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No More Love after Separation
No More Love after Separation
Author: Spicy Shrimp

Chapter 1

Author: Spicy Shrimp
The small talk in the VIP lounge had just ended.

Louis Sterling, the sponsor of this trip, glanced at Vivienne Holt. She was my husband’s best friend.

Louis frowned and asked, “Mr. Darnell, I went out of my way to book a private island for this trip. I invited you and your wife to celebrate the deal and enjoy your honeymoon while you were at it.

“Mrs. Darnell has been up all night working with us on this deal for the past two weeks, so how come she’s not on today’s flight? Who’s this?”

Unfazed, Braxton explained with a poised smile, “Adeline did work hard on this deal. But she was hospitalized a couple of days ago. The doctor said she needed to rest. A long flight and the humid island air aren’t good for her.

“Vivienne is an old friend of mine. She’s been going through a rough time lately, so I figured I’d bring her along to clear her head.

“You’re happy with the project. So who I bring to your resort really shouldn’t have any bearing on our future partnership.”

Louis was still not fully convinced, but he chose to stop questioning it. He nodded politely and said, “I see. Mrs. Darnell really did push herself too hard. Well, enjoy your trip.”

Louis and his people boarded the plane and left, leaving only the three of us.

I stopped what I was doing and asked in a calm tone, “About what you just said, why didn’t you discuss it with me beforehand?”

I had been looking forward to this honeymoon for three months. It was also meant to celebrate my success.

For fifteen days straight, I slept only three hours a night. To make sure every key clause was flawless, I polished them over and over. I even worked myself so hard that I landed in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer.

This island vacation should have been mine. Instead, it was going to her, his so-called friend who had just gone through a breakup.

Braxton rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. He seemed irritated by my question.

“Adeline, Vivienne just got out of a relationship. She needs to get away and clear her head so she can move on.

“Back there, I couldn’t exactly call you out in front of Mr. Sterling and make him think we’re having problems. I just had to roll with it.”

There it was. The same excuse again.

His calm, certain expression told me there was no point in arguing further.

I had only wanted to see where he stood. I had my answer.

He sensed something off in my silence.

His voice softened. “Come on, don’t be mad. Once I’m back from helping her clear her head, I’ll give you the wedding you want.

“Just consider it my way of making it up to you, okay?”

Looking at his indifferent expression, I thought back to the day we got legally married in the courthouse.

The company was just starting out back then.

To save money, we skipped the wedding ceremony. We just quickly got our marriage license.

Later, whenever I brought up having a wedding ceremony, he would wave it off and say, “It’s just a formality. If a grown man like me doesn’t care about it, what’s there for you to get so worked up over?”

Until today, we never talked about it again.

Just to take Vivienne on vacation, he actually volunteered to hold a wedding ceremony.

I glanced at him and quietly put away the itinerary I had prepared. Then, I turned and got ready to leave the airport.

He watched me go, thinking the promise of a wedding had smoothed things over.

I had not gone far when Vivienne caught up to me.

She put on that aggrieved look, like she had done something wrong, and said, “Adeline, I’m so sorry. I had no idea Brax was going to switch your ticket to mine.

“I was freaking out just now. Maybe I should just stay home. I can’t steal your honeymoon...”

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  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 10

    Three months had passed.Braxton had lost the company and me. Vivienne had dumped him, too.He still had a little secret stash of money. It was probably enough to last him about six months.But he had already fallen apart. Alcohol became his only way to numb the days. His face was covered in stubble. He had dropped over ten pounds. His eye sockets had sunk deep into his face. He could not bring himself to look in the mirror.One weekend, he found himself walking out of his rented apartment like a zombie.He took a two-hour bus ride to that top-tier golf club on the outskirts of the city.It was the place where we had first met and fallen in love. It was where he used to sit under the umbrella and wait for me by the green.There seemed to be an official tournament today. The spectator area was packed. The applause on the course was deafening.He walked to the corner seat of the bleachers.When he looked up and glanced at the tee box, he froze.There stood a woman in profes

