Chapter 4

Even Yvette's hearing aids were stained red.

Her pupils contracted, and she quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe her ear. Then, she stripped the bedsheets and washed them.

She was afraid that Viola would worry about her if she found out that her illness was worsening. So, she cleaned up the mess and found an excuse to bid goodbye to Viola.

Before she left, she placed a part of her savings on the bedside table without telling Viola.

Viola walked Yvette to the bus stop and waved goodbye reluctantly.

…

After Yvette left, Viola couldn't stop thinking about how thin the former was. Unable to just sit by, she called Lane Group.

When the secretary heard that Viola was Yvette's nanny and wanted to speak to Xavier, she transferred the call to Xavier's line.

It was the third day after Yvette had left Xavier. It was also the first time in three days that he had received a call about her.

Sitting behind his desk, he felt exceptionally pleased. Just as he had expected, Yvette wouldn't be able to last more than three days without him—or so he thought.

Viola's voice came through the other line, sounding weighed with age. "Mr. Lane, I am Yvvy's nanny. I've been taking care of her since she was a baby.

"Please, I beg you, treat her well. Don't hurt her more than you already have. She's not as strong as she seems on the surface.

"When she was born, Mrs. Snyder left her in my care because she didn't like that Yvvy is hard of hearing. Yvvy only returned home when she had to start going to school.

"The Snyders have never treated her as one of their own. Apart from Mr. Snyder, everyone else treated her like she was a maid.

"You and Mr. Snyder are the most important people she has in this world. I'm begging you, please. Please be kind to her."

Xavier's mood darkened when he heard what Viola said.

"Did she tell you to give me this sob story because she didn't want to face me herself?" he asked coldly. "Why should I care about her life? If you ask me, she deserved everything she got!"

That said, he hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

Viola had heard Yvette gushing about how nice Xavier was to her. So, it was only then that she realized the truth—Xavier wasn't a good man at all. He wasn't a good husband to Yvette.

...

Yvette sat on the bus, heading home. Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Xavier.

"You said you wanted to get divorced, right? I'll see you at 10:00 am tomorrow."

Yvette stared at the text blankly for a while before replying, "Okay."

Just one word.

It infuriated Xavier and completely ruined his mood. Unable to work anymore, he called up his friends and invited them out for drinks.

Daphne was also at the club when he arrived. "I'm not going home until I'm drunk!" she declared.

Tristan sat down beside Xavier. He couldn't help asking curiously, "How's Deaf Yvvy?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow at him. "There's no need to talk about her ever again. We're filing for divorce tomorrow."

Tristan was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. "Really?"

Beside them, Daphne brightened. She poured out a shot for him. "Congrats on getting back your freedom, Xav!"

Xavier drank a lot that night.

Daphne offered to send him home, but he rejected her suggestion. "No need. It's not appropriate."

If he and Yvette were going to get divorced tomorrow, she might come home that night.

Daphne wasn't happy about the rejection. "Why? You're divorcing her anyway. Why wouldn't it be appropriate? Are you still scared that she might find out about our relationship?"

Their relationship?

Xavier narrowed his eyes. "You're overthinking this."

He got into his own car. Out of consideration, he also called a cab to send Daphne home.

On the drive home, he kept unlocking his phone to check if Yvette had sent him any messages.

She hadn't.

When he reached Dewberry Manor, it was dark. With a stormy expression, Xavier opened the door and turned on the light. Yvette was nowhere to be seen.

She hadn't come home.

The manor was left exactly the way it had been when she had left.

Still feeling the effects of the alcohol, Xavier threw himself heavily onto the couch and soon fell asleep.

In his nightmares, Yvette was covered in blood, but there was a smile on her face. "I don't love you anymore, Xav," she said.

When Xavier jolted awake, the sky outside had just brightened up.

He rubbed his forehead and went to the bathroom to freshen himself up. Then, he changed into a smart suit and made his way to the courthouse.

At the entrance of the courthouse, he spotted Yvette standing under a tree not far off. As usual, she was dressed in dark-colored clothes.

From the distance, she looked incredibly frail and thin as she stood amid the drizzle. It was as if a single gust of wind could knock her over.

Xavier could still remember how young and lively she had been when they had first gotten married. She hadn't been as thin and gloomy back then.

Holding an umbrella, he walked toward Yvette.

It took her a few moments to notice him.

Xiaver hadn't changed much over the last three years. He was as handsome and as confident as ever, with the added hint of matureness that came with age.

Yvette was a little dazed. The last three years felt like a blink in time to her, yet she also seemed to have exhausted a whole lifetime.

Xavier stalked over to Yvette and gazed at her coldly. He was waiting for her to apologize to him.

She had been sulking enough. It was time to put an end to this.

However, Yvette just said, "I'm sorry to pull you away from your work. Let's go in."

