Feeling the child leaving me, I looked at Gabriel and used my last bit of strength to say:
“Gabriel Curtis, you will never have children again. You’ll die alone, eaten by dogs!”
I passed out from the pain, and only then did he remove his foot, leaving with a final remark:
“Let Jack stay at the dog training facility for another month. Remember, every extra day he stays there is because of you!”
When I woke up again, I was in bed, my clothes changed.
The housekeeper sat by the bed wiping her tears. Seeing me awake, she rambled: “How could Mr. Curtis be so cruel? Risking your life for that vixen.”
“You used to be so happy together. Mr. Curtis learned sign language for you, always rushing home to be with you and Jack. It was so sweet to
see.”
“But ever since Mr. Curtis’s older brother passed away and that vixen moved in, how did Mr. Curtis change so much?”
She couldn’t understand how someone could change so suddenly, discarding what they once cherished.
I patted her hand, not saying much: “The Curtis family will soon fall apart. You should find a new place to work soon.”
I went to Jack’s room, folding his little clothes one by one, packing his favorite toys into a box.
Every item reminded me of his innocent smile, how he used to call me “Mommy” in his sweet voice.
Tears kept falling, falling, but there were no longer small hands to wipe them away.
I burned the items I had packed for Jack in the garden, talking to him constantly.
Jack had never heard my voice when he was alive. I wondered if he could recognize it now.
Gabriel came over at some point. He said in a low voice: “Aria Stone, you’re really committing to this act, aren’t you? If you want a child so badly, I can give you another one. Stop using so many tricks to disgust me.”
He roughly pulled me back to the bedroom, pushing me onto the bed.
His breath on my neck made me nauseous, and I shook all over. I struggled desperately, hitting his face and body hard, but he pinned my hands tightly.
In the violent struggle, our wedding photo fell from the wall, hitting Gabriel.
Gabriel got up, enduring the pain. He angrily flipped over the frame, but when he saw us embracing sweetly in the photo, he froze.
I don’t know what he remembered, but his expression became complex. He slowly left the bed and sat on the sofa, lighting a cigarette.
I fixed my torn clothes and took out the divorce papers I had prepared from the bedside table.
Placing the papers in front of him, I said: “Gabriel Curtis, sign these, Let’s get divorced.”
Gabriel looked up at me: “Aria Stone, don’t try to threaten me with divorce. Can you really leave me? You’ve heard the story of the boy who cried wolf, haven’t you? Use the same trick too many times, and it loses its effect.”
“If I really sign this today, don’t come crying to me tomorrow when you regret it.”
I ignored his sarcasm and calmly said: “If you divorce me, you can properly marry Lily. Whether I regret it tomorrow or not is my business.”
Or is it, Gabriel Curtis, that you don’t want to divorce me? Or are you afraid to sign?”
Gabriel sneered: “Aria Stone, who do you think you are? The Curtis family is wealthy and powerful. We can have anything we want. If my family hadn’t forced me to marry you, how could you have become my wife?”
“After sleeping with me for seven or eight years, who else would want you after we divorce?”
I ignored his taunts and insisted: “Then sign it.”
Gabriel’s mocking expression finally changed. He stared at me for a while, then said in a low voice:
“Aria Stone, think it through. If you divorce me, I won’t give you custody of Jack. You’ll never see him again. He won’t call you ‘Mom‘ anymore.”
“I won’t give you another chance either. There are plenty of women who want to be Mrs. Curtis!”
He could no longer threaten me with Jack. I took a deep breath and said painfully: “I’ll never see Jack again. I hope in his next life, he won’t have such a useless mother.”
Gabriel couldn’t believe it: “You used to insist on taking Jack every time you threatened divorce. Now you don’t even want Jack? Aria Stone, what game are you playing?”
I calmly let him scrutinize me, knowing that no matter what I said, he wouldn’t believe me.
Gabriel stared intently into my eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie, but my eyes were hollow, filled only with endless despair.
After a long while, he finally spoke, as if compromising: “Fine, you win. If you stop making trouble, I’ll bring Jack back tomorrow. I was wrong this time. As long as you don’t bully Lily anymore, I won’t hurt you again.”
I was unmoved by his belated apology. I pushed the divorce papers in front of him again, saying only two words: “Sign it.”
Gabriel frowned deeply, smashing the ashtray against my forehead. It shattered on the ground as he roared: “Aria Stone, when will you be done with this?!”
As we were at an impasse, Lily walked in wearing her nightgown: “Gabriel, I’m scared sleeping alone. Will you come keep me company?”
1
She noticed the divorce papers between us and her eyes flickered: “Gabriel, are you divorcing Aria because of me? How could you hurt Aria like this? Everyone knows she can’t live without you.”
“As long as you have me in your heart, I’m willing to stay with you for life, with or without a title.”
Gabriel opened his mouth but didn’t say that I was the one asking for the divorce.
I said to Lily: “Do you really not care about your status? Then you’ll never have a proper status for the rest of your life. You’ll always be the shameful other woman.”
“You…”
Lily’s face twisted with anger, but she had to maintain her gentle facade. She added more fuel to the fire for Gabriel.
“Aria clearly looks down on me. Gabriel, if I’m causing you so much trouble, let me leave. You and Aria can live happily together.”
Gabriel wrapped his arm around her waist as she was about to turn away. His eyes were fixed on me: “You stay. Let her go!”
He grabbed the pen and quickly signed the divorce papers, then threw them at me without another glance.
“Get out. I’ll transfer your share of the assets to you in a few days.”
I stopped him: “Transfer it to me now.”
He glared at me fiercely: “Fine, I’ll do it right now.” He lowered his head to make the transfer, then stormed out.
After receiving the transfer notification, I no longer had any lingering attachments. I left the Curtis mansion that very night.
Early the next morning, Gabriel was woken by a phone call.
Mrs. Curtis’s grief–stricken voice came through the phone:
“Gabriel, you beast! Jack is really dead! He was your son, how could you be so heartless?”
<
tany the next mormy, Gaper was worn by a prone call.
Mrs. Curtis’s grief–stricken voice came through the phone:
“Gabriel, you beast! Jack is really dead! He was your son, how could you be so heartless?”
Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly recovered: “Did Aria Stone go crying to you? How can you play along with her act to trick me? I knew she’d regret divorcing me today.”
“Mom, don’t worry about her. I won’t forgive her easily this time. She needs to learn her lesson. Jack is just experiencing life at the dog training facility. I know the owner, you don’t need to worry.”
Mrs. Curtis was stunned by the information in his words. She didn’t have time to ask about the divorce, crying as she scolded him:
“Have you gone mad? You’ve already killed Jack, and you even let him be eaten alive by dogs! Even tigers don’t eat their cubs. How could I have given birth to such an inhuman monster? The Curtis family will surely be ruined by your hands.”
Gabriel impatiently said: “Mom, at your age, don’t join Aria Stone in making trouble. If she really knows she was wrong, she should come back and kneel before me and Lily to apologize.”
Mrs. Curtis’s blood pressure shot up. She roared: “Come to the dog training facility right now. If you don’t come, don’t call me mother anymore!”
