Chapter 2

Jasper’s gaze flickered with a hint of panic, but it quickly turned cold.

He said impatiently, “Seriously? Again?”

He then smiled. His expression was icy and tinged with condescending amusement.

“Fine. When?”

Esther opened the car door and got in.

“Now.”

The car soon arrived at the courthouse.

When the court clerk, Katie Smith, asked for the reason for the divorce, Jasper looked at Esther with a half-smile.

Esther said calmly, “Irreconcilable differences.”

His face turned extremely sour.

Katie glanced at Esther’s pregnant belly and offered some advice.

She said, “Ms. Rivera, every couple fights. Marriage isn’t easy. Don’t make a rash decision out of anger. You’re almost due. Surely you don’t want that child to be born without a father.”

When she finished speaking, Jasper had already signed his name indifferently.

He then said, “Esther, trying to manipulate me was a stupid move. There’s a thirty-day cooling period. Use it to come to your senses.

“This is the last time I’m putting up with your tantrums.”

He tossed the pen down and walked away without sparing Esther another glance.

The other clerks in the courthouse exchanged looks, then looked at Esther pitifully.

She sobbed as she signed the document.

“Thanks. Sorry for the trouble.”

This was her third time filing for divorce.

The first time, Summer falsely accused her of stealing.

Instead of defending her, Jasper let Summer rummage through her bag in public so that she could prove her innocence.

That was when she first realized how little he thought of her. She did not sleep at all that night.

The next day, she filed for divorce and moved back to her hometown.

Jasper was on a business trip abroad at the time. He took a ten-hour flight and rushed back overnight.

Jasper stood outside her family home the entire night, pleading in tears.

He explained that he knew she had not stolen anything. He had only allowed Summer to search her bag because he believed it was the quickest way to clear her name.

As Esther loved him, her heart softened, and she moved back in with him.

The second time around, Summer went through Esther and Jasper’s private messages, cherry-picked only the parts where Esther was being lovey-dovey toward Jasper, and posted them in the company’s group chat.

What had been mutual affection between two spouses turned into a one-sided crush in the company’s eyes.

Esther’s reputation was completely destroyed. She was mocked and shunned by her colleagues.

In desperation, she blurted out the truth that she and Jasper were already married and that Summer was the one who spread those malicious rumors.

However, Jasper chose to protect Summer.

He publicly denied that they were married and proceeded to fire her.

Later on, he brushed it off and explained casually, “You made a big scene, and now Sunny has to deal with the fallout at work. But hey, facts are facts. I know you’re my wife. That’s all that matters.”

That was the first time Esther had a huge fight with him and again wanted a divorce.

Unfortunately, she became so emotionally agitated that she passed out on the spot and was taken to the hospital.

When she woke up, she learned she was pregnant.

For the sake of the baby, she endured it once more.

As her pregnancy progressed and she kept yielding to Summer’s provocations, he became more convinced that her talk of divorce was just a ploy for his attention.

This time, she was serious.

After she signed the documents and left the courthouse, she saw Jasper’s car speed away.

A gentle breeze lifted the hem of her skirt. It reminded her of the day she and Jasper received their marriage certificate.

Jasper, who had experienced many highs and lows in life and was usually very composed, never showed his feelings openly.

Yet on the day of their wedding photoshoot, he abandoned his usual reserved nature and smiled with unusual happiness and warmth.

He took her hand and looked at her with a hint of guilt as he said, “Esther, my parents think you’re not good enough for our family.

“The only way they’ll agree to let us marry is if we keep it a secret and don’t have a wedding.

“I know this isn’t fair to you. Just hang in there a little longer. I promise I’ll talk them around and give you the grand wedding you deserve as soon as possible.”

Back then, she had believed that he loved her.

However, if that was love, it was so fragile that the slightest thing could make it vanish.