Xavier stiffened, but he quickly recovered. "Don't regret this." With that, he turned and headed into the courthouse.

Yvette stared after him sadly. Would she regret this?

She didn't know either.

In the courthouse, the judge asked them if they were sure about going through with the divorce.

Yvette's answer was firm. "Yes."

Her determined expression frustrated Xavier.

After filing for divorce, they still had to return to the courthouse in a month for the hearing. If they missed the hearing, then the divorce would be considered null.

As they left the courthouse, Yvette looked at Xavier, her expression unusually calm. "I'll see you next month. Take care."

With that, she stepped out into the rain, hailed a cab, and left.

Xavier was left standing on the spot. He didn't know how to feel as he watched her car leave.

Relieved, probably.

Relieved that he wouldn't need to put up with her any longer or endure others' ridicule for having a disabled wife.

...

In the cab, Yvette leaned against the window and stared blankly at the rain droplets on the glass.

In the rearview mirror, the driver suddenly saw blood dripping from her ear. He was shocked by the sight. "Miss? Miss!"

Yvette didn't answer him.

The driver hastily stopped the car.

Yvette was confused. They weren't at her destination yet. Why had they stopped?

She looked over at the driver and saw him mouthing silently. She realized that she had gone deaf again. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. What are you saying?"

In the end, the driver had to type out what he wanted to say on his phone so that he could tell her about her bleeding ear.

Yvette reached out belatedly and felt the warm sensation in her ear.

She was used to it now. "It's alright. This happens all the time. I'm fine."

She was hard of hearing, but her ears hadn't bled like this before.

Two years ago, at a gathering, Tristan had pushed her into a swimming pool.

Yvette didn't know how to swim, so she had almost drowned. At the same time, her eardrums had also expanded due to the pressure.

She had been sent to the hospital, but the damage had been done.

At the time, she had been told that everything was fine. Why was this happening again?

The cab driver was still worried, so he dropped her off at the hospital she told him. After thanking him, Yvette went into the hospital on her own.

This time, she saw her usual doctor, Tom Jensen.

"Dr. Jensen, my memory has been rather bad lately. I kept forgetting what I'm doing," she said.

When she had woken up at the hotel that morning, it had taken her a long time to remember that she had to file for divorce with Xavier.

Tom looked at her latest report worriedly. "Ms. Snyder, I think you should consider getting tested for other things. Specifically, mental health issues."

Mental health…

Following Tom's recommendation, Yvette went and got a psychiatric diagnosis.

She was diagnosed with depression.

It turned out that patients with severe depression often experienced memory loss.

Before heading back to the hotel, Yvette stopped and bought a notebook and a pen. She wrote down everything that had happened lately.

She placed the notebook right beside her bed so that it would be the first thing she saw when she woke up in the morning.

News of her and Xavier's divorce spread quickly.

That night, Yara called her multiple times, but she didn't hear anything.

…

When she woke up the next morning, she saw a barrage of texts from Yara.

"Where are you?"

"Who do you think you are? Even if you're getting a divorce, Xavier should have been the one to ask for it!"

"You're such a jinx! Back when you got married, your dad got into a car crash and died. What's going to happen now that you're getting divorced? Do you want Snyder Group to go bankrupt? Is that it?"

Yvette stared at the messages. She was used to the verbal abuse by now.

She typed out a reply. "Mom, it's time that we live by our own merits. We shouldn't depend on others so much."

Yara's response was swift. "You're such an ingrate! I shouldn't have given birth to you in the first place!"

Yvette didn't bother replying to that. She placed her phone aside.

She just had to wait a month. Once the divorce was finalized, she would be able to leave Tirion and start a new life.

…

Yvette's health worsened over the next few days.

She often found herself completely deaf. Sometimes, it took a very long time for her hearing to go back to normal.

Her memory was deteriorating too.

On the bright side, even though her hearing loss was incurable, at least she could do something about the depression.

She tried everything she could to keep herself happy.

She busied herself by registering as a volunteer online. She spent time taking care of abandoned old people and orphans.

Helping them made her feel like she had a reason to continue living.

A few days later, Yvette woke up in the morning and checked her notebook as usual. Then, she got ready to head out to the orphanage.

When she picked up her phone, she saw several unread messages.

There were messages from Terrance and Yara, as well as Daphne.

She opened the texts one by one.

Yara: "As you wished, Snyder Group is no more."

Terrence: "Keep hiding. You're the most cowardly and cruel person I've ever seen."

Daphne: "My condolences, Yvette. Actually, I think Snyder Group would thrive better under Xav."

Daphne: "Since your family has helped me so much in the past, do let me know if you need anything. I'll help you if I can."

Yvette had no idea what was happening.

She closed the messaging app. Almost immediately, she got a notification about the latest news.