Chapter 5

She saw not a trace of remorse in his eyes.

His large hand slid from her shoulder down to her wrist, pressing on her wound. The desire in his eyes faded, leaving only coldness. "Why are you resisting? Don't you want a baby?"

When the coolness of his palm touched her hand, she yanked her hand back.

Blood dripped down her pale arm, a shocking sight, yet it was even more painful than it looked. Her voice was weak but laced with anger. "Don't touch me. I don't want it."

The man frowned slightly and stepped forward, his cold gaze carrying the controlling dominance of someone superior. He said flatly, "Don't forget your responsibility as my wife."

Responsibility?

She recalled how both families had planned everything at their wedding, even how many children they would have to inherit the family businesses.

It was an agreement without any warmth, yet she had genuinely looked forward to it back then.

But had he ever cooperated?

With the excuse of prioritizing his career, he let her bear the pressure to have children from the Ferrell family and the mockery of Haley and her mother alone, for two years.

When she wanted to have a baby, he refused.

Now she didn't want one anymore.

She stared at his increasingly grim expression, the pain in her wrist reddening the corners of her eyes. "That's no longer my responsibility. Go look for—"

"Sarah."

Haley walked into the walk-in closet and inserted herself between Sarah and Jack, cutting her off. "I shouldn't have shattered your wedding photo. Don't blame Jack or take it out on yourself by self-harming, okay? Let me get the first aid kit and bandage your wound for you."

Watching Haley's pretentious act, Sarah forced back her tears and scoffed. "Don't bother with the fake kindness."

"Sarah, I really do want to help you." Haley put on a pitiful expression.

Jack's gaze swept past Sarah's hand. "She brought this on herself. There's no need for you to do anything for her."

He turned and walked away. Watching his cold, heartless back, Sarah suppressed the tears in her eyes.

A person who doesn't love you won't care even if you get hurt.

She should have understood this long ago.

But then, why did he patiently stay by her side during her recovery days after he saved her?

Having gained Jack's favoritism, Haley lowered her voice and mocked Sarah, "You failed to seduce him, so now you're trying to gain his sympathy? Let it go, Sarah. With me here, don't even think about getting intimate with Jack."

Only 29 days left.

Haley would never allow them to be alone together. She wouldn't give Sarah any chance to change Jack's mind.

She was the one who should have been engaged to Jack in the first place. If Sarah hadn't suddenly appeared and taken her place, she and Jack would have ended up together.

Jack would definitely keep his promise to divorce Sarah and marry her.

'Me, seduce Jack?'

Sarah looked at Haley as if she were an idiot. She couldn't be bothered to say anything to Haley, which made Haley stomp her foot in frustration and chase after Jack.

Sarah threw the bracelet into the trash, took out the first aid kit, and disinfected and bandaged her wound.

By the time she finished packing, it was already late at night. She had no energy left to pack her mother's jewelry.

Exhausted, she curled up on the bed but couldn't fall asleep. She stayed awake until dawn began to break, then picked up her suitcase and left the mansion without any hesitation.

-

The next day, when Jack went downstairs, he saw Haley busy in the kitchen.

"Jack, breakfast will be ready soon."

Jack sat down at the dining table and turned to the maid, Gloria. "Where's Mrs. Ferrell? Why is Miss Cole making breakfast?"

"I saw Mrs. Ferrell leaving the house when I arrived this morning. She's probably gone to work," Gloria replied. "Miss Cole said she wanted to make breakfast for you."

In their two years of marriage, Sarah had always been gentle and obedient.

Whenever he was home, she would make breakfast for him to please him.

This was the first time he had slept at home and not seen her homemade breakfast the next morning.

Jack remembered what she'd said last night about not wanting a baby, and his expression turned cold.

To have or not to have children wasn't something she could decide on her own.

"Sir, Mrs. Ferrell looked unwell. Her wrist was bandaged, and she seemed very upset," Gloria said worriedly. When she saw how unhappy Sarah looked when she left, then saw Haley fussing in the kitchen, she instantly understood what happened.

Miss Cole must have made the beautiful, gentle Mrs. Ferrell really mad.

But Mr. Ferrell had always indulged Miss Cole's repeated boundary-crossing.

She wanted to speak up for Mrs. Ferrell, but her position was too low.

Jack showed no reaction to Gloria's words. When Haley brought out breakfast, he gave her a gentle look.

-

Sarah returned to Ferrell Corporation and submitted her resignation to the charity foundation.

The board of directors of the charity foundation decided to hold a board meeting on the 15th of that month to vote for a new chairperson.

Until then, she still had to work on the ongoing projects.

"How are the preparations for tomorrow's charity auction going?"

