophie was taking off her lab coat, slipping into a brown leather overcoat, brushing back her chestnut hair, and lifting a white crocodile handbag that looked expensive.
It was the same brand as the silk scarf Justin gave her this morning.
As if possessed, Alyssa reached into her bag and pulled out the scarf, a strange unease rising in her chest.
Just then, her assistant knocked and stepped in. Seeing the scarf in her hand, she exclaimed in surprise, “Alyssa, did you use your bonus to buy one of their bags?”
“No.” Alyssa looked at the girl in front of her and added, slightly puzzled, “I didn’t buy a bag.”
“Oh.”
The assistant said, “I saw the scarf and thought you bought a bag. Usually with that brand, the scarves only come as add-ons.”
“Add-ons?” Alyssa felt her chest tighten.
Chapter 2
It was rare for Sharon to see Alyssa take interest in anything outside of research and her husband, so she rattled off a string of insider rules about luxury brand purchase quotas.
Alyssa listened absentmindedly, her thoughts filled with her husband not coming home all night and the scarf he had suddenly taken from his pocket that morning, without any packaging.
She looked again toward the direction Sophie had left and said thoughtfully, “Miss Lane’s bag looked quite new.”
“Of course. She just bought it last night,” Sharon replied at once.
Alyssa turned to look at her.
Jordan also asked, “How do you know?”
“At noon I happened to run into Mr. Caldwell talking to Miss Lane. He noticed the bag in her hand too and told her to be mindful of appearances.
“Miss Lane said it was a gift from a friend last night and that she didn’t want the gesture to go to waste.”
Sharon sighed. “A bag worth over two hundred thousand d011ars. Where do I find friends like that?”
Alyssa murmured the word “friend.”
That was what Justin had said this morning too.
She asked again, “Does that bag come with a scarf as part of the purchase?”
Sharon said, “More than that. The scarf is just one of many add-ons. Though scarves like that can also be bought separately.”
Alyssa’s heart rose and fell with Sharon’s words.
“Professor Reed, I won’t be going to dinner tonight. I have something to take care of at home.”
Jordan hesitated. “Is it urgent?”
Alyssa said, “Very.”
It felt as though the sky were collapsing.
Jordan tried to comfort her. “In that case, I’ll explain it to Miss Lane. Focus on handling things at home. The project is nearing completion now. Things here are not as busy as before.
“You don’t need to come in every day like you used to. If anything important comes up, we’ll contact you.”
“Alright.” Alyssa put on her mask and left alone.
She did not go home.
Instead, she took a cab to the entrance of StellarTech and unexpectedly ran into Justin.
But Justin did not see her.
Perhaps because she was wearing a mask, or perhaps because there were too many people leaving work at that hour and he was busy on the phone.
But they had been married for four years…
Justin walked right past her.
She turned and followed him. When she got a little closer, she heard his voice on the phone.
“You have dinner plans, so you don’t need me to pick you up after work?”
Justin stopped walking.
She stopped as well.
“Alright. Text me when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”
Justin turned around and walked past Alyssa again.
As he neared the elevator, he paused slightly, a vague figure flashing through his mind.
He turned back.
“Mr. Scott, are you looking for something?” his assistant asked.
Justin shook his head. He must have been mistaken.
At this hour, Alyssa should have been in the kitchen at home. She wouldn’t appear outside his office building.
Since he wouldn’t be going home for dinner tonight, he should send her a message and tell her not to cook too much.
Ding.
Alyssa received the message and stared at the short line of text in silence.
She did not go home. She waited until Justin came downstairs again to leave, then hailed a cab and followed him.
Alyssa stood across the street and watched as Sophie stepped out through the revolving doors, s1ipped her arm through her husband’s, and got into the car laughing and chatting.
Her husband personally opened the car door for another woman and even shielded her head with his hand.
His movements were so careful, his expression so gentle and affectionate.
Alyssa had seen his gentle side before, but she had never seen his eyes so tender—like melted sugar, fixed on a woman and unwilling to look away.
The car sped off in a cloud of dust before her.
Inside the car, Justin frowned again and glanced out the window.
“Justin, what are you looking at?” Sophie asked.
“Nothing.” Justin thought he must not have rested well.
Otherwise, why would he keep imagining he had seen Alyssa?
He wondered absently whether Alyssa had eaten properly on her own.
Across the street, Alyssa stood rigid and took out the scarf from her bag, the one worth one thousand d011ars.
In four years of marriage, it was the most expensive gift Justin had ever given her.
And yet it was an add-on.
One of the required purchase items that came with the two-hundred-thousand-do11ar bag he had bought for Sophie.
Alyssa’s nails dug through the silk and into her palm, as if that could dull the pain in her heart.
Before she could sink further into grief, her phone began ringing insistently, over and over.
It was her sister-in-law, Judy Scott, calling.
The moment the call connected, loud sobbing came from the other end. “Alyssa, boohoo…”
The Scott family had always looked down on her for being an orphan, especially after Justin’s career took off, everyone inside and outside the family felt she was unworthy of him.
Judy in particular usually addressed her rudely and ordered her around.
Only when she was in trouble would she reluctantly acknowledge her as her brother’s wife.
“What happened this time?” Alyssa asked calmly.
Judy had hit someone with her car. The other party needed compensation and an advance for surgery. Judy herself was not in good shape either and was lying injured in a hospital bed.