  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 9

    (3rd POV)Braxton shivered as he held his phone and stood under the streetlight. He walked the streets like a man who had lost his soul.Too exhausted to continue walking, he sat down on a bench by the roadside.His mind replayed the day he and Adeline were in the courthouse. She was standing in front of the mirror in a white dress when he walked in and stood behind her. He stared at her for a long while.She asked, “Are you done staring?”He replied, “I’ll never be done. I could stare at you for the rest of my life.”The rest of his life, huh? How ridiculous. He ruined the relationship so early on that he wasted all the time and love they were ever meant to have.A massive wave of regret overwhelmed him.He sat on the bench, chain-smoking one cigarette after another in silence. He did not stop until the pack was empty. Then, he leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes in defeat. He fell into a restless sleep.The next morning, he was woken up by the sound o

  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 8

    My father sneered, “My daughter says you’re the last person she ever wants to see.”Braxton was shocked and hurt when he heard this.He shoved the chair aside. All he could think about at that moment was finding me. When he left in a hurry, Vivienne grabbed him as if he were her last lifeline.“Brax, you can’t leave! What am I supposed to do if you go?”His eyes were red with fury as he roared, “Get off me! Don’t touch me!”He violently shook her off and shoved her to the floor.My father coldly gave an order from behind, “Mr. Darnell, don’t go anywhere. We still need your signature on the company handover and the paperwork giving up all your assets.”However, Braxton had already bolted out of the office and into the elevator.In the basement parking lot, he walked toward his car, feeling nothing but emptiness.Vivienne refused to give up. She chased after him and clung desperately to his car door handle.“Brax, Adeline’s done with you! I’m all you’ve got left!” she said ur

  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 7

    Vivienne came in with a cup of hot coffee. She set it down on his desk attentively.“Brax, have some coffee. Adeline is just being dramatic. She’ll cool off and come back. You’ll see.”Braxton took the coffee and sipped it.He glanced at her. A foggy feeling crept over him.She was pretty, knew all the right things to say, and knew how to play her cards right.When he was with her, he felt like he was back in his early twenties. She doted on him, chased after him, and treated him like he was something special.Adeline had not given him that feeling in a long time.He knew it was wrong. But he was hooked. He could not help himself.He was just about to set the coffee cup down when the office door was forcefully opened.The loud bang made both of them look up with a start.My father walked in. Behind him were four lawyers and several bodyguards with stone-cold expressions.Braxton froze. He had only met my father once, years ago. The imposing middle-aged man in front of him

  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 6

    I walked out of the company and got into my car. I did not rush to leave. I sat there for a long while.Once I regained my composure, I picked up my phone and called my father, Rafferty Edler.“Well, look who finally decided to call.” My father’s voice carried a hint of a scoff and some teasing.“What’s the matter? Are you finally willing to give your old man a call?”I skipped the small talk and got straight to it. “Dad, I’ve wrapped everything up on my end. Tomorrow’s handover should go fine, right?”He let out a sigh. His voice carried the weary tone of a man who had given up on scolding me.“The mergers and acquisitions team, as well as the legal team, are ready to go. They’ll be there at 9 a.m. tomorrow sharp. I’ll be there with them myself.“So what happened? You were dead set on going out there and doing it all on your own for that man. You said that you would rather live on scraps than take a dime from this family.“You finally hit a wall and figured out which way hom

  • No More Love after Separation   Chapter 5

    Braxton had never expected to hear those words from me. His gaze was filled with confusion and anger.“Adeline, you’re divorcing me and kicking me out over a honeymoon and a room?“I built this company with you. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it, too. Who do you think you are to make that call?”I said nothing. I just found it laughable.Everything this company was built on, from the seed money to the core technology to the original connections, had come from me alone.He was nothing more than the guy I felt sorry for after the company got on track. So I let him be the chairman and let him call the shots.I even transferred thirty percent of my shares to him.When I looked back, I realized how naive I had been.The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.Vivienne slipped right back into her poor-little-me routine. She tugged at Braxton’s sleeve and said, “Brax, don’t be mad. Adeline is just upset right now.“Maybe I should just go. I don’t want to come between

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