I wore stunning makeup and a sexy deep-V dress the day I divorced billionaire Richard Sterling. He looked at me with disgust. “Dressed like that? Already on the prowl?” I touched the ruby at my throat and smiled. “Yes. And you even know him.” He scoffed.”Delusional. You’re forty and divorced. Who’d want you? Beg, and I might take you back.” Offended? Please. Just last night at my bachelorette, seven guys asked for my digits. A handsome one even proposed on the spot. Richard didn’t head for the courthouse right away. He drove in the opposite direction. Catching my questioning look, his voice was ice. “Valerie will be there today. Once we’re done, I’m marrying her. She’s waited twenty years. No more waiting.” So that was it. Our entire marriage-a hollow, convenient arrangement. A performance that had run its course. When we arrived outside Valerie Hayes’s house, I got out to buy a bottle of water. When I came back, she was in my seat. “Scarlett, I always ride up front with Richard. You understand, don’t you?” Why would I? We were here to get a divorce anyway. I simply climbed into the back seat. Just then, Valerie turned her head, her eyes fixed on my wrist. “What a beautiful bracelet!” “Scarlett, give Valerie the bracelet,” Richard ordered, his hands on the steering wheel, not even glancing back. This bracelet was a birthday gift from Richard three years ago. My fiancé wouldn’t want me wearing another man’s jewelry, so I slipped it off and held it out to Valerie. “I have plenty of jewelry at home. If you like it, I’ll send all of it to you.” Seeing this, Richard nodded, satisfied. “Scarlett, as long as you don’t cause a scene, I promise no one in our circle will know about our divorce.” I didn’t answer. He had no idea I was getting remarried very soon myself. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was my fiancé. “I’ve boarded, I’ll be there soon.” His voice was full of tenderness. “I miss you so much!” I happily replied, “Okay, see you in a bit.” Richard caught the smile on my lips in the rearview mirror. A surge of irritation flared in him. He was about to ask who it was when Valerie, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly shrieked. “What’s wrong?” Richard asked gently, turning his head. Valerie cried, “Oh no, the bracelet broke! It was fine a moment ago.” I was still busy on the phone, completely unaware of the bracelet. Richard’s anger immediately ignited. He grabbed the broken bracelet and hurled it at me. Before I could even react, Richard snatched my phone and threw it out the car window. My phone was instantly crushed by a passing car. “Richard Sterling, what the hell is wrong with you!” I yelled, furious. Richard pulled the car to the side of the road and dragged me out. My heel slipped, and I twisted my ankle the moment my foot hit the ground. Seeing my swollen ankle, he scoffed and threw my hand away in disgust. “I only asked you to give Valerie a bracelet, and you deliberately broke it. Scarlett, how can you be so vicious!”
He convicted me without even asking? I looked up at Valerie in the car. She quickly averted her eyes, flustered. From the moment she arrived, I was recast in Richard’s story as the villain. My investment in his family firm became a scheme to force his hand in marriage. My ambition to excel was a plot to steal his empire. Even my choice of clothes was a calculated bid to stir his jealousy. Now, even though Valerie had deliberately broken the bracelet, he still thought it was my doing. But today, I was too tired to argue with him. “Yes, that’s right. I didn’t want to give it to her. I wanted to spite her. Are you satisfied now?” Gritting my teeth against the searing pain in my ankle, I straightened up and turned, walking away down the road without looking back. He stood by the car, haughty. “Scarlett, since you admit it, don’t blame me for punishing you! You can walk to the courthouse yourself today!” Ha, leave me? Hadn’t he abandoned me for Valerie enough times? At our wedding, he received a message from Valerie and left without a word of explanation, right in front of all our guests. The night I had appendicitis, he also abandoned me to go see Valerie. After all that, my heart had long since turned to ice. By the time I reached the courthouse, my foot was incredibly swollen. I was leaning against a wall by the roadside to rest when someone suddenly rushed up from behind and forcefully swept me into his arms. “Richard Sterling, put me down!” Richard’s face was taut. As if he hadn’t heard me, he walked straight inside. As we passed Valerie, a flash of resentment flickered in her eyes. The moment we entered, a staff member approached us. “Sir, madam, are you here for a marriage certificate?” Richard’s face darkened, and his grip instantly loosened, setting me down. “No, we’re here for a divorce.” After the paperwork was done and I had my divorce certificate, I sat aside, waiting for my fiancé to pick me up. “Scarlett, aren’t you leaving? Your foot looks pretty bad. Richard and I can take you to the hospital after we get our marriage certificate!” Valerie said, smiling sweetly as she intimately linked her arm with Richard’s. I touched up my lipstick in my compact mirror. “No thanks, I’m waiting for my fiancé. He’ll take me to the hospital later.” “Oh, what a coincidence! Richard, why don’t we wait with Scarlett for a bit?” Valerie pulled Richard to sit next to me. “Once we’re done with our marriage certificate, if Scarlett’s fiancé still hasn’t arrived, we can give her a ride.” Valerie probably thought I was fabricating a “fiancé” to maintain my dignity. Richard tenderly took her hand and put it in his pocket to warm it. “You’re always worrying about others, you know.” The sky was getting dark, and my fiancé still hadn’t arrived. I reached into my pocket for my phone, only to remember it had been crushed by the car earlier. Annoyed, I stood up, about to leave. Valerie, clutching her freshly acquired marriage certificate, walked over, smiling. “Scarlett, why isn’t your fiancé here yet? You don’t have to lie to us, you know. Where would you get a fiancé? Let us take you to the hospital!” I checked my pockets again. I hadn’t brought a single cent. So, I didn’t refuse her offer. Stepping outside, I carefully descended the steps, holding onto the railing. “Scarlett, let me help you.” Valerie hurried to catch up. I was on the verge of dismissing her when- “Ah!” A sharp cry. Her foot seemed to slip, and she fell backwards. Richard caught her effortlessly. She clung to his chest, tears instantly welling in her eyes. “Scarlett, I only wanted to help. Why would you push me?” Richard gently stroked her back, his face filled with tenderness. He turned and grabbed my hand, yanking me down the steps. “You’re truly ungrateful, Scarlett.” I was clutching my ankle. He saw it, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. He was about to tell me to get in the car when Valerie’s lips parted slightly, and she murmured, “Richard…” He immediately pulled her in his arms into the car. They drove away, leaving me behind.
