Chapter 120 The Price of Letting Go
Chapter 120 The Price of Letting Go
Grace hadn’t yet persuaded Henry, and neither Blanc, Nancy, nor the others knew about their plan to divorce. For now, James and Lily had no choice but to continue sharing his room.
Earlier, while heading downstairs, James had already called his assistant and instructed him to have the legal team draft a divorce agreement as soon as possible.
Everyone under James worked fast.
Not long after he returned to his study, his assistant Ashton sent over the finalized documents.
Lily knew James would want to talk, so after returning to the bedroom, she didn’t lie down. Instead, she sat quietly on the edge of the bed and waited…
Sure enough, James soon walked out of the study with two freshly printed copies in hand.
“Lily, the previous agreement is void.”
“This is the divorce agreement. Sign it, and tomorrow we’ll get the divorce certificate at the civil office.”
Unless he formally ended their marriage, he’d always feel guilty. He couldn’t look Leila in the eyes and confess his feelings while still bound to another woman.
He needed to be free.
Then, he would help Lily find someone worthy.
And once Lily’s new relationship had a solid foundation, he’d tell the family they were already divorced.
Everyone would be happy.
Lily never wanted to stand in his way and had no objections. She took the documents and began signing immediately.
He had once promised her a one–hundred–million dollars compensation as part of the divorce.
But in truth, she felt James had gotten the worst end of this entire marriage. There was no need for him to give her anything.
Only when she glanced over the agreement did she notice: the amount had been doubled.
Two hundred million.
The sheer size of the number startled her. She couldn’t accept it.
“James, can you have them revise this part? You don’t owe me anything. You don’t need to compensate me.”
But to James, the money was exactly what she did deserve.
One hundred million was what he’d promised before.
The other hundred million… was because of what happened tonight.
Yes, he had been drugged.
But being under the influence didn’t excuse what he had done.
She hadn’t pressed charges, and he knew it was because she didn’t want to embarrass his mother or grandmother.
She let it go–but he couldn’t pretend it never happened. That second hundred million was his apology.
“Lily, sign it.”
His voice was cold and distant–clearly unwilling to waste time arguing.
“If you don’t accept compensation, Grandma and the others will never let me divorce you.”
Two hundred million… she didn’t feel she deserved it.
But she could tell how desperately he wanted this to be over. So she didn’t push the issue further and quietly signed both copies.
Each took one.
James glanced at his watch–past ten already.
He hadn’t said goodnight to Leila yet. He didn’t want to waste more time, but if he was going to find Lily a suitable match, he needed to know what kind of person she’d like.
It was the most efficient way to help her move on–and give him the freedom to reveal their divorce.
“Bring your ID tomorrow. We’ll finalize the paperwork.”
“…What kind of person do you like? Height, weight, profession, personality–just tell me.”
Lily instantly knew: he was planning to play matchmaker.
Truthfully, after the divorce, she hadn’t planned to pursue any new relationship.
James, of course, noticed. She had been so deeply hurt by that man named John, she was willing to marry
a man in a coma, but had no intention of ever opening her heart again.
But to close yourself off just because someone else failed you–that wasn’t right.
After a short silence, he said plainly,
“Lily, I know someone’s let you down before.”
“But not every man in the world is like that. The
will be men of character. Give it a chance.”
Lily wasn’t ready to open her heart again.
She was afraid of being hurt.
people I introduce you to–regardless of background-
But she had to admit… he had a point.
You couldn’t refuse to walk again just because you once fell.
And she knew James wanted nothing more than to cut ties completely. If she had someone new, he could finally tell his family about the divorce.
The Luke family had been so kind to her–she couldn’t be the reason James felt cornered.
After thinking it through, she nodded firmly.
“Alright. I’ll cooperate. I don’t really know what my type is, but I trust your judgment. If you choose someone for me, I’m sure he’ll be a good one.”
“…Good.”
Hearing her agree, James visibly relaxed.
Without another word, he picked up his copy of the divorce agreement and returned to the study.
Once the paperwork was complete tomorrow, he would be free.
He could finally confess his love to Leila openly, pursue her without guilt.
But the moment he shut the door and opened the chat thread with Leila on his phone, the memory of what had happened with Lily flooded back–and those dark, phoenix eyes filled once again with guilt and pain.