Over the phone, Judy repeatedly warned her not to tell the family.
Alyssa agreed and hurried to the hospital.
“What took you so long? I’m in so much pain I could d1e. You’re slower than a turtle.”
She had rushed over out of goodwill, only to be met with a barrage of complaints.
Alyssa struggled to control her expression and looked at Judy with a cold gaze.
Judy froze.
Alyssa, who had always obeyed their family without question, had changed?
She dared to look at her like that.
“You’re glaring at me? Believe it or not, I’ll tell my brother you bullied me.”
The moment Judy remembered she had her brother backing her, her arrogance returned.
Everyone knew Alyssa loved Justin with all her heart.
She would do anything for him and endure any grievance.
“If you don’t want me to complain to my brother…”
Judy blinked and suddenly put on a sweet smile. “Alyssa, I’m starving. I want truffle seafood risotto. Go get it for me.”
The risotto cost four hundred do11ars a plate and required advance reservation.
In the past, Alyssa would always pay for it herself.
This time, she didn’t want to.
All the money she had saved for Justin over the years had ended up in Sophie’s pocket.
Her heart turned colder and colder.
“You can tell him right now.”
Alyssa turned and walked out indifferently, asking the nurse to call Justin to come over.
The victim’s family was making a scene as well. In the past, she would have gone over to calm them down and handle it.
This time, she did nothing. She stood off to the side like an onlooker, her gaze distant and cool, until her in-laws rushed over in a panic.
Once the victim’s family learned that the driver’s parents had arrived, they immediately crowded around them, demanding an explanation and compensation.
The elderly couple were impeccably dressed.
While clearly displeased at being jostled, they anxiously tried to find their daughter, standing on tiptoe and scanning the area.
When they saw Alyssa, they shot her a glare and opened their mouths as if to push the victim’s family toward her.
Alyssa sensed their intent and stepped in first. “Mom, Dad, I’ll take you to Judy.”
She then turned to the victim’s family. “Please rest assured. Judy’s older brother is the CEO of StellarTech, well known in the industry. We will not evade responsibility. We will bear whatever needs to be borne.”
Her tone was sincere, and the tension on the other side eased slightly.
The victim’s brother, however, seized on the key point. “StellarTech, right? If you try to dodge responsibility, don’t blame us for causing trouble!”
Justin’s parents, Grace Parry and Julian Scott, were displeased that Alyssa had openly mentioned their son’s company and position.
They had already intended to stop her earlier.
When they heard the crowd threaten to harass their son, they shot her another sharp look.
After the troublemakers left, Julian sneered coldly. “I didn’t know you could talk like that.”
Grace adjusted her shawl and scolded, “Alyssa, you’re really something. You can’t make money, you can’t give us a grandchild, and you can’t even manage your sister-in-law.
“If she ends up disfigured or with a permanent injury, how is she supposed to face people? How is she supposed to get married?
“And just now you even tried to drag your own husband into this. Is that how a wife behaves?”
“Utterly f001-ish and vicious!”
“Vicious?”
Ever since she married Justin, the responsibility of looking after Judy had fallen on her shoulders. If Judy so much as scraped her skin, Grace and Julian would scold her.
She had worked without complaint for four years. Instead of respect, she received the label vicious?
Alyssa clenched her fingers, barely suppressing a cold laugh.
“Judy is your responsibility. She is Justin’s responsibility. She is not mine.”
The woman who had always endured their scolding suddenly talked back. Grace and Julian froze for a moment, but their anger quickly flared even hotter.
They were her elders, and she dared to talk back to them.
“As long as you’re still with my son, the Scott family’s affairs are your affairs!”
Julian shouted at her, his voice booming. “What are you standing there for? Go get the money and compensate them. If this blows up, it’s Justin’s future that will be affected!”
“I don’t have any money.” Alyssa straightened her back.
“No money?” Grace bristled at the mention. “All my son’s money is with you, and you still claim you don’t have any?”
Ever since Justin’s career had taken off and he bought them a house and hired a housekeeper, they had dreamed of traveling the world.
Yet every time they reached out to him for money, he would say he didn’t have any and tell them to wait a little longer.
When they asked where the money had gone, he would fall silent.
The elderly couple had come to the conclusion that the money must be tightly controlled by Alyssa.
Their son had been living like a miser for years. Was that how a successful man was supposed to live?
He had only a few decent outfits. It was pitiful.
“He said the money is with me?”
Alyssa’s already cold heart sank further. “He only gives me six hundred d011ars a month. I can show you the records.”
“Stop pretending. Who knows if you forged them.”
Grace refused to believe her.
Julian frowned as he sized her up. “You didn’t take Justin’s money and lose it in the stock market, did you?”
Alyssa’s face turned icy with anger. “Believe it or not, I don’t have any money. Justin’s money isn’t with me.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she turned to leave.
As she turned around, Justin had arrived.
But this time, he was not alone. He had brought Sophie with him.
Alyssa froze, and their eyes met.
Justin’s expression stiffened briefly before he walked toward them and asked coolly what they were all doing gathered there.
Grace immediately recognized Sophie. The harsh expression she had worn moments ago softened at once into warmth as she grabbed Sophie’s hand and began chatting endlessly.
“Sophie, it’s been so many years. How have you been overseas? Was the food not good? Look at you, you’ve lost weight. But you’re still so beautiful.”
