"Hmph, this man is so dramatic! He has no real skills, yet he acts like such a diva. Without you, Hildegarde, even if he were sitting on a mountain of gold, he'd burn through it eventually."
Patrick sneered. "Hildegarde, the divorce is for the best. A man who only brings you negativity doesn't deserve you. From now on, I'll take Wilfred's place and look after you and Hilary."
As he spoke, Patrick studied Hildegarde's face—only to find it flushed red, her delicate fists clenched tight.
She looked absolutely furious.
"Hildegarde, are you angry?"
"Don't tell me you actually miss him?"
Patrick's expression darkened. "If you can't let him go, then go sweet-talk him. Coax him back and live your happy little life. I'll just disappear from both your lives so I don't interfere with your blissful marriage!"
His voice dripped with bitterness.
The jealousy was unmistakable.
Hildegarde glanced at Patrick, and her icy expression melted into one of indulgent affection. She took his hand with a smile. "Patrick, what nonsense are you saying? How could he ever compare to you?"
"You're my best friend!"
"Besides, me coax him? Who does he think he is?"
"Relax. He won't actually divorce me. This is all just a ploy to get my attention. Where else would he go if he left me?"
Hildegarde's lips curled into a cold smile.
Even now, she refused to believe Wilfred would actually go through with it.
This man had loved her for five years. For her sake, he'd abandoned his studies, given up his dreams—even turned down an invitation to join the most prestigious mathematics institute in the United States.
She was his everything.
Monday morning. Clear skies.
After dropping Penelope off at school, Wilfred drove to Family Court and waited for Hildegarde outside.
A light drizzle began to fall.
At quarter past ten, a black Porsche Panamera pulled up in front of the building.
Patrick and Hildegarde stepped out together.
Walking side by side, inseparable—they looked every bit the couple in love.
As if staking his claim, Patrick wrapped his arm around Hildegarde's waist right in front of Wilfred.
"Wilfred, you're here early."
Patrick's tone was thick with mockery.
Hildegarde looked at Wilfred, her eyes full of contempt. "Wilfred, I wonder how long you can keep up this act. You wanted a divorce, didn't you? Why aren't you going inside? Having second thoughts?"
Wilfred met her gaze calmly.
After everything he'd been through, his heart was still as water.
Her words no longer had the power to send his thoughts spiraling.
"ID and marriage certificate—you brought them?"
"Wilfred, you're really going through with this?!"
Hildegarde's eyes went wide, anger slowly building in them.
Wilfred simply turned and walked toward the entrance.
"Stop right there!"
A flash of panic crossed Hildegarde's face. She hurried after him and grabbed his hand. "Wilfred, I'll say this one last time. Come home with me now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
"It's not too late to turn back."
Wilfred glanced over at Patrick, who stood nearby with a smug, challenging look on his face. Then he gently removed Hildegarde's hand from his.
"Let's go. You never loved me anyway. Staying together would only mean more suffering for both of us."
"I'm setting you free."
"You—!"
"...Fine. If you want a divorce, let's get divorced."
"Wilfred, I hope you don't regret this."
She spat the words out and stormed into the building.
The process was straightforward.
With the divorce agreement already prepared, there was no need for mediation. The cooling-off period had been waived. Within the hour, their marriage certificate had been split in two and replaced with divorce papers.
The moment Wilfred stepped outside, the drizzle stopped.
The sun broke through the clouds.
Patrick rushed over, beaming. "Congratulations, Hildegarde! A brand new life awaits."
He reached for her hand, but she shook him off before he could touch her.
Irritation flickered across her face, her eyes cold as frost. "Wilfred, even if you don't care about yourself, what about your daughter? Taking Penelope away from the Pruitt family will ruin her."
"Hilary's birthday—she had an allergic reaction, didn't she?"
Wilfred's expression turned cold.
"You knew?"
Hildegarde's face twisted with fury. "So you knew all along! You blocked my number just to watch me suffer, is that it?"
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that night was?"
"The doctor said if we'd been even a little later, Hilary could have gone into respiratory failure. She could have suffocated to death."
"Hildegarde..."
Wilfred spoke her full name again.
He looked at her and shook his head. "I didn't block your number. It was the other way around. The day you took Hilary to Phuket happened to be our wedding anniversary. I called you over a dozen times. You never picked up. The system flagged my number as spam and blacklisted it automatically."
"You're the one who blocked me."
Hildegarde froze.
It came back to her now. That day, she'd been rushing to catch a flight to Phuket to take care of Patrick, who had a cold. She hadn't had the patience to answer Wilfred's calls.
Wilfred watched the embarrassment creep across her face. "Stop giving Hilary chocolate products. And start taking your responsibilities as a mother seriously."
"Don't make the child pay for your selfishness."
He turned to leave, but Hildegarde grabbed the car door, her eyes blazing. "Wilfred, you clearly still care about Hilary. You can't bear to leave her. Walking away now is the most irresponsible thing you could do."
"I'll say it one last time. Come home with me, and I'll act like none of this—"
"I'm not going back to the Pruitt house." Wilfred's voice was flat.
Slam.
He shut the door, ignoring her grip.
When that door closed, it shut out five years of loving her.
"Hildegarde, do you know what else happened the day you flew to Phuket to be with Patrick? It wasn't just our anniversary. That night, my appendix ruptured."
"I dragged myself to the hospital alone, in agony. But during the surgery, the doctors couldn't reach you. No one was there to sign the consent form. My appendix perforated. I nearly died on the operating table."
"That was the day I gave up on you completely."
Hildegarde stood frozen outside the car.
Appendix surgery?
