Chapter 3

But he hadn't. He simply signed at the bottom of the pages, not taking her words seriously at all.

After he signed, she heard him say, his voice laced with warning, "I never want to hear the word 'divorce' from you again."

'You don't want a divorce? But you've already signed the divorce papers.'

After suppressing the bitterness of being dismissed so casually, Sarah's mind suddenly became crystal clear.

The divorce papers were signed. That was enough.

She efficiently gathered the documents and turned around to leave.

Behind her, Jack said indifferently, "Remember to go to the restaurant tonight."

Hearing this, Sarah didn't pause at all. She walked coldly out of the CEO's office.

When she passed the secretarial department, she overheard Kyle telling the secretaries, "Don't worry, tonight, pictures of Mr. Ferrell and his wife celebrating their wedding anniversary will be published by the press. The scandal will die down instantly."

So that was his plan. He wanted to use her to clear up the scandal.

In that case, she would give him one of the divorce agreements as their anniversary gift.

Let's see how he would clear up the scandal then.

The most important thing now was to obtain the divorce certificate.

Sarah returned to her own office at Ferrell Corporation and called her best friend Nancy Dunphy.

"Nancy, do you have any lawyer friends who can help me get divorced?"

Nancy's worried voice came through the phone. "Sarah, are you sure about this? You've been married for two years, and this is the first time Jack has had a scandal. Maybe there's a misunderstanding."

"He cheated with Haley Cole!"

Sarah's lips trembled slightly. After the anger passed, her heart was still bitter.

She had once opened her heart to him, telling him about the grievances of her childhood. The usually calm man had shown a crack of sympathy in his eyes.

The sincerity she showed him had now become a sharp blade he used to stab her heart.

The paparazzi hadn't captured Haley's face, so besides Sarah, no one knew the truth.

Hearing this, Nancy raised her voice, "Like mother, like daughter. They're both shameless! First they hurt your mother, now they're trying to humiliate you!

"It's bad enough that he's always so cold and indifferent, but now, he's doing this despite knowing your history!

"Divorce him! There's no point being his wife anymore!"

"Yeah!" Getting Nancy's support gave Sarah some comfort.

Nancy's family ran a jewelry empire, so she had a lot of connections. She could definitely help.

"Nancy, we've already signed the divorce papers. According to court procedure, it'll take a month for the divorce to take effect, but I don't want to wait that long. Do you know any way to speed it up?"

Nancy didn't even hesitate. "I have a friend with incredible connections. I guarantee you'll get your divorce certificate in three days."

"Thank you, Nancy."

In three days, she would never have to see them again.

After work, Sarah delivered the divorce papers to Nancy and went to the restaurant.

She was led by a waiter to a window seat.

The huge restaurant had only one customer—her.

She took out a gift box from her bag. Inside was an exquisite tie clip.

This was the anniversary gift she had carefully crafted for Jack.

It had taken a month, and during the process, she had even accidentally hurt herself, cutting the webbing between her thumb and index finger on a file.

Sarah removed the tie clip from the gift box and put it in her purse, then placed the rolled-up second copy of the divorce agreement into the box and tied a bow on it.

She waited for half an hour before Jack finally appeared.

The man before her was tall and lean, with features so sharp they looked as if they were sculpted with a knife. His expression was indifferent. After sitting down, he told the waiter, "Serve the food."

"Wait."

Sarah interrupted him and pushed the gift box over. "Second wedding anniversary gift."

There wouldn't be a third one.

Her gaze swept over Jack's outstretched hand, and she noticed a faint ring mark on his ring finger.

He had even taken off his wedding ring, yet wouldn't allow her to mention divorce!

Sarah suppressed the rising anger and said coolly, "Why don't you open it?"

Jack's face was expressionless, but he did as she asked. He untied the bow and opened the lid.

He knew what was inside.

She had been secretly making it for a month.

He had thought she would give him something valuable, but it was just a tie clip.

Meanwhile, reporters lurking outside the window scrambled to take photos, the flashbulbs making the scene as bright as day.

Sarah watched as Jack lifted the lid. When a corner of white inside the box was revealed—

He let the lid go, tossed the gift box to Kyle, and pulled his phone from his suit pocket.

Looking at the vibrating phone in his hand, he smiled without realizing it. When he looked back at Sarah, his expression turned cold. "I need to take care of something. Go home by yourself once you're done eating."

He left as soon as the PR photos were taken. He used her, then discarded her.

Sarah had had enough of two years of neglect and being used as a tool.

Her gaze slowly turned icy, and she said, her voice cold and clear, "Jack, can't you spend just one minute to open the present?"

Jack paused, then looked at her coldly. "Do I need to teach you how to be a proper wife?"

He had been patient enough with her, allowing her to throw a tantrum twice, but there wouldn't be a third time.

Meeting his cold eyes, which looked at her as if she were a stranger, Sarah suddenly felt at peace. "No need," she said.

It didn't matter anymore.

After their divorce, they would have nothing to do with each other.

His attitude no longer concerned her.

-

Outside the window, reporters' cars blocked the road.

A black Bentley came to a stop.

In the back seat, a man's gaze fell on that slender, fragile female figure in the spotlight, his eyes dark and deep.

His assistant, Lester Weasley, answered a call in the driver's seat. He then covered the receiver and asked, "Boss, Miss Dunphy invited you to dinner. She appears to need your help with something."

