Robin knew very well that if Stu and Helen were calling him at a time like this, it had to be about the divorce. Ever since he'd started dating Angeline, Stu and Helen had treated him extremely well. They basically cared for him as if he were their own.
When he first launched his studio and ran into all kinds of problems, it was Stu and Helen who'd stepped in and helped him through the roughest patches. Because of that, he'd always been deeply grateful to them. So, this was a call he couldn't ignore.
He answered it. "Hi, Helen."
In the past, he'd called them Mom and Dad. Now, he'd switched back to Helen. It was his way of making his stance clear.
Both Stu and Helen were law professors at top universities, so their household was truly highly educated. That was why Angeline had been interested in law since she was a kid.
"Rob, do you have time now? Could you come over to the house for a bit?" Helen asked.
Robin sighed softly at her voice. "Helen, I—"
"You have to come sooner or later. At the very least, the two of you need to sit down and have a proper talk about this."
A proper talk? As far as he was concerned, there was nothing left for him and Angeline to discuss.
Since Oscar's return to the country and appearance in their lives, Robin had given Angeline countless chances. Honestly, if she had just held on to even one of those chances, they would never have ended up like this. Under these circumstances, what was there left to talk about?
"Okay. I'll head over in a bit." Robin sighed again.
He felt completely numb now. No matter who tried to persuade him, there was no going back for him and Angeline.
"I'm going over to the Sharpe residence," he said after hanging up. Next to him, both Jack and Sasha nodded in understanding. He added, "Jacko, I need to borrow your car for a bit."
"Sure. No problem." Jack tossed him the keys. He caught them and headed out.
Sasha sighed as she watched Robin leave. "Do you think Rob is really going to get divorced?"
Jack nodded. "He will."
"Why? You know Angeline's parents have always treated him really well. Now that they're personally stepping in to talk things over…"
"Sasha, don't you know Robin? He's the stubborn type. When he loves someone, he really loves them. He'll go above and beyond for them, even attempting the impossible. But once he decides to give up on someone, he goes ice-cold. Nobody can talk him out of it.
"That's just how he is—he loves so hard it tears him apart, and once he hates someone, he cuts them off completely," Jack said.
As he spoke, something suddenly occurred to him. "Do you still like Robin?"
Everyone at the game studio—save for Robin himself—had known about Sasha's crush on Robin. But by then, he was already with Angeline, so all they could do was secretly lament over what a shame it was.
Sasha went quiet for a moment at Jack's question.
"No wonder people always say you can't meet someone too radiant when you're young," Jack said quietly as he watched Robin drive off. "If Rob really goes through with the divorce, you can rest assured that you have my full support to be with him."
Sasha just smiled at that and didn't respond.
…
Robin was unaware of Jack and Sasha's conversation as he headed to the Sharpe residence. Compared to his own ordinary background, the Sharpes were practically academic royalty. Stu and Helen were both professors, and Angeline's grandfather was even the dean of a top-tier university.
Before long, Robin pulled into an upscale residential complex in the city center. This was where Stu and Helen usually stayed.
He parked, got out, and took a deep breath to steady himself. Then, he headed upstairs to the Sharpes' apartment.
Inside the Sharpe residence, Angeline was getting a lecture.
"Angie, you really messed up this time. You have a child now. How can you still act without thinking about the consequences? Everyone in this world has regrets, but you need to understand that when something becomes a regret, it means that chapter is over. Do you really think it's worth creating a new regret just to chase an old one?"
Angeline sat on the couch with her head bowed, not saying a word. Just as the room fell into a heavy silence, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." She stood and went to the door.
Robin wasn't surprised to see Angeline open the door. He'd known she would be here. Their eyes met for a brief second, then they both looked away.
In the past, whenever Robin looked at Angeline, his gaze had been full of tenderness. But now, when she looked into his eyes, she couldn't find even a trace of love left.
If he had never loved her, maybe Robin wouldn't have insisted on divorce. But the problem was that he had loved her deeply. She was his first love, his wife, and the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. Yet this was how it all ended. It was almost laughable.
"Hi, Stu. Hi, Helen."
Robin didn't say a single word to Angeline. He strode past her and greeted her parents instead. Stu and Helen had spent their entire lives in academia. Even just sitting there, they radiated that gentle, scholarly air. The depth in their eyes made it feel as if they held an entire library of knowledge within them.
"Rob, you're here. Come, sit."
"Thanks, Helen."
Robin sat on the couch. Angeline sat beside him. The air was thick with awkwardness.
"I've already heard everything from Angie. Rob, are you sure about this?" Helen looked at him, her tone full of resignation. She knew better than anyone how good Robin had always been to Angeline, but that was precisely why he couldn't accept her betrayal.
She also knew that Robin's willingness to come here at all—and to sit calmly instead of yelling at Angeline—was already the greatest respect he could give them.
"Yes, Helen. I've made up my mind. Maybe our relationship was only meant to last this long. I won't fight for custody of Sam, so don't worry about that. As for the villa Angeline and I live in now, I'm not taking that, either.
"I've already asked a friend to start handling the division of our marital assets. When I left to come here, he was already done with about half of it. Everything should be more or less settled before he gets off work today," Robin informed them.
What did ruthlessness look like? This was a perfect display of it. At this point, there was nothing emotional to consider, only interests.
"Oh, right," Robin added. "Besides custody of Sam, I won't ask for visitation rights, either."
The Sharpes, along with Angeline, all stared at him in shock. They could understand him giving up custody, but visitation rights, too? That was basically the same as giving up on Sam entirely.
Even if the two of them got divorced, with a child between them, they would still have reasons to stay in contact, to talk, and to meet. There was even a chance they would find their way back to each other because of their child. It happened all the time with many divorced couples.
