Chapter 7

Allen yanked Carina into the courthouse with him.

"Hello, we're here for a divorce."

"Please fill out these forms."

The clerk handed them two forms, tossed over two ballpoint pens, and returned to his work.

Clutching the pen, Carina was still in disbelief. She, the CEO of Simpson Group, was getting a divorce just like that?

She glanced at Allen beside her, who had already filled out most of his form, before finally staring at the form in front of her.

Custody? Reason for divorce? Division of property?

She had never thought about any of this.

Assuming Carina didn't know what to do, Allen told her, "We don't have kids, so leave the custody section blank."

If not for the sake of salvaging Simpson Group, he wouldn't have been so busy that he didn't have the time to start a family with Carina. And if they had a child, he wouldn't have been able to make such a snap decision about the divorce.

Therefore, they were basically just a couple who'd been together for a long time.

"Oh…"

Carina filled out the form carelessly, occasionally glancing at Allen. It seemed to her that he wasn't joking after all. Was he really going to divorce her? Was their 12-year relationship really going to end so abruptly?

"Reason for divorce…"

"The wife's infidelity."

"I didn't cheat on you!"

"Then just put irreconciliable differences."

"You—"

Carina gritted her teeth and continued to fill out the form, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn't believe Allen had truly fallen out of love with her. They'd been going strong for 12 years now. How could their relationship suddenly become irreparable?

When she reached the property division section, she started to smirk.

"So how do you plan to divide our marital assets?"

Thinking about the division of assets immediately dispelled all of Carina's previous anxiety.

All the Simpson family's assets were under her parents' names. Even if Allen took every bit of her personal assets and left her empty-handed, there wouldn't be much anyway.

Meanwhile, Sophie's medical treatments cost over a million dollars a year, and Allen also had his own expenses to pay.

How could he possibly leave her?

With that in mind, Carina leaned back against the chair without a care in the world, even taking out her phone to start handling some work matters.

"We'll split it 50-50."

Allen's brisk answer left Carina stunned.

"Split what 50-50? Simpson Group? Don't forget that Simpson Group is still under my dad's name—"

"We'll split the villa, the cars in the garage, and all the stuff in the villa. If you don't want to sell them off, just give me half the value in cash," Allen replied.

"H-How much do you want?"

"Ten million dollars. I won't say no if you're willing to give me more than that."

Allen pushed his completed divorce paperwork toward Carina. She stared at the two forms, frozen.

"Y-You only want 10 million? What about your sister? Her hospital bills are at least a million a year. If you leave with just this money, she won't survive for more than another 10 years! And you're already 30. If you leave Simpson Group and look for a job, you won't earn enough to pay for expenses!

"So let's just forget about the divorce. Allen, you need to be more realistic and—"

"You don't need to worry about that," Allen cut her off coldly. "Even if I have to sell the shirt off my back, I won't ask your family for another cent."

"Why, you! Do you really scorn me that much?" Carina's anger was getting the better of her.

She was just about to speak when her phone started ringing at the most inconvenient time.

"Our love is just like the fall leaves that can never witness the bloom of spring…"

Allen glanced down at the caller ID—Hubby.

Carina's face went pale.

She had only just changed the nickname she used for Jonah on WhatsApp, but forgot to change the name in her phone's saved contacts. She'd even assigned him a custom ringtone.

Carina quickly moved to a quiet corner to answer the call. "What is it, Jon? Are you still in pain? What did the doctor say?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to ask you who I should give the company report to," Jonah said.

"What company report?" Carina's expression darkened. "Why have you gone back to work? With how bad your injuries are, you should stay at the hospital and get some rest. I'll explain the situation to the others at the office later."

"It's okay, Carrie. I came back to the country to help you guys anyway. I can't let something as trivial as this get in the way of work."

Carina's heart warmed to hear how dutiful and responsible Jonah was being. It was a total mockery of the way Jonah was demanding a divorce first thing in the morning.

"You're such a great guy, Jon. Even after everything that happened yesterday, you're not upset with us at all and insisted on coming to work today," she said. "You're nothing like Allen. He hurt you so badly last night, but he's still upset and wants to get a divorce!"

"Huh? How can Allen do that? I thought he would've calmed down after I let him beat me up!" Jonah smirked, his eyes flashing with greedy desire, but he made sure to keep his tone gentle. "But if that's really the kind of man he is, maybe it's best if you get a divorce.

"He got jealous over something as simple as dropping by to give me some medical supplies. Imagine how much more controlling he might get later on. Carrie, since you two don't have a child yet, it's best if you consider whether this marriage is really right for you.

"You're a beautiful woman with a great figure. You come from a good family, and you're the CEO of Simpson Group! People would kill to have a wife as perfect as you. He doesn't know how lucky he is!"

"You're so sweet, Jon." Carina chuckled, though she still looked a little lost. Even though Jonah's compliments made her happy, the thought of divorcing Allen left her conflicted. She wasn't ready to part with him.

"There are plenty of men out there, Carrie. Anyone of them would be better than Allen," Jonah said in somewhat of a rush, the desire in his eyes growing. "He's just using the history you guys share and the fact that he helped your family out a bit to gaslight you!

"If I were married to you, Carrie, you could play around with whoever you wanted, and I would trust you completely! Right, wifey?"

"Thank you, Jon. But don't joke like that again." Hearing Jonah call her "wifey" again made Carina recall last night's incident. Frowning, she said, "Allen hates it, so don't call me wifey anymore."

"But Carrie…"

"Let's stop here. I'm heading back to the office now. If there's anything else, we can talk in person."

Carina ended the call, changed Jonah's contact name, and turned back. "Allen, I told Jon we won't use those nicknames anymore. Are you satisfied now?"

"That's none of my business. Sign the form," Allen shot back.

Carina gritted her teeth. "A divorce is no small matter. We'll discuss it later. I'll call my parents to come over tomorrow, and we'll talk properly. I've got work to do at the office. Can you drive me there first?"

"I'll give you a ride once you sign the divorce papers."

"You! Oh, forget it. I'll get a cab myself."

Allen sighed after watching Carina leave the courthouse in a cab. He couldn't get a divorce if she refused to sign the papers.

He would have to think of something, but before that, he had something even more important to do. He had to find a job.