Andrew made several calls, but no one answered. His face darkened with fury as he angrily sent a voice message. “Elise, have you had enough of this nonsense?! If you have the guts, never pick up my calls or respond to my messages! Just wait to sign the divorce papers!”
Elise stood silently to the side, her heart calm and unmoved. She now wanted the marriage to end even more than Andrew did, but unfortunately, it was no longer within her power to make it happen.
In the past, whenever Andrew abandoned her for Kimberly, she would confront him in a fit of rage. At first, Andrew would explain himself and try to coax her patiently. But the moment she demanded he cut ties with Kimberly, his demeanor would shift, and he’d threaten her with divorce.
The word "divorce" had always been Andrew’s ultimate weapon against Elise—a weapon that never failed. The moment he brought it up, Elise felt as if her throat was seized, her strength drained completely. She would humble herself, sometimes even apologize, begging him not to end their marriage.
But this time, as the seconds and minutes ticked by, her phone remained silent.
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Now, she truly wished she could sign the divorce papers Andrew spoke of so often. But she was already dead.
Andrew, enraged, grabbed the nearest object on the table and hurled it at the white wall. The loud shattering sound startled Kimberly, who jumped in fright.
The glass cup smashed against the wall, sending shards flying everywhere. One sharp fragment grazed Kimberly’s cheek, and blood instantly seeped out.
“Ah! Blood!” Kimberly cried out, trembling as she clutched her face.
Andrew froze mid-motion, then quickly discarded whatever he was holding and rushed to her side, panicked. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Since Elise couldn’t stray far from Andrew, she had no choice but to follow them into the car.
The hospital was just past the traffic lights. As they reached the intersection, Andrew’s phone suddenly rang. A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.
Elise caught the fleeting expression in the rearview mirror and let out a bitter, mocking smile. Did Andrew think it was her calling him?
No wonder he deliberately let the call ring, only picking it up right before it would go to voicemail, as if doing the caller a favor.
Before the other party could speak, Andrew’s voice rang out, full of smugness and condescension.
“Hello? Have you come to your senses?”
“Elise, let me tell you, even if you beg me on your knees this time, I’m determined to divorce you.”
“You’re shameless…”
To his surprise, the voice on the other end was not Elise’s but instead the weary tone of Grace, Elise's mother.
Elise’s heart twisted painfully, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she choked out a single word. “Mom…”
Since relocating to Los Angeles with Andrew for his business, Elise rarely went home except during holidays.
Andrew had said he didn’t like her focusing on anyone but him, not even her own parents.
At the time, her heart had felt a twinge of unease, but Andrew’s tender kisses convinced her that his possessiveness stemmed from his deep love.
Looking back now, Elise wished she could slap herself. She finally understood the unsaid words in her parents’ eyes every time she visited home.
The signs had been there all along; she had simply been too blinded by memories of love to confront the cruel reality.
On the phone, Grace’s voice was heavy with sorrow as she continued, “Andrew, even if you dislike Elise, she is still your wife. For this final journey, you should see her off—for the sake of both sentiment and reason.”
