"Mr. Flanagan, the draft of the divorce agreement is ready. Shall I send it to you now?"In the dead silence of the study, Carter Flanagan paused before replying, "No. Keep it with you for now."He hung up and trudged out of the study. Misty Lawrence was putting on a facial mask outside."Misty." Even when Carter was so close to getting a divorce, he still wished to have a talk with Misty and do what he could to save the marriage. After all, he had spent half of his life being in love with Misty.To his dismay, Misty turned around and asked, "Carter, why haven't you made dinner?"He reluctantly entered the kitchen and started cooking, but he was too distracted and accidentally got scalded when the hot oil from the pan splattered all over. He tried to dodge the hot oil, only to knock a bowl onto the ground.The sound of the bowl shattering echoed in the kitchen, causing his heart to drop.As expected, Misty barged into the kitchen the next moment. When she saw the pattern on the
Ever since Carter had considered a divorce, he had counted his assets and drafted a divorce agreement. After that, he started to work on the business dealings between their family businesses.Carter was the leader of the Flanagan Group, while Misty was the daughter of the Lawrence family, who ran the Lawrence Group. After their eight years of marriage, the two family businesses were tightly intertwined. If Carter asked for a divorce, it would negatively hurt the stock prices and the ongoing partnerships. Hence, he needed to be one step ahead and prepare to face any future risks.Besides, he also needed to inform Misty's parents about his plan. He wouldn't want both families to be blindsided.After Misty argued with Carter over that broken bowl, she brought the newly repaired bowl to her best friend's home. Meanwhile, Misty parents were in the dark about the situation until Carter knocked on their door.Misty's mom, Kathy Mendel, was shocked to hear that Carter was considering a d
Misty came home at midnight that day. The house was brightly lit, but Carter was nowhere to be seen.She finally recalled the text he had sent. She mumbled, "Is he mad at me?"He would stay up and wait for her, no matter what time she came home. She kicked off her shoes and softly pushed the bedroom door open. Relief washed over her when she found him reading in bed.Then, she ran over and gave him a hug before apologizing, just like she had done many times before."I'm sorry, darling. Zeke asked me to pick him up from the airport because he's back in the country. We had dinner with some friends to welcome him home. That's why I missed the cocktail party." She rubbed her face on his chest. "I hope I didn't bring you trouble."Carter had picked up on the scent of alcohol on Misty. He quietly pushed her away. "No."Misty's absence didn't really give him much trouble, except that he had to let another couple perform the opening dance on his behalf because his plus-one was missing. P
Zeke's bright eyes brimmed with confidence. In the past, Carter would have been triggered, but he was no longer the same man. He had since learned that a woman who could be easily wooed by others did not belong to you in the first place.He refused to spare Zeke one look in the face of Zeke's provocation. Zeke became furious. Snickering, Zeke added, "You'd better not cry when I take Misty from you.""Good luck," replied Carter dryly.Although Misty did not love him, she wouldn't fall in love with the young and rash Zeke either. She only cared about Zach. Zeke had only enjoyed Misty's attention because he was Zach's little brother.Carter helped Misty take care of the incident at the hotel and found new accommodations for Zeke before calling it a day.An idea occurred to Misty when they headed home in Carter's car. She turned to Carter, asking, "Darling, Zeke is holding an art exhibition in two days. Do you think you could show him some support?"Carter almost laughed at the absur
Zach's paintings were displayed at the center of the exhibition, where a huge fire had broken out. Carter wet his shirt with some water before dashing into the area and grabbing that painting. Before he could leave, a huge glass display case toppled over and hit him. The excruciating pain caused him to drop the painting. He let out a muffled groan and fell onto his knees.The next second, a figure sprinted past him and picked up the painting from the ground. Misty, after making sure that the painting was unharmed, looked visibly relieved. Only then did she turn around to check on her husband. "Carter, you alright?"Carter did not reply. He wondered if the thick smoke or the pain had caused his eyes to tear up.Dodging her touch, he scrambled up from the floor. "I'm fine. Hold onto that painting."She listened and guarded the painting in her arms. A sarcastic look flashed across Carter's eyes as he helped her out of the fire. Blood trickled from his wounds, leaving behind menaci
Terrified, Misty stared at the dejected Carter. Her eyes widened in disbelief as though she had seen his true colors.Between sobs, she wailed, "Carter Flanagan, that's too much!"Carter remained silent. After he said all there was to say, he stared at his feet quietly. He had kept his thoughts to himself for a long time, and it felt cathartic to say them aloud today.He even flashed an out-of-place smile filled with bitterness.Crying, Misty left the cemetery. She arrived home having cried her heart out. She complained, "Yeah, I might have forgotten about my in-laws' death anniversary, but I hurried to the cemetery when I remembered! Am I the only one who's in the wrong here? How about Carter? He should have reminded me and waited for me!"Misty had never expected Carter to confront her at the cemetery. She felt humiliated. He had never treated her in that way in the past.Of course, she knew very well that Carter disliked Zach, but he would never act petty over Zach, not to m
