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Home / Romance / An Ex Meltdown After I Sign My Body Away / Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

All Chapters of An Ex Meltdown After I Sign My Body Away: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

30 Chapters

Chapter 21

Damien sighed when he saw Arden waving her phone in front of him, looking fearless and clueless. He resigned himself to exchanging numbers with her."I'm Damien Fulton," he said."Oh, okay. Uh, how much do I…"He wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but he changed course and casually tossed out a figure that was obviously much too low.Arden knew exactly what he was doing and couldn't help thinking that for someone who looked so cold, he was actually quite considerate. He'd given her a low figure so that she wouldn't feel indebted but would also be able to afford it.It was a surprising contrast.She estimated the cost herself and transferred the money to him via PayPal. When she looked up at Damien again, she was clearly friendlier. "So, I'm gonna get discharged soon. Is there anything else, Mr. Fulton?"Damien didn't accept the money right away, nor did he leave. Instead, he took a ring from his pocket and held it out to her. "This is yours."It was the thank-you gift she'd lef

Chapter 22

"You again?"Graham recognized Damien as the man who had been with Arden the other day. His voice was tight with anger and a heavy jealousy that he didn't even notice was there.Damien sat in the backseat. Even without saying a word, a single glance from him was enough to crush Graham's momentum.That only made Graham angrier.He grabbed Arden's wrist so tightly that it was scary, leaving red marks around it. He didn't even realize it and pressed on relentlessly. "Who is he? Why are you getting out of his car? Answer me, Ary."His tone had slipped past simple questioning into something panicked and uncontrolled.Arden's wrist throbbed where he'd clamped down on it. She yanked free mercilessly and said, "He's just a passerby. He saw me passed out by the road and kindly drove me to the hospital. That's all."She turned away from him to face Damien and say goodbye again. "Thanks for today, Mr. Fulton. I'll repay the favor if there's ever a chance.""Okay."The half-open window ro

Chapter 23

Graham had indeed blown dry Arden's hair more than once before. He was always good at these small, everyday things. He was gentle, considerate, and generous—he was almost the perfect lover.Yet, it was this same perfect lover who hadn't thought to ask how Arden was doing upon hearing she'd fainted by the roadside. He'd only pressed her about whose car she'd gotten out of and tangled himself up in excuses for his own negligence.Meanwhile, Irene didn't have to do anything. One furrow of her brow, and Graham would lose his mind fixing everything for her, even if it meant marrying a woman he didn't love.The difference between genuine concern and performative concern was painfully clear.After drying her hair, Graham pulled Arden into his arms, burying his face in the curve of her neck. "Ary, are you still mad at me?"Arden gave the tiniest shake of her head. "No."She'd been disappointed past the point of anger. What was there left to be mad about?"That's good. Ary, I swear that

Chapter 24

Graham's astonishment soon dissipated. At the root of it, Arden was still at fault. Irene was so delicate—who would've taken responsibility if something had happened to her after Arden had shoved her?Seeing things from that angle made Graham think that it wasn't too hard to understand why Katherine had been so harsh.He clenched his fists and forced himself not to dwell on it.…The next day, Arden turned down Graham's sudden, over-the-top offer to drive her and went home alone.The moment she stepped through the door, it was like walking into an interrogation.Her father, Raymond Jacquet, and Katherine wore their usual sour expressions, while Irene sat between them, faint traces of tears still on her face. As soon as she saw Arden, the waterworks started again."I'm sorry, Arden. I didn't mean to make things hard for you. It's just… I got home late yesterday, and Mom and Dad started asking questions. Then, today, I found a huge bruise around my ankle. I didn't know how to hide

Chapter 25

"Arden, whether you want to or not, you're signing this contract," Raymond snarled.He and Katherine were full-grown adults with plenty of strength. No matter how Arden struggled, she couldn't break free. At this rate, if she didn't sign that contract that day, she probably wouldn't even be allowed to walk out of the Jacquet residence.Just as despair washed over her, hurried footsteps came from outside the door."Graham, what are you doing here?" Seeing the newcomer, Irene, who'd been sitting back and enjoying the show, shot to her feet and jogged toward Graham.But after only a couple of steps, something seemed to occur to her. She swung around, theatrically grabbing at Raymond and Katherine."Mom, Dad, don't joke around with Arden like that. Let's talk this out," she said.Raymond and Katherine followed her lead and released Arden. After all, they still cared about appearances and wouldn't show their true colors in front of an outsider.The whole performance had Arden so furi

