Karl sighed quietly, relieved. He'd been certain that Janice would eventually give in. She had no family to lean on. In his mind, he was the only person she had left.
With that certainty, he added, "Jani, don't be anxious. Nothing between us is going to change. I'll treat you even better than before."
Janice's body shook almost imperceptibly, a sharp ache squeezing her heart. How could he speak with such confidence, as though a wounded heart would remain unchanged forever?
Karl continued calmly, "My grandma's health hasn't been good lately. We can't let her find out about the temporary divorce. I don't want her to worry herself sick."
"You're keeping the divorce from her only because of the shares, right?" Janice sneered, eyes hardening.
Karl's grandmother had made her position clear. If they divorced, his shares in Brooks Group would be revoked without hesitation.
Karl's face darkened, and his voice turned firm. "I've never once considered divorcing you. Joyce and I are nothing more than friends. Stop throwing accusations my way."
A sharp sting rose in Janice's nose as she stared at the man in front of her. His looks were still striking—well-defined features, piercing eyes, and an air of elegance. Yet now, he suddenly felt strange and hypocritical.
The silence between them dragged on.
Finally, Janice shoved him away and said flatly, "We'll go to the courthouse tomorrow at nine and file for the divorce. Joyce won't be convinced by empty promises, will she?"
Karl froze for a brief moment. Then, after a pause, he realized she wasn't wrong. Trying to soothe her, he said, "Don't worry. It's only temporary. Once Joyce recovers, we'll get married again."
As Janice watched the hypocrisy on his face, her stomach churned wildly with nausea, her expression twisting. A wave of overwhelming pain followed swiftly.
She had been worn down from work and hadn't eaten a single proper meal all day. The stomach condition she had kept under control for so long flared up.
Janice clutched her abdomen, cold sweat beading across her forehead. Without warning, she doubled over and retched violently, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The vivid red splattered against the floor, shockingly bright.
Karl rushed forward and grabbed her arm. "Did you skip eating again? Is your stomach acting up?"
Janice pushed him away with every ounce of strength she had left, her voice rough and broken. "Don't touch me."
She couldn't bear to look at Karl's hypocritical expression for another second.
Yet, he didn't walk away. Instead, he bent down and scooped her into his arms. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
His embrace was firm—strong arms, a solid chest. There was a time when Janice loved resting against him, reading as she listened to his heartbeat, wrapped in a sense of safety.
But now, there was only distance and unease. Still, the sharp, relentless pain tearing through her abdomen left her with no strength to fight back. She had no choice but to let him carry her out in the car.
Karl sped down the road toward the hospital.
While driving, he kept his voice low. "Jani, just hold on a little longer. We're almost there."
Right then, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and immediately pulled over to the side of the road. "Joyce? What happened? Don't panic. Slow down and tell me."
The moment Janice heard Joyce's name, her stomach twisted violently again. She doubled forward in the passenger seat, retching in pain.
After exchanging a few more words, Karl ended the call and turned toward Janice. "Joyce burned herself by accident while boiling water. You take a cab to the hospital yourself. I need to go check on her first."
Janice stared at him, shaken, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Karl, it's the middle of the night. You're really going to leave me here by myself?"
"Jani, don't make this difficult. The hospital's not far. Be good and take a cab." Karl leaned over, unbuckled her seat belt, and motioned for her to get out.
The moment she was pushed out of the car, Karl drove off without even a pause.
As the taillights vanished into the darkness, something inside Janice collapsed completely. Holding her stomach, she reached into her pockets to call for a cab, only to realize she hadn't brought her phone along when Karl had carried her out.
Bitterness flooded her chest, her eyes burning red. She loathed herself for throwing away three years of her life on a man who turned out to be nothing but trash. Tears welled up, blurring her vision.
Suddenly, a harsh glare of headlights lit her frail figure.
She turned instinctively, just in time to see a car charging straight toward her.