Her assistant, Alice Harper, replied, "Mrs. Ferrell..."

"Call me Ms. Langdon from now on," she said flatly.

"Yes, Ms. Langdon." Alice was surprised but complied. "The venue and staff have been arranged, and most guests have confirmed, but the number of donated auction items is still insufficient."

"Give me the roster. I'll contact the remaining people myself." Sarah took out her phone and saw a message from Haley.

She tapped on it.

A man sat at a dining table, holding a knife and fork, extending a piece of sandwich toward the camera. The morning sunlight fell on him, making him look even more handsome than usual. His prominent Adam’s apple and sharp jawline accentuated his masculinity.

The photo was very clear. His gaze was gentle, and Haley's shy expression reflected in his dark eyes was also captured perfectly.

He had once been this tender with Sarah too.

Sarah's hands trembled slightly. She tapped into Haley's WhatsApp profile and blocked her.

Sarah's gaze landed on the wedding ring on her ring finger. She took it off. While doing so, her fingertips brushed against the engraved words "Jack & Sarah" inside the ring, something she had insisted on engraving on the wedding rings. Now, those words were nothing but mockery.

She handed it to Alice. "Add this to the auction."

Alice was astonished. "Ms. Langdon, this is your wedding ring. If you auction it off, won't Mr. Ferrell be angry?"

He wouldn't care.

He probably didn't even know where his own wedding ring was.

"It's fine." She took the roster from Alice.

Seeing that Sarah was serious, Alice complied and took the ring. As she left the office, she suddenly brightened up and muttered, "How silly of me. Mr. Ferrell will definitely bid for the ring and give it back to her. He'll be supporting his wife's charity career while also making her happy."

Sarah didn't think so.

By the time she took over as chairwoman of the charity foundation, he had already grown cold toward her.

She had invited him to several of her charity events, but he had always declined, citing work.

He would never attend. He had never thought about supporting her career, and because of that, she was often mocked by other wealthy wives.

Besides, he now only had eyes for Haley.

She flipped through the roster of the city's wealthy elite. Her gaze landed on the gilded business card of Cunningham Corporation, and she immediately dialed the number.

During lunch break, Kyle came to her office and handed her some medicine. "Ma'am, you forgot your medication."

She had indeed left it at the mansion. She accepted it and thanked him.

"Ma'am, Mr. Ferrell asked me to transfer a property to you yesterday. The procedures are done. Here are the property deed and keys," Kyle continued. "It's his anniversary gift for you."

In their two years of marriage, Sarah had received a gift from Jack on every special day.

At the beginning of their marriage, it had felt sweet.

Later, when she learned Kyle was the one who handled all the gifts, she felt disappointed.

But she was understanding. Jack was a busy CEO whose daily schedule affected the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of employees.

So she had never dared to hope for small sweet gestures like a cake or a candy from him.

As long as he gave her a bit of response, she would throw herself at him with a burning passion.

Even as he grew colder toward her, she had happily guarded their marriage.

Looking back now, she realized how foolish she had been.

"Busy" was just an excuse.

She collected her thoughts and checked the property deed.

Moonlight Bay, an upscale apartment complex in Seaview with excellent privacy, close to both the company and the research institute.

Since she would be leaving Seaview in 29 days, she wouldn't bother buying a new house. She didn't want to waste time house-hunting either, and staying in a hotel long-term couldn't guarantee privacy and security, especially for her research materials.

Recalling the emerald necklace worth millions Jack had given Haley, she decided to accept the property.

That evening, Sarah and Alice went to a dress salon to try on a custom-made gown for the charity event the next day.

On the way there, she texted Nancy: [Nancy, any word from your friend about the divorce?]

Nancy was at the Cunningham family estate. Hearing the roar of the car engine outside, she replied: [Don't worry, I'm about to see him.]

Nancy put down her phone and watched as the man approached her after being informed by the butler.

The Cunningham family and the Dunphy family had business ties. Her elder sister was married to his elder brother, so their families were also connected by marriage.

That gave Nancy access to Duncan.

But his attitude toward her was always distant.

When Sarah asked Nancy if she had any friends who could help with her divorce, Nancy immediately thought of Duncan.

He had been an air force pilot and had broad connections. He was also currently an influential figure in the business world. He could make things happen.

Because Nancy was eager to help her best friend, she had rushed over late at night, though she also had her own personal motives.

She would never miss any chance to get close to him.

"Duncan, my good friend's husband cheated on her, and she wants to get her divorce certificate a bit earlier. Could you help?"

Nancy handed him the divorce papers. All the procedures were done. All Duncan had to do was to take a look and tell someone to handle it.