Chapter 65 Deal or Divorce
Chapter 65 Deal or Divorce
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Henry caught his wife’s encouraging look, took a few exaggerated breaths, then clutched his chest and dropped to the floor like he was having a heart attack.
“Lily is the only woman we’ve ever accepted as our granddaughter–in–law, and I won’t let you divorce her! If you go through with this, what–are you trying to give me a heart attack? Trying to put me in the ground? Ah, my chest… I can’t take this. He’s going to put me in the hospital at this rate!”
When Grace shot him another glare, Henry immediately flopped back, legs stiff, pretending to pass out.
“Dad!”
“Grandpa!”
As Henry lay motionless, Blanc and the others rushed over to catch him.
Grace wiped her eyes, getting choked up. “You poor thing… You’ve always loved James so much, and now he’s breaking your heart. Why does life have to be so hard on you? If anything happens to you, I don’t want to live either…”
Blanc helped hoist Henry onto Ivan’s back, then shot James a fierce glare. “Don’t bring up divorce again. If Grandpa actually ends up in the hospital over this, you’re going to answer for it. I swear I won’t forgive you.”
As Ivan carried Henry out, Blanc pulled out his phone and called the butler, his voice sharp and urgent. “Get a car ready now. We need to get Grandpa to the hospital–fast.”
Soon, the bedroom was empty–except for James and Lily.
James still looked furious–stuck in a marriage with a woman he didn’t know and definitely didn’t love.
He had a reputation for being cold and ruthless in the outside world, but deep down, he valued family- especially the man who’d raised him.
Henry had raised him. There was no way he could watch the old man collapse and not feel something.
He sat stiffly at the edge of the bed, fuming in silence for a long while before finally speaking.
His face still cold, his voice sharp, he glanced at the woman across the room. He didn’t even know her name. Without softening a bit, he glanced at her coolly and said, “Name.”
Lily looked away from the door and replied politely, “Lily Ginger.”
She truly liked the Luke family.
If James had stayed in a coma forever, she would’ve spent her whole life quietly by his side, never asking for more. She’d have stayed in this house, at peace.
But now he was awake–and it was obvious he resented her. He wanted out o. his marriage. And she wasn’t the kind of woman to cling to a title that wasn’t truly hers.
She paused, then quickly added, “I get it–being suddenly married like this must feel suffocating and
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Chapter 65 Deal or Divorce
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unfair. I’m fine with a divorce. I just worry that if we do it immediately, your grandpa might not be able to handle the shock. I-”
“We’ll get divorced in six months.” James cut her off coldly before she could finish.
He paused for a beat before continuing, just as coldly. “Six months is enough for Grandpa to accept the truth. I’ll have someone draw up the paperwork, and you can sign it tomorrow. In the meantime, I don’t want anyone outside this family knowing we’re married. For the next six months, no physical contact, no interference in each other’s lives. We’re married in name only. You and I remain separate individuals. You do whatever makes you happy. I’ll live mine. When the time’s up, I’ll make sure you get a payout. It’ll be enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your life.”
Divorced in six months… Lily actually thought that was a pretty reasonable timeline. It was long enough for Grandpa to slowly accept that the two of them weren’t meant to be.
She nodded seriously. “You have my word. I won’t cross any lines. No touching, no overstepping. Once the six months are up, I’ll walk away and file the divorce myself.”
“Good.” James seemed satisfied with that.
His bedroom was massive–close to two thousand square feet.
Past the oversized bed was his private office, where he usually worked.
There was also a bed inside the study.
He shot Lily a cool look, then gripped the bedframe and pushed himself into a wheelchair before heading for the study. “You take the master bedroom. I’ll sleep in the office. Let’s keep our distance from now on.”
“Of course. I won’t bother you.”
Hearing her firm reply, James didn’t say another word. Cold as ever, he wheeled himself away and shut the door behind him.
The moment he shut the door, the cold look on his face softened. For once, a bit of warmth broke through his sharp, guarded expression.
He unlocked his phone and sent a message to Leila. “I’m sorry.”
He really was.
He’d disappeared for nearly four and a half years. And now, somehow, he’d woken up married to someone else. How could he ever face Leila after that?
Almost the instant he hit send, Lily’s phone buzzed.
She blinked in surprise. Her Instagram–silent for years–had just lit up with a new message.
Elias.
She stared at the dark profile photo on the screen, her breath catching in her throat. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Nearly five years ago, the theater club president had given her an Instagram handle to message for a
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Chapter 65 Deal or Divorce
rehearsal project.
She’d typed it in… but somehow, she must’ve entered it wrong. Instead of messaging the upperclassman she was supposed to work with, she’d ended up texting Elias.