But if Robin didn't even want visitation rights, that meant that once the divorce went through, there would be absolutely nothing tying him to Angeline. He clearly had no intention of maintaining any contact with her.
It was only then that Angeline and her parents fully understood just how determined Robin was to end this marriage. Now that things were at this point, Stu and Helen knew there was nothing left for them to say because whatever they said would be useless.
Just as Robin had said, their relationship had run its course. Since that was the case, there was no point in forcing it any longer. They both had to let go and start over on their own.
"If you insist on the divorce, I'll change Sam's last name to mine," Angeline suddenly said.
"That's fine," Robin replied.
She had thought that would shake him and that she could use it to pin him down emotionally. She never imagined he would agree so readily. The whole thing was just… pathetic.
Just then, Robin's phone chimed with a new message. He said, "Stu, Helen, I need to check this."
He pulled out his phone to see a screenshot from Jack. In it, Sam was at an amusement park, and right beside him was Oscar. He checked the timestamp and saw it had been taken three minutes ago.
Sam might still be young, but with smartphones being so common nowadays, he already had his own phone and messaging apps. Back when he was about four years old, he'd added a bunch of Angeline's and Robin's friends as contacts.
This explained why Sam wasn't home. Evidently, Angeline had asked Oscar to take him to the amusement park. In the photo, Sam's smile was bright and carefree.
Angeline, who sat beside Robin, also saw the screenshot. Her expression immediately shifted as she realized what this meant, and her face went pale.
Robin didn't get angry, though. He remained as calm as he'd been since arriving. He turned back to Stu and Helen, saying, "So, I'm sorry. I'm not going to take anyone's advice on this matter. I also genuinely hope that Angeline and Oscar can get back together as soon as possible, make up for past regrets, and live happily ever after as a perfect little family of three."
That last sentence dripped with sarcasm.
"Robin, I've already explained this to you," Angeline snapped. "Oscar and I are just friends. Nothing ever happened between us, and I haven't done anything inappropriate. Why won't you believe me? Back then, I was…"
She was what? That issue would always be a dead knot in their relationship. No amount of explaining would unravel it.
"Stu, Helen, I still have things to deal with. I'll come visit you another time." Robin stood and headed toward the door.
As he reached for the handle, Angeline's voice shot through the room. "Robin Weisz, if you walk out that door, then we're really getting divorced! I'll never forgive you for this!"
Hearing that, Robin looked back at her. "The sooner, the better."
With that, he opened the door and walked out.
Angeline stared at the closed door, her hands balled into tight fists. She turned to her parents, her voice full of helplessness as she asked, "Mom, Dad, what do I do?"
"What else can you do?" Stu asked in return. "Get divorced. The two of you… This marriage was doomed from the start. Angie, even if Oscar had never been in the picture, you probably would've still fallen in love with Robin. But the fact that you've always treated him as a stand-in for Oscar is what he can't accept.
"You wanted him to become Oscar for you, but you need to understand that making a man live in another man's shadow like that is the greatest humiliation ever.
"Even if you don't get a divorce now, the rift between you two will only grow wider. Eventually, you'll be like strangers sharing a home and tormenting each other day after day. Is that the kind of marriage you want? So just make this a clean break. Consider it the last bit of dignity you give each other."
Stu looked at Angeline, knowing they were completely out of options. He and Helen had already stepped in personally, yet they'd still failed to change anything. That alone showed how firm Robin's decision was. They understood him well enough to know that once he decided on something, no one could sway him.
"No. I'm not getting divorced. I'm not divorcing him, even if we spend a lifetime tearing each other apart! I'll never divorce him!"
After that outburst, Angeline stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.
"How did a perfect family end up like this?" Tears slipped down Helen's cheeks. She looked despondent.
"There's nothing we can do. The truth wouldn't have stayed buried forever. I expected this outcome since the day Oscar returned. I've tried to remind Angie over and over, both directly and indirectly. She just refused to listen. Now, she'll have to live with the consequences herself," Stu said.
Both he and Helen sighed.
Meanwhile, Angeline had already run all the way down to the parking garage, but Robin's car was long gone.
She pulled out her phone and called him, but there was no answer. She tried again, but there was still no answer. At that moment, the same feeling she'd had back when Oscar had left the country—the feeling of being abandoned—came crashing back. That suffocating sense of helplessness terrified her.
In the past, whenever she had a breakdown, Robin was always there to catch her. But this time, even he was gone. She had been abandoned by the man she'd thought would stand by her side for the rest of her life.
Angeline's hands shook as she pulled up her chat with Robin. She looked through their recent messages and saw they were all arguments. It felt like every interaction between them since Oscar's return had eventually turned into a fight.
She crouched and curled in on herself, burying her face in her knees. Then, she broke down in uncontrollable sobs.
"Robin, listen to me. I'm not getting divorced. I'm not signing those papers, and I mean it! You can't leave me!" She sent voice message after voice message, her voice hoarse and hysterical. She sounded like she'd lost her mind.
Robin listened to each one in the car, his face remaining passive. His heart was now set in stone when it came to Angeline. There was no room left for second chances.
Just then, his phone rang. This time, it was a call from Jack. Robin picked up. "Hello?"
"Are you done? Do you need me to come pick you up?" Jack asked.
"I'm done. I'm already on my way back."
"Good. I've finished sorting out your marital assets. From everything you two acquired after getting married, your share comes to 590 million dollars, plus 12 commercial units, 3 houses, and 2 cars.
"I'm still having the team process the remaining terms in the divorce agreement, but we should have everything wrapped by the end of the workday. Oh, and Joe and Dave are already here. You're the only one we're waiting on."
"Got it. I'll be there in about ten minutes," Robin said.
"Drive safe."
"Okay."
Robin ended the call, stepped on the gas, and headed straight for the law firm.
Masuk
