Chapter 5

Jazlyn did the math. She had over 20 days to go before the divorce would be finalized. "Just over 20 days. You know I'm not done with this divorce yet," she said.

Penny asked, "Your ex-husband isn't going to harass you, is he?"

After all, Jazlyn had been the most beautiful student in their faculty back in the day. Would any man be foolish enough to let her go?

Jazlyn smiled self-deprecatingly. "He won't. He can't wait for us to be divorced."

Rebecca was all Ethan could see right now. So, why would he care about Jazlyn?

"That's good," Penny said. Nevertheless, she preferred to err on the side of caution. She handed Jazlyn a business card and said, "You don't need to be afraid, even if you do get into trouble. This is my friend's card. She works at Jeriton's most renowned law firm, and divorce cases are her forte. You'll make it out of this without a hitch with her on your side."

Jazlyn didn't think she would need it, but she still smiled and took the business card. "Thanks, Penny."

…

The sky had gone dark when Jazlyn got home. She saw a pair of heels in the foyer and a woman's coat and bag on the couch.

After a moment of confusion, she heard Rebecca's voice drift down from upstairs. Only then did she remember that Rebecca had already moved in. It seemed that she'd been discharged from the hospital that day.

As Jazlyn headed upstairs, she realized that Rebecca's voice was coming from the master bedroom, which upset her.

Even if she and Ethan would soon be divorced, the master bedroom was still her turf at this point. Rebecca had crossed the line by barging in there without permission.

Jazlyn entered the room to see Rebecca sitting on the bed in nothing but a towel. Ethan was crouched by her feet as he massaged her ankle with an ointment.

Jazlyn was angered by the sight and had to refrain from cursing at them.

When Rebecca saw her, she hastily explained, "I fell in the bathroom earlier, Jazlyn. That's why Ethan brought me here to help put something on my ankle. You won't mind, will you?"

Jazlyn asked coldly, "Why were you in my room in the first place?"

Seemingly frightened by her icy tone, Rebecca teared up. She said pitifully, "The shower in my room suddenly malfunctioned, so I came over to ask Ethan whether I could borrow his bathroom. I'll leave right now if it bothers you."

She got up to leave but lost her balance because of her ankle. As she swayed and started to topple, Ethan instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to catch her. She pressed herself to him, looking panicked.

He said soothingly, "Don't be scared. It's just a small matter. Jazlyn won't mind."

His expression turned grim as he turned to look at Jazlyn. "The way you spoke earlier was out of line. Apologize to Becky."

Jazlyn found the situation laughable. Rebecca was barely dressed while seated on her bed, and she even had her arms wrapped around Jazlyn's "husband". So, why did Jazlyn have to apologize when she'd only asked a question?

She didn't want to play their games, so she turned to head downstairs.

"Jazlyn Shore!" Ethan snarled, furious at her attitude.

Jazlyn turned to give him an icy look. "And what will you do if I refuse to apologize?"

His gaze darkened. His tone was edged with anger as he said, "It's an order. It's not up for negotiation."

That was how he'd always spoken to her for the past three years. Jazlyn had endured it thus far, but she didn't want to anymore. They were about to divorce, anyway. She didn't think that there was anything to be afraid of.

She held her head high and mocked, "Fine, then. I'll apologize. I'm so sorry for intruding on you two flirting with each other. After all, a proper wife should turn a blind eye to her husband's affair with his mistress."

"Jazlyn!" Ethan's breath quickened, clearly fueled by anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Her gaze landed on his arm. "Am I wrong? Where are you resting your arm, Mr. Ford?"

Only then did Ethan notice that he still had his arm wrapped around Rebecca's waist.

Meanwhile, Rebecca acted like she'd suffered a huge grievance. She sobbed and said, "It's all my fault. Jazlyn, don't get the wrong idea about Ethan, and don't argue with him. I'll move out tonight."

With that, she limped out of the room.

Ethan was about to continue yelling at Jazlyn when he heard Rebecca cry out in shock.

Jazlyn turned to see Rebecca lose her balance and roll down the stairs. Ethan immediately shoved her aside and ran down.

Jazlyn, caught off guard, fell to the floor, slamming her arm on it. Her wounds started hurting again.

"Becky, are you okay?" Ethan cried anxiously. Then, the sound of the front door opening and closing followed that.

Jazlyn smiled mockingly. It seemed that Ethan would spend another night at the hospital with Rebecca.

She removed the linens from the bed and threw them into the trash can. She didn't want to use something a shameless woman like Rebecca had touched. She found it filthy.

By the time she was done, she saw that Ethan had sent her a WhatsApp message. It read, "Go to Becky's room and bring her a clean outfit."

Jazlyn pretended not to see it and turned off her phone.

After washing up, she got into bed and curled up under the fresh covers. She stopped thinking about Ethan and Rebecca and soon drifted off to sleep.

…

The following day, Katie dropped by. She said apprehensively, "Mrs. Ford, Mr. Ford told me to come collect some of Ms. Jett's clothes."

Jazlyn pointed at a room on the second floor. "That's her room."

Katie hurried away and soon returned with a bag of clothes. Then, she said hesitantly, "Mr. Ford also wants me to bring you to the hospital so you can care for Ms. Jett…"

She couldn't help feeling diffident as she spoke.

Jazlyn simply ignored her and continued eating her breakfast. Katie felt a little wronged at being ignored, but she couldn't do anything to Jazlyn.

In the past, Jazlyn had been willing to do anything for Ethan. Now, however, it seemed that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with him.

In truth, Katie thought Ethan had crossed the line with this. How could he tell his wife to care for his mistress?

Instead of saying anything else, she quickly bid Jazlyn goodbye before leaving.

…

After breakfast, Jazlyn bought some daily necessities online and had them delivered to her new place. As soon as she paid the bill, she received a WhatsApp call from Ethan.

He started snapping at her the moment she answered. "Don't take this too far, Jazlyn! You made Becky get hurt, so you have to come to the hospital to apologize and care for her!"

Jazlyn snorted. "She fell down the stairs herself. What does that have to do with me? And what if I refuse to go?"

That only made Ethan angrier. Jazlyn had always obeyed him and had never once gone against him.

He forced through gritted teeth, "Don't forget whose money you're spending, Jazlyn. You have to do everything I tell you to!"

Now, Jazlyn was mad, too. She had done so much for him and even helped him recover and stand on his own again, yet he was now using her sacrifices to insult her.

She didn't want to talk to him anymore, so she hung up and blocked him on WhatsApp.

When Ethan had first blocked her number, she'd been so upset that she'd gone a few nights without sleep. Now that she was the one who had blocked him on WhatsApp, she felt like the frustration she'd felt back then had finally been vented.

After a while, Katie called her. She blocked the former's number and turned off her phone. Now, she had peace.

Jazlyn thought about how she would be starting a new job soon and needed some clothes and shoes for it. So, she headed to the mall.

Every month, Ethan would, based on her formal applications, give her 30 thousand dollars for living expenses and five thousand dollars as pocket money.

If he needed her to attend important functions with him, she would need to request an additional sum to buy an appropriate outfit.

As for the branded bags and jewelry in the walk-in closet, she only had the right to use them. They didn't belong to her.

Jazlyn usually had a bit left over from her living expenses after spending on groceries and daily necessities, so she'd saved just over half a million dollars over the past three years.

Every cent Ethan spent on Jazlyn was carefully calculated, yet it was less than what he would spend on a single bag for Rebecca, not that he cared about how that would make Jazlyn feel.

His behavior constantly reminded Jazlyn that he didn't love her.