“Mrs. Scott Sr., you’re still as youthful and energetic as ever. Your skin looks amazing,” Sophie replied with a smile.
After the compliment, she showed a hint of apology. “I heard on the phone that Judy was in a car accident. I rushed over and didn’t have time to bring you a gift. How about I visit properly next time?”
“Of course!” Grace could not have been happier.
Sophie smiled and stepped closer. “Justin, aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Justin’s gaze softened. “Sophie, this is my… wife, Alyssa Jones.”
“This is my college friend, Sophie Lane. You can call her Miss Lane. Sophie is an exceptionally accomplished woman.”
“Mrs. Scott is also named Alyss Jonesa?”
Sophie curled her red lips and looked Alyssa up and down, a trace of undisguised disdain in her eyes.
“What a coincidence. There’s an Alyssa Jones on one of the projects I oversee as well.”
Chapter 3
“It’s just a coincidence. She’s just some regular office worker.”
Justin explained calmly.
“But sharing a name with someone on your project is a kind of honor for her.”
“It is quite an honor.” Sophie smiled faintly. “The Alyssa on our project is very capable.”
She was so capable that it made Sophie dislike her. As the project’s core lead, Alyssa had neither welcomed Sophie nor allowed her near the core work.
Sure enough, anyone named Alyssa was irritating.
Alyssa looked straight at Sophie. “What project are you leading, Miss Lane?”
Before Sophie could answer, Justin spoke first, reproach in his tone.
“You wouldn’t understand, so don’t ask. It’s a national-level classified project. It can’t be discussed publicly.”
“If it’s classified, how is it that you all seem to know about it?” Alyssa asked coolly.
Sophie paused, the look in her eyes shifting as she studied Alyssa.
She turned to Justin. “Mrs. Scott is quite interesting.”
Justin frowned and embarrassed Alyssa again.
“I told you that you wouldn’t understand. Why keep asking?”
A sharp sting rose in Alyssa’s nose.
Justin did not look at her. His gaze remained fixed on Sophie.
Sophie’s 1ips curved in quiet triumph, but in the next second, she forced a reluctant smile and changed the subject. “Justin, back then I thought your marriage was… a joke.”
The last word carried a trace of bitterness.
Justin’s expression stiffened again.
They looked at each other in silence.
The air around them noticeably grew heavier.
“It wasn’t a joke,” Justin said.
Silence followed once more.
Sophie spoke ambiguously. “I regret it a little.”
Alyssa clearly felt the hand at her side, Justin’s hand brushing hers, tremble faintly.
“Mrs. Scott, please don’t misunderstand. What I meant was, Justin called me back then, but I couldn’t return in time to attend your wedding. I regret that. I thought he was joking with me.”
While speaking, Sophie kept her eyes on Justin.
She did not spare Alyssa, dressed in cheap clothes and never bothering to dress up, a single glance.
Alyssa suddenly recalled the details from her wedding with Justin that had once felt strange, though she had never found a reason for them.
Their wedding had been low-key, attended only by Justin’s close friends and the Scott family.
Even so, Justin had laughed and clinked glasses with his friends, drinking late into the night before stumbling back to the room.
He had been heavily drunk. As soon as he pushed the door open, he collapsed onto the floor, a bottle in one hand and his phone clutched tightly in the other.
His eyes were slightly red, his emotions hard to read.
His fingers tightened and loosened around the phone.
When she walked over, she had clearly seen tears in his eyes.
Justin had flung the phone far away and pulled her into his arms. “I’m happy. I’m happy. I’m married…”
But that had been a bitter smile.
Now she realized that on the day of his wedding, Justin had called Sophie, using his marriage to test and pr0voke her.
The very reason Alyssa had existed as his wife in the beginning had been just that.
Now it was Alyssa who wanted to laugh.
Her throat felt dry and faintly bitter.
They entered Judy’s hospital room.
Judy first cried to her parents and brother, recounting everything.
When she noticed Sophie, her expression instantly lit up. “Sophie!”
“Judy, it’s been so long.” Sophie bent down and gently pinched her cheek.
Judy beamed. She often threw tantrums even at her own brother. This was the first time Alyssa had seen her so docile and clingy.
But she still did not forget to order Alyssa around.
“Alyssa! Peel me an apple.”
“I can do that. Let me.”
Sophie smiled, picking up an apple and a fruit knife from the table. Just as her hand wrapped around the apple, her wrist was grasped.
Justin had stopped her.
“Sophie, don’t indulge her. Your hands aren’t meant for this.”
“Exactly!” Judy chimed in.
“Sophie, your hands are meant for experiments and data records. How can you do this kind of rough work? Let Alyssa do it. She does it all the time.”
Sophie looked at Justin. “Is that appropriate?”
Justin pushed the entire fruit platter in front of Alyssa. “It’s fine. Alyssa has no achievements in academics, but she’s quite good at cutting fruit. She can even carve it into flowers.”
Alyssa had not known how to do it before.
Justin simply did not like eating fruit, yet it was something his body needed.
She had tried every way to coax him.
Justin once said, “I really don’t want it unless you can turn it into a flower.”
She had taken that to heart and searched for tutorials, learning how to carve and arrange fruit.
And the things she had learned for love were, in Justin’s eyes, so beneath notice.
Alyssa picked up an apple from the table, wiped it clean, did not peel it, and took a bite herself.
