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Clayton’s denial almost slipped from his lips, but he still failed to say it.
In his heart, the Patterson family had sacrificed a lot for his family. Even if Valerie remarried someone but didn’t live a happy life, he could never just stand by and watch. Otherwise, he felt like he would let Valerie’s father down.
Seeing Clayton’s sudden frown, Valerie covered her mouth and began crying. “Had I known I’d cause you so much trouble, I’d rather have that bastard beat me to death. I will change Luna’s father’s name to his.
“If he finds us. I’ll just take Luna and perish with him. Luna and I don’t deserve a harmonious family. It’s not Audrey’s fault.”
“Don’t belittle yourself like that.” Clayton handed Valerie a tissue, his voice sharp. “That bastard doesn’t deserve to be Luna’s father. You can’t let Luna grow up under his shadow.”
Valerie didn’t take the tissue. Instead, she grabbed his hand and sobbed. “I don’t want that either, but if I haven’t even moved past his shadow, how
can I find Luna a father?”
Clayton instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Luna suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
He looked down into Luna’s eyes–full of pleading and fear–and made a
decision.
He turned to Audrey and said, “Audrey, we owe Vally. I can’t just ignore her.” He paused for a second and then added, “You don’t need to threaten me with divorce.”
Valerie’s mind raced. ‘Divorce? Did Audrey ask Clayton for a divorce? What’s his stance? Did he refuse to leave her?‘
Valerie looked at Audrey with panic. “Audrey, Clayton’s only helping us
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because he feels sorry for us. If you’re really going to divorce him, you’re literally trying to push us to our deaths.”
Audrey’s gaze toward Valerie was full of scorn. She thought to herself, ‘She’s good at playing the victim. She and Clayton are perfect for each other. It’s only natural to give her Mrs. Patel’s spot and let her fight with those hypocrites in Clayton’s family.‘
“She’s just upset. Don’t take it to your heart.” Clayton shielded Valerie and Luna, guiding them out. He then closed the door, almost as if worried Audrey might leave.
When Clayton came back, Audrey was searching for her new shower gel in the bathroom.
Clayton walked up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Audrey, listen, don’t make this worse, alright?”
Audrey elbowed him back, causing Clayton to wince in pain. She walked around him toward the door, saying, “What if I don’t listen? Will ya send me back to Ashwood Mental Hospital for another month?”
Clayton’s expression clouded, his voice still icy. “You’re the one who hurt Vally’s hand first. Luna made a mess of your house. Let’s just call it even.”
Audrey sneered inwardly, ‘Heh, does he really think that’s fair? A lawyer should believe the evidence. Vally’s injury is barely even a scratch. How could it possibly affect her career?
‘Luna can’t communicate, but she can still nod or shake her head. He never even bothered to ask her what happened that day. Just because Vally is his childhood friend, he chooses to trust everything she says. All this talk is pointless.’
Audrey said in a firm tone, “Clayton, I want a divorce.”
Clayton took a few steps closer, his eyes full of mockery. “Do you have any idea how expensive it is to live in Ironhaven? Your previous salary barely
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covered rent, and now you don’t even have a job.
“If we divorce, how are you going to survive? Are you really going to go back to Emberholt and work the fields? Be honest with yourself, do you
want that?”
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Audrey’s lips curled into a cold, cynical smile. Clayton knew exactly where her weaknesses lay.
He knew how hard she worked to change her life and how much she valued the opportunities she had now. She’d worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the next generation, and he used that to control her.
She said, “You promised to compensate me 150,000 dollars for the job I lost. You won’t go back on your word, will you?”
Audrey’s smile was sharp, as if she had just driven a needle straight into Clayton’s heart.
Clayton’s card was handed to Lillian, but his side income was still significant. 150,000 dollars was nothing for him.
He stared at Audrey’s face, a strange feeling creeping over him. Once she got that money, she’d be completely out of his control.
He said, “Audrey, sending you to Ashwood Mental Hospital was my mistake, but it was a fact that you hurt Vally with a knife.
“Everyone saw it, and you even slandered the relationship between Vally and me. I just wanted you to calm down, you know? I was trying to protect
you.”
“Protect?” Audrey laughed, her tears almost welling up. “You’ve handled cases for Ashwood Mental Hospital before, right? You know their management system. Are you sure I’d be safe there?
“If I got a high fever and damaged my brain, no one would ever challenge you to take care of Vally and her daughter. If I died there, would my
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lawyer husband be representing me, or would he be representing Ashwood Mental Hospital?”
Clayton’s eyes widened, his face darkening further.
The day after sending Audrey off, he left for a business trip. Valerie said she was worried Audrey might be getting bullied and wanted to visit. Fearing another argument between them, he called Leo to keep an eye on Audrey for him.
Clayton didn’t believe Audrey was mistreated during her stay in Ashwood.
Audrey’s eyes were dry. Despite feeling completely wronged, the tears
were gone.
She sneered, “You don’t have time to care about your wife’s life or death, but you can push aside millions in agency fees just to take on Valerie’s divorce case. It’s clear who’s more important to you.
“And why don’t you divorce me? Without someone who’s blindly addicted to you, you lose that sense of superiority, huh?”
Clayton felt a sharp pain in his stomach. It wasn’t that he didn’t have time to visit her. He returned to Ironhaven because Valerie was followed by someone that night. She suspected her ex–husband had found them.
Clayton rushed back by train, reviewed the surveillance footage around their new house, stayed with them for three days, and then left after confirming it was a misunderstanding.
He could’ve gone to visit Audrey during those three days, but he didn’t.
The reason? Maybe, on some level, he wanted Audrey to suffer a bit so she’d stop making life difficult for Valerie and her daughter.
Audrey couldn’t be bothered to guess the emotions playing out on his
face.
She simply said, “If you really feel guilty, compensate me. Don’t make
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empty promises and say something like you’ll take care of me in the future. If you don’t negotiate our divorce like an adult, I’ll take it to court.”
Clayton clenched his fist, his anger twisting his face into something almost grotesque. “After taking the money, you still want a divorce, huh? Audrey, let’s see who’ll dare take your divorce case.”
Audrey grabbed the glass from the nightstand and smashed it on the floor, the shards scattering in all directions.
She looked him dead in the eye and said, “If no one in Ironhaven will take my divorce case, I’ll find a lawyer in Moonridge. I don’t believe you can control everything.”
Her voice was sharp and clear, her gaze cutting right through him. To Clayton, Audrey had always been gentle and considerate. She’d do whatever it took to make him smile, even if it meant acting childish at
times.
But now? Now she was like a fierce and thorny flower. Gorgeous, sure, but it could easily hurt people.
A dangerous thought crossed his mind–he wanted to hide this flower away and keep it from anyone else’s reach.
Audrey shoved him away, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. “I’ll send the divorce agreement to your law firm. If you don’t agree, I’ll file a
lawsuit.”
She walked out without looking back, but Clayton suddenly grabbed her and nulled her into his arme
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