Chapter 4

Maxwell arrived home well past 11:00 pm. The villa was eerily quiet, with only a night light switched on in the living room. Jennifer sat on the couch, seemingly waiting for him.

As Maxwell took off his coat and loosened his tie, he spoke impatiently, "Didn't we agree on the divorce? I won't shortchange you when it comes to assets. You can rest assured about that."

He thought she wanted a larger share of the assets.

Jennifer's voice was hoarse when she asked, "Maxwell, did you want a divorce because of that woman?"

Maxwell's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He didn't want to hide anything from her, nor did he care to.

"Yes. I owe it to her. That's something I must do," he admitted frankly.

Jennifer chuckled bitterly. "I only discovered today how hypocritical you are. You played the victim, making me feel guilty and pushing me to get a divorce. I bet you were secretly pleased, weren't you? You finally caught me making a blunder, and you're now forcing me to leave so you can be with her."

Maxwell furrowed his brows. His tone was chilling as he replied, "Jennifer, let's make things clear. Rachel and I were together in the first place. You know very well how you ended up marrying me. Now that you have someone else, we're even. Let's spare each other, shall we?"

"No!" Jennifer's words were sharp. "I hate being deceived. You and her have been playing me like a fool for the past two years. Do you think I'll let you off?"

Maxwell rubbed his temples, suppressing his irritation. With gritted teeth, he demanded, "Then what do you want?"

"I won't get a divorce." With that, Jennifer went to the bedroom. Almost as soon as she turned around, her tears surged out.

For two whole years, she had been waiting for him to return her feelings. Before her mother passed away, she was told that most marriages in this world were built on growing affection over time.

Love at first sight was just infatuation, like what she felt for Maxwell. But marriage ultimately relied on tolerance and patience.

Jennifer thought her perseverance would eventually warm his heart. Now she realized how wrong she was. The presence of that woman had already negated all her efforts and perseverance.

…

For the next two weeks, Maxwell never returned to the villa. He even stopped staying in the guest room altogether.

Jennifer immersed herself in her university's laboratory, focusing on her studies. She was now in her fourth year of medical school, preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam.

She didn't want to trap herself in a hopeless marriage. Even if she couldn't have love, at least she would still have her career.

Now, concentrating all her energy somewhere else was the only way to keep her thoughts from drifting toward Maxwell.

In the evening, after finishing her experiments, Jennifer came out of the laboratory.

"You're Ms. Yale, right?" Rachel was standing outside the laboratory building, waiting for her.

Jennifer immediately recognized her as the dancer Rachel whom Laura had interviewed. Nonetheless, she pretended not to know her and asked impassively, "I am. Who are you?"

Rachel smiled, as smart and gentle as ever. "Ms. Yale, do you mind having a talk? My name is Rachel Walker. I'm… a friend of Max's."

"A friend?" Jennifer sneered. "Maxwell has too many friends; I've never heard him mention you. Sorry, but I don't have time right now."

Rachel blocked her way, still smiling. "Ms. Yale, I won't take up much of your time."

Jennifer had long harbored resentment toward this woman. Since she insisted, Jennifer wanted to see what Rachel was up to.

So, the two of them went to a cafe near Haven University.

"Ms. Yale—"

Rachel had just opened her mouth when Jennifer interrupted her. "Ms. Walker, since you're a friend of Max, you should know me, right? Please call me Mrs. Lance."

Jennifer emphasized "Mrs. Lance" heavily.

Rachel looked embarrassed and nodded. "Okay, I'll call you Mrs. Lance for now. I came to apologize to you today. After all, Max has caused you a lot of grievances because of me."

"Has he?"

Jennifer acted nonchalant, saying, "What grievances has he caused me? I don't know about that. Ms. Walker, aren't you thinking too highly of yourself? Maxwell has been good to me, really."

Rachel's smile deepened, and in her softest voice, she pierced through Jennifer's facade. "Is that so? But Max told me you refused to get a divorce. He's quite troubled by it. After all, Max and I met in our university days, and we got together very early on. We were about your age when we fell in love."

Although Jennifer was prepared to face Maxwell's mistress, she only realized how far she was from Rachel's level during the actual confrontation, especially when Rachel recounted her past with Maxwell.

"Max told me everything about you. Your late mother saved his grandfather's life with a highly complex heart surgery, which made Mr. Lance Senior feel deeply indebted to your family. So, when she entrusted you to him before her death, he couldn't refuse. Of course, you were also a sacrifice in this arranged marriage. You're quite pitiful."

Rachel's voice was gentle, neither hurried nor annoyed, but it was enough to insult Jennifer's pride and dignity.

Jennifer slowly stirred the coffee in front of her, her heart completely knotted by now. So, it seemed that Maxwell had told this woman everything. She must be a joke to them, right?

Jennifer decided to play along and said, "Since you pity me, why don't you be a good person and stop bothering Maxwell and me?"

Rachel's smile stiffened. She had expected Jennifer to be furious. However, she was surprised to find that the young girl could keep her composure.

With a shallow smile, she responded, "I didn't want things to turn out this way either, but Max insists on taking responsibility for me. After all, even though I'm not his wife, we have consummated. Ms. Yale, you're still young, and you wouldn't understand."

Jennifer clenched her fists tightly under the table. Each word Rachel uttered was akin to a dagger stabbing her heart without mercy.

She had seen this coming. No man could control himself when it came to the woman he loved. But hearing the blatant truth from Rachel caused Jennifer to feel suffocated.

After taking a deep breath, she asked, "So, have you come to me today to ask for my acceptance for you two to be together?"

"If possible, I'll make sure Max provides you with more security for your future. You will receive fair compensation." Rachel thought Jennifer was wavering, so she proposed attractive conditions, tempting her with money.

Jennifer chuckled at that. "I'm sorry, but I'll get much more than what's in this divorce agreement by continuing being his wife."

"But there should be order when it comes to love." Rachel's smile faded as she realized Jennifer wasn't budging.

She continued with a hint of urgency, "Even if you insist on staying married, it's futile. I came into Max's life first. It's him and I who are in love."

Jennifer nodded. "Yes, you two love each other, but I'm the one married to him. Love may have an order, but the law doesn't care about who comes first. Our marriage certificate is solid proof that you can never be with him legitimately."

Just then, Jennifer's phone rang.

Seeing that it was Maxwell calling, she was instantly reminded that the fifteenth of every month was the day they would return to Lance Manor to dine with Robert.

Intentionally, she put the call on speaker for Rachel to listen.

Maxwell's voice sounded. "Where are you? We have to head to Lance Manor today."

"Babe, I'm still at the university. I just finished my experiment. Could you come pick me up?" Jennifer's voice was meek with a hint of coquettishness.

For a moment, Maxwell was stunned, unable to wrap his head around what Jennifer had called him.