The crisp sweetness slid down her throat, barely masking the bitterness in her heart.
“My hands are full. Let Miss Lane do it.”
Justin stared at Alyssa, his brows tightly knit.
He did not know what had gotten into her these past two days. She had suddenly grown thorns and stopped being obedient.
Alyssa chewed the apple loudly under everyone’s disapproving gaze.
“The victim’s family is still waiting for compensation. Mom and Dad said your money is all with me. Aside from the six hundred do11ars a month, I don’t recall you giving me anything else. You should handle it yourself.”
Her voice was cool.
Justin’s brow twitched.
The smile on Sophie’s lips stiffened. “Since Judy is fine, I’ll head back first.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Justin said at once.
He seemed to realize that being overly attentive to another woman in front of his wife might look inappropriate.
He glanced awkwardly at Alyssa and quickly handed her his bank card. “You go settle the compensation.”
“My hands are full.”
Alyssa held the apple in one hand and her bag in the other, taking two steps back, her expression distant and cold.
Justin felt Alyssa slipping out of his control, and a trace of anger stirred in his chest.
But this was not the time to show it.
Sophie was still here. She was timid. It might frighten her.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
“Justin, I’ll go with you.”
“Mm.”
The two of them left.
Alyssa also walked out under the impatient stares of the Scott family.
The autumn wind cut sharply.
As if fate were deliberately against her, Alyssa ran into the inseparable pair again at the entrance of her own residential complex.
Sophie turned slightly and looked up at the tall, handsome man before her.
“Justin, you don’t have to walk me upstairs today. Go back. Your wife seemed unhappy tonight. Go comfort her.”
“It’s the same complex. I’ll be back soon.” Justin frowned. “It’s late. I won’t feel at ease unless I walk you to your door.”
“Justin, you’re married. This isn’t appropriate.”
Sophie deliberately took a step back.
She had been back for half a month, and Justin had been driving her everywhere.
Only now did she decide it was inappropriate.
Alyssa felt sick listening.
Sophie added, “Your wife is a good person. At least she takes good care of you. Unlike me, I’ve always been the one you took care of.”
“There’s no comparison. She’s just a housewife. She can’t be compared to you.”
Justin’s tone grew irritated as he thought of Alyssa’s recent defiance. “Don’t mention her. I’ll walk you up.”
“You really don’t need to. It wouldn’t look good if your wife found out.”
Sophie refused again gently. “But there’s something I’m curious about. You’ve been married for four years. Don’t you have children?”
Others had asked Alyssa that question before.
She had wanted to have a child with Justin.
The director of the orphanage once told her that once she was married, with a husband and then a child, she would finally have a real home of her own.
But every time they grew intimate, Justin would pull back at the last moment, saying he had work the next day or that he didn’t like children, refusing again and again.
And because she had been focused on the project, caring for her husband’s daily needs, tending to her in-laws’ household matters, and cleaning up after Judy’s constant troubles, nearly all her time outside of sleep had been consumed.
Alyssa had rarely felt strong physical desire.
Sometimes she imagined being like the couples described in novels—losing herself in her husband’s embrace, becoming one with him—but she had never gone against his wishes.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she believed that as long as the person she loved stayed by her side and did not leave her alone, whether their intimacy went deeper or their bodies were fully intertwined did not matter that much.
Justin said he didn’t want a child, so they had none.
Now she realized it was not the child he didn’t want, but her.
“We don’t have children,” Justin said.
Sophie looked slightly surprised. “Why not?”
Justin frowned. “There’s no reason.”
“Oh.”
Sophie’s tone carried a trace of disappointment.
She gave a faint, bitter smile. “I thought you had taken that joke from back then seriously.”
“What?” Justin looked up.
“You once said you didn’t like children, unless it was a child we had together.”
Sophie gazed at him with smiling eyes.
Justin fell silent.
“Oh dear, I shouldn’t have said that. You’re married now. Go back, or Alyssa will start overthinking. She’s not like me. I have my career. You’re all she has.
“Women are sensitive. It’s easy for them to misunderstand.”
This time, Justin did not insist on walking her upstairs.
Sophie deliberately slowed her steps. When she saw that Justin truly did not follow, the smile on her face vanished instantly.
So, he still cared about his dowdy, unimpressive wife.
…
Justin returned to the hospital room, but Alyssa was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s your sister-in-law?” he asked his sister, who was lounging comfortably in the hospital bed while being fed by their parents.
“She left right after you did. Probably saw how elegant and accomplished Sophie was and felt inferior, so she slunk off.”
Judy’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Now that Sophie is back, why don’t you divorce Alyssa? From what Sophie just said, she clearly still has feelings for you. She wouldn’t mind that you’ve been married before.
“Sophie grew up well provided for. She wouldn’t live like Alyssa, holding onto your money yet living like she’s broke, pinching pennies over everything. You promised you’d pay for me to study abroad.”
“Judy, she’s still your sister-in-law. Saving money is for the sake of this family. Don’t speak about her like that.”
Justin rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking slightly weary. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He didn’t know how to explain that eighty percent of what he earned had gone to Sophie’s research funding.
Now that Sophie had returned to the country and was holding a national-level project in her hands, her future looked bright.
She likely wouldn’t lack research funding anymore.
From now on, what he earned could finally be used for himself and his family.
