Chapter 10

The moment Yael finished speaking, the entire room fell dead silent. Everyone turned to look at Shane and Lena.

Having Lena keep Yael company for the night? It was a humiliation in its purest form.

Everyone knew what kind of scumbag Yael was. What spending the night meant was painfully obvious.

Shane's expression darkened. His gaze turned ice-cold as he turned to Yael. "That joke isn't funny."

"I'm not joking," Yael said as he threw his hands up, his smile relaxed. "I'm completely serious, Mr. Steele. Just think about it. One set of jewelry in exchange for one night with a beauty. You're not losing here."

Shane remained silent for a few seconds. He glanced over at Yasmine, who was looking up at him with eager expectation. Finally, as if making a choice, he turned to his bodyguards and ordered, "Bring my wife over."

Those words were like poisoned needles, stabbing deep into Lena's heart.

The bodyguards escorted her in and brought her before him. Her voice was soft yet filled with a despair that sounded close to breaking as she said, "Shane… you know exactly what kind of man he is… Did you… ever for a single second consider me your wife?"

Even just in name? Couldn't he just show her a fraction of the most basic protection a husband owed to his wife?

Shane kept his back turned to her.

She couldn't see his face, only hearing him stay silent for a few seconds before his voice sounded out, completely detached, "Lena, you never take any of this seriously anyway. If you can sleep with me, why not with someone else?"

Why not with someone else?

Lena's heart felt completely crushed under the weight of those words.

All the grievances, all the agony, and every single emotion she had bottled up for so long finally burst through the dam.

She wanted to scream at him and tell him that she was serious with him. She had genuinely loved him. She had loved him with all her heart and soul, like a complete fool.

Yet when the words reached her lips, she forced them back down.

What was the point of saying it? Would he even care?

In the end, Lena was taken to a luxury villa belonging to the Baxter family.

Yael poured her a glass of wine, smirking. "Ms. Chapman, don't be so tense. I just want to be friends with you."

Lena didn't take the glass, only staring at him coldly. "Yael, I suggest you let me leave. Otherwise, you'll suffer the consequences."

"Consequences?" Yael chuckled as he reached out to touch her face. "What consequences could there be? Shane handed you over to me himself. Do you still expect him to come save you?"

Dodging his hand, Lena grabbed the heavy glass ashtray off the table and hurled it straight at him.

Yael failed to dodge in time. The ashtray split his forehead open, and blood poured out instantly.

He clutched his head, his face twisting with rage. "You ungrateful bitch! Security! Hold her down!"

Several bodyguards rushed in and shoved Lena down onto the couch.

Yael walked over and slapped her hard across the face. "Slut! You want to do things the hard way?"

Blood seeped from the corner of Lena's mouth, but she bit her lip hard, refusing to cry or beg for mercy.

Yael tore open her collar and began groping her.

Lena thrashed frantically. In the chaos, her hand caught the handle of a fruit knife on the side table.

"Ah!" Yael screamed in agony as his palm was pinned straight through to the desk.

Taking advantage of the bodyguards' momentary shock, Lena broke free, grabbed the knife, and bolted for the exit.

She didn't know how long she ran or where she ended up. When she couldn't run any further, she collapsed onto a bench in a quiet park.

She was covered in blood—her own and Yael's.

Her clothes were torn, her hair was a tangled mess, and a swollen handprint marked her face.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she finally broke down and wept.

She sobbed uncontrollably, her whole body trembling as if she were trying to cry out all the pain and suffering she had endured over the past three years.

Tired from crying, she fell asleep on that bench until the morning sun woke her up.

Right then, her phone buzzed.

It was a call from her lawyer. "Ms. Chapman, the divorce process is complete. The divorce certificate is ready. Can you come pick it up now?"

The divorce certificate was ready?

Lena slowly raised her head. Even though tears streaked her face, her gaze gradually turned cold and unyielding.

"Okay. I'm coming over now."

…

Outside the courthouse, Lena held the divorce certificate.

She opened it and stared at the words "Marriage Terminated" for a long, long time.

Then she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"It's me, Lena," she said, her voice eerily calm.

"Buy out every single spot in the city that can set off fireworks. I want the night sky lit up with the same sentence for three days and three nights straight."

The person on the other end seemed to freeze.

Lena pronounced every single word clearly, "I want the whole city to know that I, Lena Chapman, am officially divorced from Shane Steele!"

After hanging up, she looked up at the sky.

Her mind drifted back to years ago when Eliza was still with her. Gently petting her head, she had said, "Lena, make sure you find someone who truly loves you. Don't end up like me, waiting a whole lifetime for a ghost who will never return."

Lena hadn't understood it back then. Now she did, but it was too late.

Or perhaps not entirely too late after all.

At least she had a chance to start over.

At least she could finally make peace with herself.

That night, Lena boarded an international flight bound overseas.

She inwardly said goodbye to Shane and the absurdity of the past three years.

From now on, she was Lena. Just Lena.

The moment the plane lifted off, countless brilliant fireworks soared into the sky from every corner of the city, bursting into a breathtaking display across the night beneath her feet.