Chapter 4

Sienna Stone's POV

Julian quickly snapped out of it.

　　He grabbed the divorce agreement and, without even glancing at the contents, flipped straight to the last page and signed his name in a sweeping scrawl.

　　He then tossed the agreement in front of me, a mocking curl on his lips. "Ms. Stone has always been a woman of her word. You'd better actually go through with this divorce, unless you want people to look down on you."

　　I bent down to pick up the paper. My fingertips lingered over his signature for a brief second before I smiled bitterly. "Don't worry. I always mean what I say."

　　Yes, I always meant what I said.

　　Julian sneered. He probably thought I was just putting on an act.

　　"Get some rest and recover from your injuries."

　　Without another look at him, I turned and left the hospital room.

　　By the time Vivian ran out after me, I was already waiting for the elevator.

　　"Ms. Stone," Vivian called out, catching up with quick, graceful steps. Her voice was gentle and polite. "Please don't worry. I've already spoken with the doctor. Julian's injuries aren't serious. He just needs some time to recover."

　　I stared at her in silence, saying nothing.

　　Seeming a bit unsettled by my gaze, Vivian continued, "Julian... he was just acting on impulse when he did something so extreme. Please don't be angry with him. Getting a divorce over a minor disagreement like this really isn't worth it."

　　I suddenly smiled. "Did you really run out here just to convince me not to divorce him?"

　　Vivian froze.

　　"In reality, you just wanted to make sure if I'm actually divorcing him, or if I'm just playing another trick, right?" I looked at her with a half-smile.

　　Vivian's face stiffened slightly, and she forced a smile. "Ms. Stone, I don't know what you're talking about... I truly don't want you two to get a divorce out of anger, only for you to regret it later."

　　"It's just the two of us here, so why keep playing pretend?" I scoffed. "You want me to divorce him more than anyone else, just so he can be the step-father and play dad to your child."

　　Vivian's face froze completely, too embarrassed to utter a word.

　　I didn't feel like listening to any more of it.

　　The elevator doors opened, and I walked right in, pressing the close button.

　　Vivian stood where she was, watching the elevator doors slowly close as her gentle expression crumbled bit by bit.

　　After handing the divorce agreement over to my lawyer, I spent the next few days finalizing the immigration paperwork for myself and my parents.

　　I didn't visit Julian in the hospital again, nor did I make a single phone call or send a single text.

　　A week later, Mary sent me a message.

　　"Julian is being discharged today. As his wife, you didn't even bother to show up. How does that look?"

　　I glanced at it but didn't reply.

　　Over the years of our marriage, I had heard far too many accusations like this.

　　"You've been married for so long, yet there's still no sign of a baby. What kind of wife are you?"

　　"You can't even hold onto your own husband's heart. For a woman, you really are a failure."

　　In the past, hearing Mary say these things would make me sad and aggrieved, tossing and turning in the middle of the night, wondering if I truly wasn't good enough.

　　But now, I realized I didn't care at all anymore.

　　I recalled the absurd things I had done over the years just to make Julian love me and to have a child of our own.

　　I had worn the sexiest lingerie, parading in front of him, only for him to turn a blind eye.

　　When he was working in the study, I would bring in a glass of red wine, pretending to accidentally fall into his lap, only to be pushed away instantly.

　　I had sneaked into his bed in the middle of the night, only for him to pick me up and throw me out of the room.

　　He was like an iceberg, always shutting me out with a cold face.

　　The only two times we slept together were when he was completely drunk after business dinners, giving me an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

　　Afterward, he only felt I was underhanded, growing even more distant from me.

　　We were husband and wife, yet sleeping together required him to be drunk.

　　I closed my eyes, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

　　All these years, my love for him had truly humbled me to the dust.

　　But from now on, no more.