Chapter 9
Yvonne took a few more days off work and didn’t go home. Instead, she stayed at Reid’s place to recover,
Reid couldn’t have been happier, spending every day with her and skipping work altogether. His assistant ended up running errands, shuttling between his house and the office, completely exhausted.
Since that day, Steven hadn’t contacted her, but Facebook seemed to be everywhere, like a ghost. Invariably, Sharon’s face appeared in every post, and the two of them looked like a newlywed couple, oozing, sweetness.
The most recent post was about an expensive necklace called “Emerald Heart,” with the caption: [I promised, and I’ll make it happen.]
Reid stood leaning against the door, casually sipping water as he watched Yvonne. He noticed her staring blankly at her phone screen, a slight frown on her face.
“If you’re planning to divorce him, why torture yourself by looking at those photos?” he asked.
Yvonne glanced up at him and said mildly, “You wouldn’t understand.”
Reid let out a cold laugh and slammed the glass down on the table, the sharp clink echoing in the room.
He strode over quickly, spun Yvonne’s chair to face him, and leaned close, his arms braced firmly on the armrests. He stared into her eyes.
“Sure, I don’t get why you haven’t mentioned divorce yet, but I do know what makes you happy. Yvonne, I’m giving you ten more days. If you don’t get a divorce by then, I’ll handle it myself.”
Yvonne pressed her index finger against his forehead, trying to push him away, her irritation showing. “What’s the date today?”
“The 13th. Why?” Reid grabbed her hand, a playful grin on his lips, and brought it to his mouth for a gentle nibble.
Yvonne found it disgusting and pulled her hand back, wiping it on his shirt.
Reid chuckled quietly. “You used to be scared of me. Now you’re bold enough to wipe your spit on me.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that your spit?”
Reid raised an eyebrow, “Next time… I’ll wipe that stuff on you.”
‘What a jerk,’ Yvonne thought.
Reid had been on a roll lately, showing her houses and asking for her opinion.
Yvonne glanced at them casually, not interested. “Why do I care about you buying a house? Why do you need my opinion?”
“It’s our matrimonial home,” he said.
Yvonne was shocked. “Are you kidding?”
Reid squinted his eyes, and his face darkened as he gently held her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Yvonne, what do you mean by that? Just using me for fun?”
Yvonne hesitated, looking into his intense gaze, and steeled herself to say, “Aren’t we just two adults letting off steam?”
Reid’s face darkened further, and his grip tightened. “Letting off steam? Yvonne, what do you think I am? Just a tool for your
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Yvonne felt pain from his grip and struggled a bit, but she couldn’t break free. “Let go. You’re hurting me.”
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Hearing Yvonne’s words, Reid loosened his grip slightly but didn’t let her go. His eyes still burned with anger and hurt. “Is that how you define our relationship?”
“Isn’t it the truth?” she replied.
Reid stared at her for a moment, and then his expression became complex–resigned yet unwilling. “Fine. Just consider it your way.”
With that, he opened the door and walked out without another word, slamming it shut behind him with a loud bang.
Yvonne suddenly felt things were getting out of hand. She looked at the door Reid had slammed shut, her heart unexpectedly skipping a beat. The room fell eerily quiet.
Yvonne had almost fully recovered from her injuries and had returned to the office for a while.
She was an interior designer who had joined the company right after college and had been there for five years. Just as she was about to be promoted, she decided to quit.
Yvonne had submitted her resignation letter a month earlier. Her last business trip was for the final project she was working on. To avoid slowing progress, she worked tirelessly, putting in extra hours to complete it.
Today, she came in to finalize her resignation. Her supervisor, Cindy Young, looked at her with a sense of reluctance. Cindy had always admired Yvonne, who was the most gifted employee she had ever mentored.
“Yvonne, if you ever want to come back, Reece Design Company will always have a chief designer position reserved for you,” Cindy said.
Yvonne held her box of belongings and smiled, “Thanks, Cindy.”
Yvonne walked out of the company building and turned back to look at the big billboard of Reece Design Company behind her. The sunlight hit the billboard, reflecting a brilliant light. It was the place where her dreams had once taken off.
That place held so many of her memories and dreams–the joy of success and the tears when facing setbacks.