Despite feeling mad at Carter, Misty still showed up at the hospital on the day he was discharged after some inner debate.Never had she thought she would witness Carter instructing his bodyguard to beat Zeke up.She tossed away the roses she brought and helped Zeke up. Snapping her head around, she hissed at Carter, "Carter Flanagan, you're unbelievable!"It had been a long time since someone had pulled such a wretched move against Carter. He couldn't be bothered to defend himself. All he said was, "Call the police if you like."Zeke's expression shifted a little. He hurriedly said, "There's no need to call the police."Turning to Misty, he explained, "Misty, I'm sure Carter did not do that on purpose. Look, I'm fine."Despite that, he inhaled sharply as he pressed a hand on his waist. When Misty wasn't looking, he shot a daring look at Carter as though telling him, "Say, will she trust me or you?"Misty looked upset. She glared at Carter before helping Zeke up with a forced sm
'This is your last chance,' Carter thought.A wave of unease swept over Misty, as though she was losing something important for good. But the fleeting panic was quickly replaced by a surge of anger. Trembling with rage, she lost all sense of reason.By now, she had forgotten what Carter meant by the eight chances, or perhaps, she didn't care at all."Carter, apologize to Zach!" Misty demanded coldly, her reddened eyes blazing.Even at this moment, all she could think of was Zach.Carter tasted blood in his mouth. He forced a faint smile and teared up. Finally, he blurted out the words that he had kept hidden for a long time, "Misty, let's get a divorce."Misty froze for a brief moment. Then, in her fury, she made a decision she would regret for the rest of her life."Fine, let's get a divorce!"No one—not even her husband—had the right to insult Zach Sterling.Carter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. From the moment he brought up divorce, it felt as if all his nega
Victoria approached him with a smile. "I didn't know you were interested in photography, Mr. Flanagan."She addressed him like they were old friends.Once again, the unease that had previously bothered Carter resurfaced. Watching Victoria quietly, he remarked, "What a coincidence, Ms. Milton! Are you traveling?""Yes," Victoria replied, her smile unwavering. "But I'm not here for fun. I'm here for someone."Carter's eyelid twitched. If he had previously dismissed his feelings purely as his imagination, her remark now made everything crystal clear—she was interested in him.He was taken aback but didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he gestured toward her suitcase. "Where are you staying, Ms. Milton? I can walk you there.""Thank you, Mr. Flanagan." Victoria handed him her luggage and mentioned her hotel, which, as it turned out, was the same as his.Carter froze momentarily before lifting her suitcase and walking alongside her down the cobblestone path.For a while, neith
When Carter's friends realized that there was no possibility of Carter and Misty getting back together, they stopped mentioning her in his presence.Because of that, Carter had no idea what had become of Misty. His focus was entirely on Project R8, especially so after the Lawrence Group abruptly pulled out. Refusing to bow to Leslie's unreasonable demand, all he could do was look for a new partner.But a problem arose. Few companies possessed the same technologies as the Lawrence Group, and the only two overseas firms with the capability flatly declined to collaborate with the Flanagan Group.Just when Carter had decided to make a business trip abroad, Victoria—from Milton Pharmaceuticals—reached out to him unexpectedly."Mr. Flanagan, I heard you were looking for a new business partner. It so happened that our team had recently achieved significant breakthroughs in some of the Lawrence Group's core technologies for Project R8. I wonder if you'd consider working with us."Victoria
Carter and Leslie were at a restaurant when Leslie made that request. Carter's hand froze in the air as he was about to pour the tea. Looking up at Leslie, he began, "Mr. Lawrence, you said you wanted to meet me to discuss a business partnership between our two families. I might have to excuse myself if you insist on bringing up private matters."Sighing, Leslie muttered, "But Carter, Misty is in bad shape. Only you can lift her spirits."Carter started to grow irritated. First, it was Misty harassing him, followed by Kathy. Now, even Leslie joined them to beg him for a reconciliation.He wanted to leave the table right away, but he kept his cool, considering Leslie was a respectable man who had done him favors before. "Mr. Lawrence, Misty has to pick herself up. No one else can help her.""No." Leslie shook his head defiantly. "She will regain confidence if you return to her side."Carter's voice was devoid of emotions. "How many times do I need to make myself clear? I'm never
