At Stonehaven City Courthouse.“Hurry up and sign, what are you spacing out for?”The deep, hoarse voice, laced with anger, snapped Catherine out of her daze. Looking at the divorce papers in front of her, she couldn't help but feel bitter about her situation.“Don’t pretend. Didn’t we already discuss this at home? Are you trying to back out now?”The man, growing impatient, urged her. As he spoke, he gave her a shove, causing her frail, sickly body to wobble, nearly falling over.Catherine bit her lip, determined not to let herself cry, and finally picked up the pen to sign her part. It's over.Her three-year marriage had ended.She touched her stomach, where it remained silent, much like her emotions in that moment.Once the divorce procedure was completed, the man turned to her again and said, “In consideration of the three years we lived together, and the fact that you can’t have children, I’ll give you a villa in District X to live out your days. But remember, from now on, don’t
Catherine was dumbfounded. She genuinely didn’t remember texting Emily.Seeing her blank face, Emily clicked her tongue and said:"Stop babbling, let’s go shopping."Without waiting for Catherine to respond, Emily dragged her out of the house, not caring that she hadn’t even brushed her teeth or changed clothes.At first, Catherine thought shopping might lift her spirits, but had she known she would run into Gabriel and Juliet, she would have preferred to stay locked inside, never showing her face outside again.But in this world, when has “if” ever mattered?Not wanting to face the two of them, Catherine quickly tugged Emily in the opposite direction. But her friend resisted, saying:"Where are you going? There are some really nice dresses over here."Catherine hastily replied, "There are new designs over there, let's go check them out."Emily clicked her tongue, clearly reluctant, "New designs or not, we should be buying clothes that suit us."While talking, Emily absentmindedly gla
Seeing Catherine still stubbornly refusing to apologize, Gabriel raised his hand again to strike her. Emily quickly rushed forward, hugging Catherine tightly, shielding her with her body.Looking at her friend’s now swollen face, Emily’s eyes welled up, and she turned back to Gabriel and said:"This is my fault. I spoke without knowing the full story and insulted someone. I apologize to both of you. Please don't hit Catherine anymore."Emily bowed to Gabriel and Juliet, while Juliet looked at Catherine with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.See, your friend has humiliated herself for you now.Even so, Juliet wasn't ready to let Catherine off the hook. She sobbed, "Brother Gabriel, let's just stop here. Years ago, Catherine saved me, so I can endure her scolding."Upon hearing that, Gabriel angrily stepped forward, grabbed Catherine by the hair, and dragged her toward Juliet, forcefully pushing her head down."Juliet owes you nothing. If you don’t know where you’ve gone wrong, I’ll help
The doctor frowned. Normally, if someone dared to question his expertise, he would be furious. But looking at this pitiful young woman, he couldn’t muster any anger and instead said gently:"Alright, here's what we’ll do. Go to the obstetrics department and have another examination, then bring the results back to me."Catherine nodded, still in a daze, and got up to leave the room. As soon as Emily saw her, she immediately supported her, saying:"Are you done with the check-up? Let’s go home."Unexpectedly, Catherine shook her head and said, "Can... can you take me to the obstetrics department for a test?"Emily was stunned, but under Catherine's urging, she complied.While waiting for the results, Catherine's entire body trembled, cold sweat covering her pale forehead."Patient Cartherine, please come for your test results." A nurse called loudly from the hallway.Both Catherine and Emily stood up quickly to receive them. As soon as Emily read the contents, she exclaimed, "Pregnant?
Catherine laughed bitterly, pointing to her own face and said:"What? You want to hit me again? Look, this is your masterpiece."Seeing the bruised, swollen redness on Catherine’s cheek, Gabriel's body stiffened. He had hit her in a moment of anger yesterday, but he hadn't expected the damage to be this severe."Does it hurt?"As he asked, Gabriel reached out to touch her cheek, but she quickly avoided his hand. His face darkened, his eyebrows furrowed, and he sneered:"If you'd listened to me, I wouldn't have had to hit you."Obedient?Obedient, to him, meant enduring insults from her in-laws, tolerating her foster sister stealing her husband, and leaving empty-handed with nothing. Was that what he expected?Ridiculous! How could he be so authoritarian?No wonder he liked someone like Juliet, a woman who was inherently selfish and vengeful but outwardly seemed docile and understanding. From her mother-in-law to the household staff, everyone in the Sterling family adored her sweet and
Catherine smirked, shaking off her hand, and mockingly said, "Oh really? Then I wish you both a hundred years of happiness, may you grow old together."With that, and under Juliet’s stunned gaze, Catherine coolly turned and got into the car. Gabriel rushed over to block her, shouting, "Didn’t you hear me? You’re not allowed to get involved with that guy!"Emily, seeing that her friend wouldn’t be able to rest if they stayed here any longer, spoke up:"Mr. Sterling, actually, that’s my boyfriend. Catherine wasn’t feeling well, so I had her sit in the front seat."Gabriel froze for a moment upon hearing this, feeling a brief moment of joy, quickly replaced by anger."Cartherine, are you daring to mock me?"But Catherine didn’t care. At this point, her entire body was glued to the seat, utterly drained of energy to deal with the shameless couple.Emily and the young man, seeing that the situation had calmed down, quickly drove off. However, no sooner had they lost sight of Gabriel and Ju
Gabriel took a deep breath. Fine, she was the woman he loved, after all. He’d give her some leeway."Catherine, listen to me. I'm the eldest son of the Sterling family. My responsibility is to have an heir. The doctor says Juliet is very healthy. Once she gives me a son, I'll bring you back to be my wife again. How about that?"His tone softened. He had never been this gentle with any woman before. As he caressed her bruised cheek, still swollen from the slap he had given her, his heart ached. He had acted out of anger that day, but he would make it up to her in the future.Gabriel fully expected Catherine to cry tears of joy after hearing his words, but instead, she coldly looked at him and said, "Sorry, I have no intention of being a stepmother, nor do I want to raise someone else's child. Gabriel, what did you expect from me by dragging me to your engagement? To see me cry in pain? Don’t fool yourself. I don’t have any feelings left for you.""What did you say? You have no feelings
Juliet hated the dirty kitchen, and if it weren’t for trying to please Gabriel, she wouldn’t have set foot in there. She recalled how Catherine used to be the perfect wife, always cooking delicious meals for him, yet in the end, she was still abandoned.It goes to show that winning a man's heart wasn’t about satisfying his stomach but rather appealing to his vanity.Juliet looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration, the kind of adoration a girl feels for her man."Brother Gabriel, I really want to be your wife."This move hit directly at Gabriel’s patriarchal nature, and sure enough, his expression softened further, and his eyes showed a hint of tenderness."For now, let’s get engaged first. Once you're pregnant, we’ll get married right away. In the meantime, take good care of your health, and after you give me a chubby son, I promise you’ll live a life of luxury and no one will compare."Hearing this, Juliet’s heart fluttered with joy. She didn’t mind if Gabriel saw her as