She remembered the toughest times, when she only slept three to four hours a day, hoping to earn a bit more commission to enjoy a nice meal with Steven.
Life was tough back then, but they were filled with hope. Now, it felt like she had let go of those heavy burdens, walking away step by step.
Yvonne got home and as soon as she opened the door, she saw Sharon standing on the stairs. Their eyes met.
Sharon bit her lip and said, “He’s been staying at my place lately. He asked me to come back and get some of his things.”
Yvonne simply said, “Okay,” with a calm expression. She hung her handbag by the entrance and bent down to change her shoes.
Looking down, she noticed her slippers were missing. Slowly, she lifted her eyes and saw Sharon wearing them.
Sharon looked a bit embarrassed. “I really like your slippers, so I wore them.”
Yvonne asked calmly, “Is it just the slippers? Aren’t you quite happy using my husband, too?”
Sharon’s expression froze for a moment, and then she seemed to gather some courage. “Ms. Stark, he stopped loving you a long time ago. So why cling to the title of Mrs. Chapin?”
Yvonne ignored Sharon’s provocation. She went to the living room, poured a glass of water, and took a small sip. She
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examined Sharon, who had a pretty young face, full of ambition and unease that was hard to hide.
Steven said Sharon reminded him of how Yvonne used to be. Yvonne felt he was somewhat right, especially about those eyes, full of innocence that hadn’t been affected by the complex world.
Yvonne was only 27, and yet she had already gone through the change from girl to woman. Others enjoyed the benefits of her hard work. She had supported Steven through all the dirtiness of the world, yet he fell for a bit of innocence.
Sharon slowly walked closer, stopping at the entrance. She deliberately took off the slippers that belonged to Yvonne, holding them in her hand and swinging them a bit. “Ms. Stark, these slippers are really comfy. I really like them.”
Yvonne smiled and said, “Then take them with you.”
Sharon was momentarily surprised. But soon, her face was full of a smile and disdain as if she felt she had the upper hand in the situation, making her even more brash.
“Could you please find me a bag, Ms. Stark?” Sharon said, pushing her luck.
“Sure,” Yvonne stepped forward, took the slippers from Sharon’s hand, and heard her sneer.
“You already have a bag,” Yvonne pointed out.
“What?”
In an instant, Yvonne moved with swift speed, suddenly grabbing Sharon’s chin tightly as if she was going to crush it.
Ignoring everything else, she forcefully shoved the slipper into Sharon’s mouth. The long–held anger in her heart burst out at that moment. “If you’re so good at receiving trash, aren’t you just like a trash bag?”
Sharon’s eyes widened in fear as she tried to struggle, but Yvonne held her tightly. With the slipper forced into her mouth, Sharon could only make muffled sounds.
Yvonne’s eyes showed anger and resolve, her grip not loosening a bit as if she was releasing all her frustration through this action.
“Did you think I’m really that easy to push around? You’ve been overstepping again and again, thinking I’m easy to take advantage of. Didn’t Steven tell you not to mess with me?” Yvonne added.
Sharon’s face turned red from being handled roughly, her breathing uneven. With half a slipper stuffed in Sharon’s mouth, Yvonne raised her hand and slapped Sharon twice. The sharp sound echoed in the room.
“This place isn’t for someone with a dirty mind like you to just walk in. Does Steven want me to get the place disinfected again?”
Sharon, dizzy from the hits, couldn’t breathe properly with the slipper in her mouth, only struggling desperately. Tears and snot mixed on her face, making her look extremely miserable.
Yvonne stopped, taking deep breaths as she looked at the person in front of her. Her eyes were still filled with anger, but there was also a hint of satisfaction.
Sharon finally managed to catch her breath, pulled the slipper out of her mouth forcefully, and glared at Yvonne fierce; as if she wanted to swallow her whole.
“How long do you think you can keep acting like this? Let me tell you, I’m pregnant,” she said triumphantly.
Yvonne paused.
“Did you hear that? I’m pregnant with Steven’s baby,” Sharon continued, lifting her chin proudly, her eyes shining with the thrill of revenge.
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Yvonne slowly lifted her head and looked at the calendar on the wall–July 17. What was once an ordinary date now stood out brightly in the sunlight coming through the window.
After a moment, she smiled slightly and said slowly, “Then have him come back tomorrow so we can talk about the divorce.”