Carter had chosen to travel to a small town abroad that was famed for its arts scene. He landed around 9:00 pm and took a rest.The next day, he took his camera and went sightseeing. However, his phone rang in his pocket, giving him a sense of foreboding.After staring at the caller ID hesitatingly, he decided to answer anyway. "Hi, Mrs. Lawrence.""Oh, Carter…" Kathy sounded like she was crying. "Misty cut her wrists, but the doctors saved her. She's not doing great. Can you visit her?"A frown set on his face. "What happened?""It was the online attacks…"Hearing that, Carter made Kathy wait as he checked Twitter. Sure enough, Misty's name ranked high on the list of trending topics.Someone had exposed Misty for choosing to marry Carter despite still being in love with another man. The culprit even shared a few videos of Misty embarrassing Carter in public.Not only that, Misty's lies and her plan to wield public opinion against Carter had been exposed.Misty had been the ta
Carter did not wander far from the rooftop. Standing in the stairwell, he listened to rescuers pulling Misty back from the edge of the rooftop. Only then did he let out a tense sigh.A draft came in through the half-open window, making him shiver. He realized that his back was drenched in cold sweat.Thankfully, everything ended well. Had Misty jumped off that tower today, people would have condemned him for pushing his wife to death.He let out a bitter chuckle and made his way down the stairs, but someone stood in his way."Are you never returning to Misty's side for real?" Zeke met Carter's eyes. He asked sternly, "Did you mean what you said on the rooftop?"Carter ignored him. He had never taken Zeke seriously. All Zeke got was a frosty "get out of my way."Feeling looked down upon, Zeke grew furious. With a grim look, he was about to speak when someone patted him on the shoulder.Taylor had shown up from nowhere. He wrapped his arm around Zeke's neck and dragged him aside.
When Carter arrived, a crowd had gathered at the rooftop of Gronager Tower. Misty stood at the edge of the rooftop, her body tethering precariously.Not far away, police officers desperately tried to reason with her, and her parents pleaded with her tearfully.Misty, however, kept her eyes lowered. She ignored them all. It wasn't until Carter appeared that her eyes suddenly lit up."Darling!"Carter, still catching his breath, steadied himself and locked eyes with Misty. "Misty, what are you doing?" he asked.Misty's expression was heartbreakingly sorrowful. "Darling, I don't want to divorce you.""So, you've chosen this way to force my hand?" Carter clenched his fists tightly as he looked at her.He had always known that Misty carried an extreme and obsessive type of love for Zach. At one point, he had even envied and longed for that kind of devotion.But now that he was the subject of that obsessive love, he felt suffocated.A sudden wave of anger and disgust surged in Car
"Darling." Not noticing anything unusual about Carter, Misty reached out to take his arm with a smile.As always, Carter dodged her touch, but Misty did not mind. She knew patience was key to getting what she wanted.Recently, Carter's attitude toward her had softened considerably. It was only a matter of time before she talked him into going home.However, Misty had a nagging worry. How much longer could she hide her fake pregnancy from him as the months went by?Her best bet was to win him over before her "belly" began to show. At the same time, she needed to sleep with him and, even better, conceive his child, so that even if the truth eventually came to light, he wouldn't hold it against her for the baby's sake.She grinned widely at that thought. "Darling, we need to leave early today for the prenatal checkup. Oh, Mom and Dad really miss you too. Why don't we head over for lunch afterward? Mom is eager to share some parenting tips with us."Carter said nothing. He did not bu
The flaming red lipstick smudged across her hand. Every word on the trending search was jarring to Victoria.Her eyes burned. Was she going to miss her chance again this time?She couldn't bear the thought. At the same time, she totally understood if Carter wanted to go back to a pregnant Misty.Still, it was Carter's decision to make. The online moral policing was entirely unwarranted.Pressing her lips together, Victoria called her assistant, "Get in touch with some influencers…"Before she could finish, a thought struck her. She carefully reread every single trending post about Misty and Carter.The tone of the posts was oddly consistent and almost scripted—clearly orchestrated by someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.Victoria's eyes narrowed as she issued a new order to her assistant. "Forget the influencers. Look into who's behind these trending posts related to Carter."Her assistant quickly went to work.Before long, Victoria received the findings. A D-list act
The sudden news came as a shock to Carter. Misty's words dropped a bombshell.Shaken, his eyes turned to the sonogram report and traveled to Misty's belly.Misty, feeling a bit embarrassed, gently touched her belly and explained softly, "I've been feeling nauseous and extremely tired lately. I went to the hospital for a checkup, and that's when I found out I was pregnant."Ten minutes later, Misty followed Carter into his apartment. Still bewildered, Carter poured Misty a glass of warm water. He wasn't expecting to be a father without warning.Since Misty was a professional dancer, she was very particular about maintaining her figure. She hadn't planned on having a baby so soon. Therefore, they'd always used protection.But contraception wasn't always foolproof. The report showed that Misty was already ten weeks pregnant. That tracked; they had slept together ten weeks ago. Carter was not only shocked but also unsure of how to handle the situation. The baby arrived without war