Chapter 26

Arden's lips curled coldly. Her eyes swept over the four faces in the room, landing last on Graham. "Of course, there is one more way. I can agree to sign.""What is it?" Graham felt a prickle of bad premonition and forced himself to ask."I want you to divorce me.""What did you say?"Voices rose one after another, but they all asked the same question."How dare you ask for a divorce? Where would you go after that? We don't have a place for you here." Katherine spoke first, but it was to drive Arden out, terrified she might cling to them.Raymond didn't agree, either, but his objection was mostly about not wanting to lose the alliance with the Hale family.With one daughter married into the Hale family and another into the Whitman family, the Jacquet family was envied by all thanks to their in-laws. How could he let Arden ruin that?"Ary, don't be willful," he said.She was being willful?Arden curled her lips mockingly. "Those are my terms. Either I get a divorce, or you ca

Chapter 27

"Graham," Arden said flatly.Hearing his name, Graham reflexively put his phone away and put on his usual gentle smile. "What is it, Ary?"Arden watched the subtle shift in his expression and couldn't help finding it ridiculous that he was the man she'd once loved with all her heart."It's nothing. I just want you to consider my proposal seriously. I mean it."With that, she raised her hand to flag down a passing cab. She slid into the backseat and was gone in a heartbeat.Her proposal?Graham's eyes went blank for a second before widening in shock. Was she talking about divorce? Did she really want to divorce him?That nagging doubt only grew more real over the next few days. Arden vanished, as if she'd fallen off the face of the earth. There were no traces of her anywhere, and she didn't come home or reply to messages. All the sweet tricks Graham had prepared to coax her couldn't be put to use, making him feel defeated."Fuck."Three whole days had passed without so much as

Chapter 28

Arden curled her lip and let Graham babble on, treating him like he was invisible. She hadn't come to listen to hollow pleasantries.The Clarke family's foundation had close ties with Patrick. Arden knew her body wouldn't hold out much longer, and she might never get another chance to visit if she didn't do it now. That was the only reason she'd accepted Graham's invitation.What she didn't expect was for Irene and Cedric to show up at the auction, too.When they walked in arm in arm, Arden instinctively glanced at Graham. The ugly look on his face told her this wasn't part of the plan… not that it had anything to do with her.Arden couldn't be bothered to say hello. She headed straight for the seat listed on her invitation.Irene and Cedric spotted them as well.Cedric hadn't seen Arden for a while. As he watched her walk away, he couldn't help frowning when he realized that she seemed thinner. She was his former fiancee, after all. Was the Hale family not feeding her? How could

Chapter 29

Cedric steeled himself, ready to put on a cold, aloof face. Then, he noticed Arden's gaze was fixed on Irene, who was confidently holding court on the stage.Arden almost wanted to laugh. The design clearly wasn't something Irene had come up with, and the concept had nothing to do with the rural children story she was spinning.Arden had created the bracelet for herself. It was something she'd made to chase away the loneliness when Irene was the family's golden child and their parents had practically forgotten she existed!Right now, Arden just wanted to reclaim that bracelet and see whether it really was the one she'd designed."This bracelet carries extraordinary meaning. With Ms. Jacquet's embellishments, the significance it holds speaks for itself. So, the starting bid will be one hundred thousand dollars."A hundred thousand, just to start, for a bracelet. It was indeed the price of the wealthy crowd."150 thousand." It was just a bracelet. Arden could afford it."200 thous

Chapter 30

How bold. Not only had Irene stolen the draft, but she hadn't even bothered to change the finished product.Irene's gaze slid to Graham, who stood beside Arden. She smiled and said, "Thanks for speaking up for me just now, Graham. If you hadn't, Arden would've kept hiking the price. I wouldn't have gotten this bracelet for such a deal.""As long as you want it, I'll buy it for you, no matter the price." Cedric brushed his fingers over Irene's cheek. His words were tender, but his gaze was fixed on Arden's face."How generous, Mr. Whitman." Arden clapped back sarcastically.That made Cedric's heart jolt. Was she jealous? He knew she still had feelings for him.He parted his lips to say something, but Irene cut in. "Cedric, I'm going to play the piano during the talent segment later. You've gotta root for me, okay?"She deliberately burrowed her way into Cedric's arms, blocking his view of Arden. She made sure all he could see was her dainty little face.He returned to his senses

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