It was better not to tell them.
Otherwise, his parents might develop opinions about Sophie.
Sophie had always been sensitive and avoided conflict, especially with elders.
“Mom, Dad, you should head back and rest. I’ll hire a caregiver for Judy.”
“No need. We’ll stay. It puts us at ease,” Grace urged. “You should keep in touch with Sophie more. Show her more concern. It will only benefit you.”
“I know.”
Justin returned home.
Alyssa had just finished showering.
She hadn’t had time to put on a robe yet and wore only a thin slip dress. Her damp hair dripped water, leaving dark patches on the fabric that clung to her curves.
Justin found himself staring.
“Alyssa…”
Chapter 4
He had always known Alyssa was beautiful, with a figure that turned heads. Even their occasional intimacy had been enough to make him lose control.
But whenever he thought about being intimate with anyone else, a sense of guilt would rise in him, as if he were betraying the woman he truly loved.
He had suppressed it again and again over the years.
Yet…
Alyssa was his lawful wife, and at night she was undeniably alluring.
Alyssa knew he was watching her, but she was certain that a man who only wanted children with his first love would never truly desire her.
She moved about naturally in front of him and picked up the hairdryer.
Justin stood where he was, his gaze following her.
She turned her back to him and swept her long hair to one side, revealing the slender, pale curve of her neck. A faint, damp fragrance lingered in the air.
Justin swallowed.
A warm hand suddenly gripped Alyssa’s waist.
“I remember you always wanted a child.” Justin switched off the hairdryer in her hand and set it aside, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
Alyssa had once wanted a child with the man she loved, but at this moment, she only felt repulsed.
“I don’t anymore,” she said softly.
Justin frowned. He lifted her chin lightly with his fingers, brushing along her neck. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath his touch.
His body reacted.
Alyssa’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Have you been too tired these past few days, juggling work and the house?” Justin said. “Let’s have a child. After that, you can stay home and focus on being a housewife, alright?”
She had stopped cooking for him, refused to handle the Scott family’s matters, and begun to think in ways he could no longer read.
This would not do.
He needed a capable wife to manage the household. The Scott family needed a compliant daughter-in-law.
Since Alyssa wanted a child, giving her one was no great matter. It would also keep her firmly at home.
What was the point of clinging to a one-thousand-d011ar job? It was embarrassing for him if people found out.
He leaned in to kiss her, but Alyssa turned her head away.
Justin’s eyes narrowed instantly. “Why are you rejecting me?”
“I don’t want one anymore.” Alyssa looked at the man in the mirror, her voice firm.
The feeling of his wife slipping out of his control grew stronger.
However refined he usually appeared, his expression now turned cold, and his grip on her chin tightened abruptly.
“For four years, you were the one who said you wanted a child. I was willing to give you one, and now you don’t want it?”
A dark thought suddenly crossed Justin’s mind, and his eyes turned cold. “Do you have someone else?”
The words pierced Alyssa’s heart. She fixed him with a frigid stare, as if asking: Who is the one with someone else?
She wrenched herself free and returned to the bedroom.
When had Justin ever been rejected by Alyssa?
From the day they met through their years of marriage, she had always done as he said and let him have his way.
The sudden shift was something Justin could not tolerate.
He strode after her, grabbed her arm, dragged her into the bedroom, and pushed her onto the bed.
“Justin! What are you doing!”
“A child. If I say we’re having one, we’re having one. Alyssa, you’ve never refused me. Be good.”
Before she could process it, Justin lunged forward, his kisses falling across her pale neck and collarbone.
His strong hand gripped her waist, the other moving lower.
In that moment, he seemed frighteningly unrestrained.
Alyssa panicked and pushed at him. “I said I don’t want one anymore! Justin, I don’t want one!”
“Whether we have a child isn’t up to you to decide.”
He stopped kissing her and pinned her hands above her head.
She could not move. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
The man who had been gentle to her for four years was now forcing her.
His kisses returned to her lips and neck, urgent and overwhelming.
As her legs were forced apart, Alyssa finally snapped and drove her knee upward. He recoiled in pain and loosened his grip.
She pushed herself up and slapped him.
Smack—
“Alyssa! You hit me?”
Furious and humiliated, Justin raised his hand. The solid slap landed as expected.
Alyssa’s face reddened and swelled instantly, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Justin’s hand trembled.
It was the first time he had seen Alyssa cry.
She cried without a sound.
The room fell into silence.
“Honey…”
Justin curled his fingers, unable to meet the frightened, doe-like eyes staring back at him.
Wrapped in a blanket, Alyssa rushed out of the bedroom, grabbed her phone from the sofa, and walked out the door.
The moment she stepped outside, a single thought echoed in her mind: Divorce.
…
With her swollen face, Alyssa stood by the roadside.
Her first instinct was to return to the orphanage, but she was afraid the aging director would be heartbroken at the sight of her.
Her late mentor’s wife was resting in the suburbs and could not be disturbed.
In the end, she walked into a hotel at random.
At the same time, a low-profile May-bach pulled up at the hotel entrance.
A well-dressed man stepped out, his expression slightly dark.
A girl leaned out of the car window. “Brother, you’re really not going home? Mom and Dad are just nagging.”
The man said nothing and entered the hotel alone.
The girl shook her head and sighed. “Even the famous CEO of the Wells Group can’t escape being pressured to marry, huh…”
The May-bach drove away.