Hearing this, he frowned slightly, and Lester understood.

His boss came from a distinguished family and was a business magnate. He was highly educated, formidable in combat, and on top of that, good-looking and disciplined. He was a very desirable man. Countless women schemed to get close to him, but he never gave any woman a chance.

Lester turned his attention back to the phone and told Nancy, "I'm sorry, Miss Dunphy. Mr. Cunningham can't find the time..."

-

By the time Sarah left, it was already pretty late.

The spring chill was piercing, the bone-deep cold assailing her.

She shivered involuntarily and pulled her cashmere coat tighter, but the world spun before her eyes, and a wave of intense discomfort surged through her.

She took out her phone to call her driver, but accidentally called Jack instead. The voice that answered was sweet and soft.

Haley's tone was smug and mocking. "Sarah, I suggest you stop waiting. Jack is celebrating my graduation with me. You have no idea how romantic he can be. He knew that I liked..."

So he had rushed off to see Haley.

Sarah used her last bit of strength to hang up. As her body gave out and she slid down against the railing, a warmth suddenly pressed against her waist, steadying and lifting her.

She realized she was being supported. The unfamiliar scent of crisp pinewood filled her nostrils. She instinctively opened her eyes alertly and saw a handsome, flawless face.

"Mr. Cunningham?"

Sarah dug her nails into her palm to force herself awake and raised her hand to create distance between them.

But the moment her hand touched his chest, he seemed to understand and immediately stepped back. The large hand that had been holding her waist moved to her elbow.

This made her heave a sigh of relief.

Then, the large hand suddenly withdrew.

Unable to maintain balance, she reflexively grabbed Duncan's arm.

She was cold and hot at once, her vision blurry, her mind unclear. Feeling she might collapse anytime, she pleaded, "Mr. Cunningham, could you take me to the nearest hospital? It's just two blocks away."

Seeing the man's cold, dark expression, she said with a little urgency, "I'm so sorry to trouble you. I'm not feeling well."

The man frowned slightly, his deep black eyes studying her for two seconds as if weighing the truth of her words.

She unconsciously tightened her grip on his sleeve.

In her field of vision, the tall, imposing figure suddenly bent down. His arms slid behind her back and behind the crooks of her knees through the thin fabric of her clothing, and he lifted her up.

Being suddenly picked up, she was afraid of falling and reflexively grabbed his collar. The taut muscles beneath his shirt pressed against her like roaring waves, carrying a hint of danger that made her a little uncomfortable.

Looking up, she saw the calmness in his eyes. His straight back tilted slightly backward, as if resisting her closeness.

She quickly withdrew her hands and lowered her gaze to avoid his. "Thank you."

His steps were strong and swift. Within minutes, he had delivered her to the emergency room.

At the sight of the white coats, her taut nerves relaxed, and she fainted.

Before losing consciousness, she saw Duncan trying to leave but being stopped by the medical staff.

Two hours later, she was awakened by noise and realized she was lying on a hospital bed. Her gaze followed the murmurs of the medical staff to the drone show outside the window, which filled the dark night sky. Her gaze turned hollow.

Haley's words echoed in her mind.

"You have no idea how romantic he can be. He knew I liked drone shows, so he specifically hired a professional team from Deepville to put on a show for me. He wanted the entire city of Seaview to see it."

The drone show ended with enormous letters:

"MY TRUE LOVE IS YOU"

True love?

If Haley were his true love, then what was she?

If she were his true love, then when the two families discussed marriage, he should have married Haley and not her.

She recalled how she had drawn close to him because of her gratitude for him saving her life, how she had worked hard to marry him, and all the efforts she had made after marriage to be worthy of him. Her heart ached.

Sarah withdrew her gaze expressionlessly and got out of bed to pack her things to leave the hospital.

When she opened her purse, she saw the exquisite tie clip.

Jack didn't deserve it, just like he didn't deserve the two years she had given him. Her lost youth was like spilt milk, impossible to reclaim.

She would rather throw away the tie clip than give it to him.

She picked up the tie clip and was about to throw it in the trash when her eyes met Duncan's dark eyes, startling her.

She had spent a month carefully crafting the tie clip. Why should she throw it away because of that scumbag?

But seeing it reminded her of her sincerity that was trampled on.

She saw Duncan looking at the tie clip and said, "Mr. Cunningham, thank you for bringing me to the hospital. If you don't mind, please accept this tie clip as a token of my gratitude."

Seeing the man staring at her, she suddenly realized something. He was the CEO of Cunningham Corporation. He had everything. Why would he want a handmade trinket?

Embarrassed, she was about to withdraw it when he reached out and took it without any visible emotion.

Half an hour later, Jack rushed to the hospital, having received a call from a nurse.

As he stepped out of the elevator, he walked past a tall man. Because of the man's impressive aura, Jack took another look at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tie clip fastened to the man's tie.

He turned back toward the closing elevator doors. His gaze looked up from the tie clip to meet Duncan's calm, unruffled dark eyes.

The tie clip that man was wearing had almost the same craftsmanship and color as the one Sarah made.

The thing Sarah made for him was now being worn by another man?

Impossible!

Jack frowned, his face cold and grim. He said to his assistant, "Kyle, let me see my wife's gift."