By the time Cheryl made it back to the villa she shared with Jeremy, night had already settled in.
An eerie silence filled the spacious house.
Without bothering to switch on the lights, she went straight to the bedroom. She opened a drawer and took out the divorce agreement.
She had prepared those papers the moment she discovered that Jeremy was holding a wedding ceremony at his family's estate that evening.
Back then, a small part of her still hoped everything was a misunderstanding.
Everything she had witnessed that night destroyed the last bit of hope she had left.
Gentle moonlight streamed through the window as Cheryl lowered the pen and carefully signed her name across the designated line.
As she packed her belongings, a box containing a new tie caught her attention inside the walk-in closet.
She had designed the tie herself and visited three different workshops before finding the fabric she wanted. It had been prepared as Jeremy's twenty-eighth birthday present.
Without the slightest hesitation, Cheryl took the box and threw it into the trash.
Every lie and every betrayal had stained the memories she once treasured until they became nothing but something she wanted to forget.
As soon as her phone turned back on, a new unread message appeared.
The message came from her former investment partner. "Cheryl, the medical project you asked me to monitor has finally made some progress. Have you really decided to come back?"
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen as the determination that had disappeared long ago slowly returned.
After she married Jeremy, his family made it clear that they didn't want her to build a public career. They expected her to devote herself entirely to him. Because of that, she concealed her identity in the business world, walked away from the company she had founded with her own hands, and chose to become a full-time housewife.
She had abandoned everything she worked for because of him.
Now it was her turn to reclaim it all.
"Yes. I'll be at the office tomorrow at ten in the morning."
Once she finished replying to her partner, Cheryl blocked Jeremy on the chat app and erased his contact number from her phone.
After packing every belonging that was hers into a suitcase, she reached out to Jeremy's assistant.
With everything finally settled, Cheryl paused to take one final look at the house where she and Jeremy had lived together for the past three years.
Without looking back again, she gripped the handle of her suitcase, opened the front door, and walked away.
...
The following morning, Cheryl arrived outside the courthouse. A fitted business suit replaced her usual clothes, and her long hair was neatly tied into a bun. Her flawless makeup gave her a distant and composed elegance.
Right at nine o'clock, a black Maybach slowly came to a stop by the curb.
A moment later, the car door opened, and Jeremy got out.
His suit was as perfectly tailored as ever, but the bloodshot eyes on his face made it obvious that he had not slept the entire night.
As soon as Jeremy caught sight of Cheryl, surprise crossed his face, followed by a brief moment of admiration.
In his eyes, she had always been nothing more than a quiet and devoted housewife. Never once had he seen her carry herself with such confidence and professionalism.
He had never expected a business suit to suit her so well.
Then his expression quickly turned cold.
Without slowing his pace, Jeremy walked straight toward her. His voice carried restrained anger. "Cheryl, how much longer are you going to drag this out? I spent the entire night at the hospital with Danica. She had been on the verge of death twice. Do you have any idea how exhausted I am? Can't you stop making things more difficult?"
The night before, Jeremy's assistant informed him that Cheryl wanted him to meet her outside the courthouse at nine the next morning.
The moment he heard the message, he tried calling Cheryl, only to realize she had blocked him on the chat app and rejected every way he had to contact her.
That was the only reason he had shown up.
Jeremy remained convinced that Cheryl was only acting out in anger.
After all, she had loved him for years. Throughout their three-year marriage, she had always followed his wishes, built her life around him, and never once gone against him. In his eyes, there was no way she truly intended to end their marriage.
To him, this was nothing more than an attempt to force his attention onto her and make him choose her instead of Danica.
"Mr. Barrett," Cheryl said coldly. Even the way she addressed him had become distant.
The words stopped Jeremy in his tracks, and he frowned. "What did you just call me?"
Instead of replying, Cheryl reached into her bag, took out the signed divorce agreement, and held it in front of him.
"These are the divorce papers. I'll leave this marriage with nothing, and I won't ask the Barrett family for a single cent." She met his gaze without hesitation. "If you don't have any objections, Mr. Barrett, then sign them."
For the first time, Jeremy's calm expression cracked as genuine disbelief appeared in his eyes because of Cheryl.
A faint smile of ridicule appeared on his face as he looked at Cheryl's slightly pale complexion. "Cheryl, do you honestly expect this little trick to fool me? Don't you think you're acting like a child?"
Over the years, he had become completely accustomed to her unquestioning obedience.
Cheryl had always adjusted herself to suit him, never once pushing back against what he wanted.
Even in their private moments, she always followed his wishes because pleasing him had always come first.
That was why he couldn't believe she genuinely intended to leave him.
In response, Cheryl remained silent as she met his gaze. The affection that once filled her eyes had disappeared, replaced by a distant chill.
Instead of trying to defend herself like she always had, she answered him with nothing more than a faint, cold smile.
"If you truly believe this is a trick, Mr. Barrett, then prove it." Cheryl raised an eyebrow slightly. "Sign the papers and expose my bluff. Or is it you who's unwilling to do it?"
Jeremy's expression instantly hardened, and the atmosphere around him grew noticeably colder.
He locked eyes with her before speaking in a slow, measured voice. "Cheryl, I hope you don't end up regretting this."
He took the divorce papers from her hand and pulled a pen from his suit pocket. Just as he was about to sign, his phone suddenly rang.
The pen stopped in midair as he answered the call.
A frown gradually settled on his face while he listened to the person on the other end.
Once the call ended, Jeremy faced Cheryl again with his usual air of arrogance.
"There's an urgent matter at the company that needs my attention." His voice returned to its familiar dismissive tone. "We'll discuss the divorce another time."
Without giving Cheryl a chance to respond, he turned around and walked back toward the Maybach.
Silently, Cheryl remained where she was as the Maybach gradually disappeared.
A familiar ache crept into her chest once again.
To Jeremy, she had never been his highest priority.
Not even their divorce could come before everything else in his life.
Still, she had already made up her mind to leave him, so waiting a little longer wouldn't change anything.
Cheryl flagged down a taxi and made her way to the place she had stayed away from for the past three years.