As the man crossed the lobby, he heard the receptionist ask twice, cautiously, “Ma’am, are you sure you don’t need any assistance?
“If you do, please feel free to call the front desk.”
“Thank you.”
The reply was weak.
This hotel belonged to the Wells Group.
Since he was here, he did not want any incidents.
Lucien Wells looked up.
A barefoot woman wrapped in a blanket stood nearby. Strands of messy hair covered half her face. As she drew closer, the red mark of a slap on her cheek became faintly visible.
He and the woman stepped into the same elevator one after the other.
The woman stood there blankly, like a walking corpse.
The room card in her hand hovered uselessly without triggering the sensor, and she didn’t press a floor button.
From the side, he could faintly see tears falling from her face like a string of broken pearls.
After a brief pause, he spoke. “Which floor?”
She finally came back to herself.
With pale, trembling fingers, she tapped the card and pressed the floor button.
Then she wiped the tears from her face, tucked her long hair behind her ear, and revealed her whole face.
The corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, her expression cold and fragile.
Unwilling to let anyone see her in such a state, she forced herself to be polite. “Thank you.”
Her voice was hoarse.
Lucien’s gaze lingered for a moment on the red mark on her cheek, but he did not ask any questions.
Ding—
Her floor arrived. She turned her head slightly and nodded to him again before walking out.
Lucien watched her thin figure until the elevator doors closed. Then he took out his phone and sent a message.
Alyssa had just sat down on the sofa when the doorbell rang.
When she opened the door, the hotel manager stood outside.
“Good evening, ma’am. You may need some ointment to reduce swelling, as well as a pair of softer, more comfortable slippers.”
The manager smiled politely. A closer look revealed a trace of excitement flickering in his eyes, and he could not help adding a few more words.
“Please don’t worry, we mean no harm. We’re simply concerned about our guests. Ensuring that every guest who stays at our hotel feels comfortable is our service philosophy. We wish you a good night’s rest.”
Tonight, the husband she had been married to for four years had slapped her, yet warmth had come from a stranger.
Alyssa accepted the ointment and slippers, expressing her sincere thanks.
The manager, who had been smiling moments ago, froze when he noticed the ring on her left hand.
What… this…
He left in stunned silence.
Alyssa closed the door, wiped her feet, put on the slippers, washed her hands, and applied the ointment to her face.
Beside her, her phone vibrated continuously as messages from “Honey” popped up one after another.
Justin had been the one who changed that contact name himself.
[Where did you go?]
[Come back, Alyssa. Stop throwing a tantrum.]
[You were the one who wanted a child. I agree now. Resign from Wells Group tomorrow and stay home to prepare for pre-gnancy.]
Justin’s tone was firm and commanding. For a moment, Alyssa didn’t know whether he had changed, or if this had always been who he was.
She locked her phone screen. For the first time, she did not reply to his messages immediately. She didn’t reply at all that night.
The next morning, he called.
She didn’t answer.
Another message popped up.
[Honey, without the breakfast you make, my stomach hurts.]
Her fingers tightened around the phone. So now he remembered he had a wife.
A bitter smile curved her lips.
She still didn’t respond.
Justin sat on the sofa and waited. His phone remained silent.
Even that excuse didn’t work?
Surprise flickered across his face.
Just then, his phone rang.
He picked it up.
It was Sophie.
A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes before he answered, his voice turning gentle. “Sophie, what’s wrong?”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
“Justin, I’m already at the entrance of the complex. Where are you?”
Justin suddenly remembered that he had promised to pick Sophie up and drop her off every day.
He had actually waited on the sofa for Alyssa’s message that long.
She had left him hanging for so long?
It didn’t matter.
She was just throwing a bit of a tantrum.
Alyssa loved him. She couldn’t live without him.
He drove to the roadside. Sophie got into the passenger seat and immediately noticed the swelling on his face.
Alyssa had struck him hard the night before. The handprint was obvious.
“Justin, what happened?”
Sophie unfastened her seatbelt and leaned over, cupping his face.
Her eyes reddened with distress. “Who hit you?”
He could not bear to see her cry. “It doesn’t hurt. Don’t be upset. Have you eaten? I’ll take you for breakfast.”
Sophie sensed he was hiding something and asked cautiously, “Justin, did you argue with Alyssa? Was it because of me? I’m sorry, Justin.”
“It’s not because of you. I don’t know what she was going crazy about.”
He leaned over to fasten her seatbelt and drove off to get breakfast.
Sophie watched him and noticed that even while sitting with her, he seemed distracted.
An idea came to her.
“Justin, the soup is too hot. Can you blow on it for me?”
“Of course.”
He took the soup in front of her and stirred it gently with a sp00n. Then he seemed to remember something and paused.
He picked up his phone and sent a message.
“Justin, who are you texting?”
There was caution in her eyes.
He turned his phone face down. “An elder.”
It was Diane Miller, Alyssa’s late mentor’s wife.
When she learned that her late husband’s most cherished student could not be reached, she personally came into the city.
After getting the hotel address from Alyssa over the phone, she went straight there.
Alyssa froze for a moment when she saw Diane's graying hair.
Instinctively, she raised a hand to cover her face.
“Don’t cover it. I’ve already seen it.” Diane walked in with a stern expression.
“Justin hit you?”
“Yes.” Alyssa nodded.