I hobbled to the police station and asked an officer to take me to the hospital. I had my assistant bring me a new phone. The moment I inserted my old SIM card, a call came through. “Scarlett! You finally picked up! What happened?” My fiancé sounded on the verge of tears. I looked at my freshly bandaged foot, my eyes lowered. “Nothing serious, just twisted my ankle.” “What! Is it bad? Did you go to the hospital?” His words were urgent; he sounded like he wanted to teleport beside me. “My plane had to turn back halfway because of the weather. The moment it landed, I called you, but no one picked up. I was terrified.” I reassured my fiancé. After hanging up, I saw that Richard, who never posted on Instagram, had actually posted. It was his wedding photo with Valerie. I commented, “Congratulations on your marriage! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.” Soon, Richard called me. I hung up and blocked his number. Just as I walked out of the examination room, I bumped into Richard and Valerie coming out of the room next door. “Alone?” Richard instinctively furrowed his brow. Valerie’s face contorted with a flash of pure malice. Then she stepped forward, winding her arm around Richard’s waist, her expression smoothing into saccharine sweetness. “Scarlett, still no fiancé? If he were real, wouldn’t he be here with you?” Just then, my phone rang again. I didn’t offer another word. I quickly hobbled out of the hospital. They followed slowly behind me. “Scarlett, you didn’t just make someone up because Richard and I got married, did you?” Richard’s face melted into understanding. He cupped Valerie’s cheek. “Scarlett, drop the act. You don’t need to invent a fiancé. Very few people are capable of a devotion like Valerie’s-waiting over twenty years.” Valerie pouted, clinging to Richard’s arm. “Richard, let’s not bring up the past. I’d do anything for you.” My phone vibrated again. I gestured to my phone to the people behind me. “Excuse me, my ride is here. I’ll introduce him to you both another day.” “Scarlett, what time is it, and you’re still lying to us?” Richard stood not far from me, seemingly waiting to see if I had actually called a car. The driver pulled over. Richard pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it through the car window. “Cancel this ride. You don’t need to pick them up.” He then turned back to me, looking at me with a smirk, as if convinced the person I spoke of was imaginary. “Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.” Valerie enthusiastically opened the back door for me. “Scarlett, why don’t you just admit it! Even if you just made someone up on a whim, it’s fine. Richard and I promise we won’t laugh at you.” I sighed, feeling a slight urge to laugh. Since these two were so desperate to know who my fiancé was, revealing it a little early wouldn’t hurt. They both knew him, and they knew him very well. The car began to move. Valerie fed Richard fruit one moment, then nestled into his arms to sleep the next. Richard kept glancing my way, but saw only that I was engrossed in my phone, replying to messages, a faint smile playing on my lips. A wave of irritation washed over him. My phone kept pinging with notifications. It wouldn’t stop. Seeing this, Richard’s stifled anger finally broke through. “What,” he snapped, “are you having your friends message you now? To pretend it’s him?” I sent my last reply and locked the screen. “That won’t be necessary.” He gritted his teeth, reaching to snatch my phone. I shifted my hand just enough to avoid him. “Richard Sterling, you have no right to check my phone now.” Anger creased his brow. He finally looked away, his voice tight. “Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.” At our destination, I stepped out to wait. Valerie, her expression one of smug anticipation, linked her arm through Richard’s and drew him aside to watch. As the crowd thinned, she smirked. “Scarlett, it’s freezing today. Letcs go home. This time, I’ll make sure Richard takes you all the way home-” Her words died when my fiancé approached, pulled me into a close embrace, and kissed me. Richard’s face turned ashen as he strode over and pulled me away. “Scarlett! You can’t be with him!” Valerie looked even more furious, a hand flying to her chest. Then she seized my fiancé’s arm. “How can you be with her!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “331629”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #校园School
Leave a Reply