The moment she lowered her gaze, tears fell again.
“Why are you crying? If he dared to hit you yesterday, he’ll dare to bury you alive tomorrow.”
Diane had never approved of Justin making Alyssa serve his entire family.
She did not ask for details. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m getting a divorce.”
Alyssa lifted her head.
A flicker of pain crossed Diane’s eyes, then she composed herself.
“I’ll find you a lawyer.”
Chapter 5
“Diane, aren’t you going to ask me why?”
Alyssa wiped her tears, helped Diane to the sofa, then went to pour her some water.
Diane said, “Justin told me you argued over having a child and that you didn’t come home all night. He still doesn’t want a child?”
Alyssa shook her head. “This time, I’m the one who doesn’t want one. He wants me to resign, stay home to prepare for pre-gnancy, and settle down as a housewife.”
“He’s more old-fashioned than I am?”
Diane’s anger flared.
“Has he climbed high enough in his career that he thinks he can look down on you? He dares look down on you? Once the project is announced, you’ll have people lining up just to meet you.
“How can my husband’s most treasured student gets reduced to a nanny in his house?”
Alyssa’s nose stung.
She couldn’t hold back anymore.
“That’s not the real reason. He doesn’t love me. He married me to pr0v0ke Sophie Lane. It’s just that Sophie didn’t come back on our wedding day.”
“Who?”
Diane frowned.
The name sounded familiar.
She repeated it twice before asking, “Brenton’s granddaughter who studied overseas?”
“Yes.” Alyssa nodded.
“How do you know?”
“I overheard.”
Alyssa recounted what she had heard that day.
Before she could even finish, Diane had already pulled her up and headed for the door.
“This is outrageous. I’ll personally take you to the best divorce lawyer in the country. We’ll draft the papers and have him sign immediately.”
The divorce agreement was drawn up quickly.
The freshly printed pages were still warm. They felt scalding in Alyssa’s hands. She stared at the words for a long time before finally signing her name.
After leaving the law firm, she went shopping with Diane and bought new clothes.
They had dinner together.
By the time night had fully fallen, she walked back home against the cold wind.
The lights were on inside.
Justin was home.
Not just him, his family was there too.
Judy’s injuries were minor.
Hospitalization wasn’t necessary, but she disliked the smell of disinfectant and complained that the private catering in the hospital tasted awful.
She decided to move into Justin’s home instead, expecting Alyssa to take care of her while she recovered.
The moment they saw the handprint on Justin’s face, the family’s anger flared.
“Did Alyssa hit you? Did she?” Grace demanded.
When he remained silent, she took it as confirmation that he was protecting Alyssa again.
“You think we can’t guess? Who else would dare hit you? At your company, aside from the board, you’re the highest-ranking executive.
“As for the women around you, Sophie is so gentle and proper. It certainly wouldn’t be her.”
“Bro! What gives Alyssa the right to hit you!” Judy flared up, fiercely protective.
“You feed her, clothe her, and put a roof over her head. What does she have to complain about? She actually dared to hit you? When she comes back, I won’t let her off.”
Her tone was vicious.
Judy had always been full of nasty little schemes, usually aimed at people she disliked, especially her so-called useless sister-in-law.
Julian demanded sternly, “Was it really Alyssa who hit you?”
Justin replied, “I hit her too.”
Grace snapped, “She deserved it! I’ve never seen a wife who dares to hit her husband.”
Judy grew even more indignant.
“Exactly. So, what if my brother taught her a lesson? If she hadn’t met him, would Alyssa ever have entered our social circle?”
“Son, divorce her.”
Julian pondered for a moment before making the decision.
Justin’s brows knit tightly. “Dad!”
Outside the door, Alyssa lowered her eyes and tightened her grip on the divorce agreement in her hand.
Wasn’t this perfect?
Divorce, then.
But Justin’s refusal came clearly through the door. “No.”
“Why not?” Grace fumed.
“Son, did Alyssa drug you or something? Why are you so stubborn? There are so many outstanding women around you—take Sophie, for example. Why insist on hanging yourself on one tree?”
Judy pressed on, “Bro, don’t you want to divorce Alyssa and marry Sophie? You two were obviously close before. Even if nothing was ever said out loud, everyone knew.”
Alyssa’s lips curved in cold mockery.
Justin would never allow Sophie to be dragged into the mundane burdens of marriage.
“You’re worried a divorce will hurt your reputation at the company?”
Julian ana1yzed calmly.
“But I recall you’ve never brought Alyssa to any public event, not even the company’s annual gala.
“Not many people even know you’re married, let alone who your wife is. There’s nothing to worry about.”
After seeing Sophie’s attitude toward their son, the family had no intention of keeping Alyssa as a daughter-in-law.
They were determined to see the marriage end.
However, Justin refused. “I won’t divorce. Don’t let Alyssa hear this.”
He stood and went into the study, shutting out his family’s voices.
The Scotts assumed Justin was deeply in love with Alyssa, only Alyssa knew why he refused to divorce.
After the divorce, where would he find a free, on-call housekeeper?
She might not rival a professional chef, but over the years she had refined his palate well enough.
Alyssa put the divorce papers away.
Whether Justin agreed or not, she was going to end this marriage, even if she had to do it in secret.
She waited until the tension in the house eased before entering the passcode and stepping inside.
At the sound of the door, the Scotts all turned their heads.
None of them looked pleased to see her.
Judy said, “Why are you back so late? We’re all hungry, especially my brother. If he doesn’t eat on time, his stomach acts up.”
Her gaze dropped to the pink rabbit slippers on Alyssa’s feet, and she made a disgusted face.
“Alyssa, you’re almost thirty. Why are you still wearing pink like a little girl? Ugh… so childish.”
Alyssa shifted her feet. She thought the slippers were cute.
They were a stranger’s kindness.
For someone who had grown up in an orphanage and spent her life studying instead of socializing, kindness rarely came her way.
So, it was precious. She wouldn’t throw them out.
Grace didn’t bother looking at her and urged her toward the kitchen. “Make something light. Less salt.”
Julian had high blood pressure.
“Got it.”
Alyssa walked straight into the kitchen, took out her phone, and ordered takeout, making sure to add a note requesting low salt and light seasoning.
They lived near the city center, close to a commercial and food district.
The de1ivery arrived quickly.
The doorbell rang. Grace went to open it and froze when she saw the de1ivery.
Alyssa walked to the study door as if nothing was unusual and knocked lightly, as she always did. “Dinner’s ready.”
The lightness in her voice was gone.
Every time she used to finish cooking, she would happily knock and call out, “Dinner’s ready!”
The study door would open immediately.
Her husband would say, “Thanks for your hard work, honey.”
This time, when Justin opened the door, those words did not come.
Their eyes met, and both of them first noticed the handprint on the other’s face.
They looked at each other in silence.
Neither was willing to lower their head first.
“Son, hurry and eat what Alyssa 0rdered—takeout!” Grace said as she set the plates and utensils down, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Justin frowned. “Why is it takeout? Is there nothing in the fridge? I wanted the mushroom soup you make.”
“There’s mushroom soup.” Alyssa turned and walked away.
Justin started to reach out, then pulled his hand back.
He followed her unhappily.
The takeout on the table ki11ed his appetite. He had skipped breakfast, and now dinner was like this too.
He was reaching his limit.
“Alyssa, how long are you going to keep being like this?”
“I’m just not cooking.”
Her tone was flat.
“What does that have to do with being unreasonable? Was I born to cook?”
Justin choked on his words.
She picked up her fork and began eating. “If you don’t like takeout, we can hire a housekeeper.”
Judy snapped, “Why hire one? Don’t we already have…”
“There is one.”
Alyssa cut her off and looked at Julian and Grace, who had been silently condemning her.
A faint curl touched her lips.
“If you care about Justin so much, you can send your housekeeper over.”
“Alyssa!”
Justin finally lost patience, then saw the swelling still faintly visible on her face and forced himself to soften his tone.
“Be respectful to my parents.”
He honored his parents and spoiled his sister without hesitation.
But when it came to his wife, his gentleness was nothing more than a facade.
Alyssa said nothing more.
After dinner, Julian and Grace left.
When Judy realized that she would have to eat takeout if she stayed, she went home with them.
That night.
Alyssa lay there thinking about how to avoid sharing a bed, and at the same time wondering how to get him to sign the divorce agreement.
Footsteps approached.
Her heart tightened.
Justin’s phone suddenly rang.
The timing could not have been better.
“Your phone.”
Alyssa picked up his phone and turned around, facing Justin wrapped in a bathrobe.
“Sophie.”
The moment he saw Sophie’s name, he stepped outside to take the call.
Less than a minute later, he returned and said he had something urgent to handle.
“Okay.” Alyssa pressed her 1ips together.
He stared at her face for a moment. “Don’t misunderstand. We’re just friends. You’re my wife.”
“I know. Go.”
Her reply was perfunctory.
Past midnight, clattering sounds came from the kitchen.
Alyssa yawned, walked out, and saw someone leaning against the sofa in the living room.
It was a woman.
The woman looked up when she heard the movement. Her lips were pale, one hand pressed against her abd0men as if menstrual cramps were tormenting her.
“Alyssa? Did Justin wake you?”
Alyssa stared at her in a daze.
She had not expected him to bring the other woman home so brazenly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your night. I live quite far from my parents, and I don’t have many people I can rely on, so I had no choice but to call Justin.
“I didn’t expect him to bring me back here and cook for me himself. He’s making ginger tea and pasta.”
Alyssa heard the subtle boast.
What shocked her more was that Justin knew how to cook.
In the kitchen, the pot simmered with a steady bubbling sound, and the faint sweetness of honey drifted through the air.
A man stood in the kitchen wearing an apron, a spatula in one hand and an egg in the other, clearly at a loss.
He muttered, “Why does this fried egg keep burning?”
So, this was what Justin looked like when he loved someone.
Not steady and composed, but like a clueless young man.
He would even do things he disliked.
Justin hated cooking and going near the kitchen.
He said he couldn’t stand the smell of oil and sm0-ke.
That was why he had dismissed her idea of an open kitchen when they renovated.
Ever since, she had cooked with the kitchen door shut and brought the dishes out to the table alone.
“Still can’t see it, Alyssa?”
Sophie walked over to her side, looking like she had just won a battle.
If she had a tail, it would have been wagging proudly behind her.
“Justin only loves me. You were just something he used to pass the time when I wasn’t around… like a cheap magazine he keeps by the toilet.”
“So what? Are you going to make him divorce me?”
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