I found myself transported into a heart-wrenching novel, where I had become the unlucky supporting male character, Roderick Marshall. The female lead, Adrienne Palmer, a fierce CEO, loathed me to the core. For the sake of her beloved, she was determined to force me into a divorce. “Roderick, if you don’t sign the papers, I’ll break your legs!” I glanced at the alimony I’d receive in the divorce agreement and immediately signed my name. I thought, “What a relief. I have no desire to be the tragic supporting character. I just want to enjoy my life!” When I woke up, I found I was lying under the sun on a vast estate that spanned over 300 acres. It took me a long moment to process what was happening. I, a mere street food vendor, had somehow entered a melodramatic novel and become its ill-fated male side character! According to the story, the female lead, Adrienne, and I were married through a business alliance. I was hopelessly in love with her, but her heart belonged solely to another man. To break them apart, I committed all kinds of wicked deeds, only to end up falling off a cliff and die miserably. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I realized I was merely a sacrifice in their love story, a complete and utter pawn! If I wanted to survive, I knew I had to avoid repeating the same tragic fate. As I rolled over to continue sunbathing, my phone rang. It was Adrienne. The moment I answered, she barked angrily, “Roderick, get over here right now.” It all came rushing back. Yesterday, Adrienne had demanded a divorce. I’d refused and had her beloved, Jaiden Clarkson, kidnapped. Fortunately, Adrienne arrived just in time with her bodyguards, and Jaiden only sustained minor injuries. I realized she was definitely coming for me now to settle the score. After I hung up the phone, panic set in. I thought, “I hurt her precious Jaiden, so there’s no way she’ll let me off easy. I need to get out of here.” With that thought, I rushed back to the house. However, the estate was massive. By the time I made it back to the living room, I was drenched in sweat. Adrienne and I slept in separate rooms. She usually didn’t let me into hers, but I knew exactly where she kept her valuable jewelry. In the story, my character was just an adopted son of the Marshall family, never truly valued. The family hadn’t left Roderick any inheritance, so the little money I had wouldn’t last long. Before making my escape, I needed to secure some funds. I grabbed a sapphire necklace. Just a few pieces of this jewelry would be worth a fortune, enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life. As I searched, I accidentally stumbled upon a sketchbook. I opened it. This sketchbook was a birthday gift from Roderick to Adrienne. It was filled with drawings of Adrienne, sketches he had started making when she was a teenager. Each drawing was dated and well-preserved. It was clear that Roderick’s feelings for Adrienne were genuine. But to Adrienne, his devotion meant nothing. I remembered a scene in the novel where, even in his dying moments, Roderick begged Adrienne to look at him, but she didn’t spare him a glance. Her heart was only for Jaiden. “Roderick, you fool!” I thought. I put the sketchbook back and continued searching for jewelry. As I walked out of the room with my arms full of jewels, I saw two bodyguards approaching. I froze. I realized I wasn’t going to get away. Half an hour later, the bodyguards took me into a private room. When I saw Adrienne sitting in the middle, I was stunned. Her features were delicate and beautiful; her skin was smooth and radiant, exuding elegance and authority. I thought, “No wonder Roderick was so infatuated with her. She truly is breathtaking.” Jaiden sat next to Adrienne. Like all unforgettable love interests in novels, Jaiden had a tragic past but a handsome face that made the female lead, Adrienne, fall head over heels. The other people in the room were all wealthy second-generation heirs, each looking at me with schadenfreude. Adrienne spoke to me coldly, “Roderick, apologize to Jaiden right now.” Jaiden gently tugged on Adrienne’s hand, speaking up for me, “It’s fine, Addie.” Adrienne was firm. “No. He dared to kidnap you; he must pay the price.” I knew Adrienne wouldn’t let it go until she’d humiliated me thoroughly. I thought, “Forget about my pride. Saving my neck is more important.” I immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Clarkson. I shouldn’t have kidnapped you.” Not only Adrienne but everyone else in the room was shocked. I asked, “Should I cry while I say it?” Before Adrienne could reply, I started crying remorsefully. “Enough.” Adrienne threw a divorce agreement in front of me, threatening fiercely, “Roderick, if you don’t sign today, I’ll break your legs!” I touched my legs, my body trembling. Looking at the divorce agreement in front of me, I realized that was the real reason she’d called me here. I stood up and flipped through the agreement. After reading it, I was stunned. I thought, “After the divorce, she’s giving me two hundred million dollars in alimony and ten properties! Oh my. Is this for real?” My tears started flowing again uncontrollably. I didn’t mean to cry, but she was offering so much. Seeing my tears, Adrienne thought I was reluctant to divorce. She frowned, displeased. “Roderick, if you don’t sign…” Before she could finish, I quickly signed my name and handed the agreement back to her. “When can we go finalize the paperwork?” This time, it was Adrienne’s turn to be stunned.
Adrienne hadn’t expected me to agree to the divorce so readily, and she looked genuinely surprised. “Roderick, are you really agreeing to the divorce?” I glanced at Jaiden and sighed. “Your lover is back. I can be generous and let you be together.” Although Adrienne found it hard to believe, she didn’t dwell on it. After all, what mattered most to her was getting the divorce finalized. In the end, we agreed to go through with it the next morning. As I walked out of the club, I couldn’t help but open the divorce agreement again and look at those numbers. I thought, “So much money! In real life, no matter how hard I worked, even if I never ate or slept, I’d never make this much. Now I don’t even need to buy a new house. I can just pick one and live there, and I can rent out or sell the rest.” The thought alone made me feel giddy. I never expected Adrienne to be so generous. But then again, to her, this amount of money was nothing. I hadn’t even made it back to our home before I got a call from Adrienne. “Come to Palmer Manor.” And with that, she hung up. I glanced at the time; it was right around dinner. I thought to myself, “Could she be asking me over for a meal? With a wealthy family like the Palmers, the food’s bound to be pretty good. I’m sure I can get something tasty out of it.” With that thought, I headed straight over. When I arrived at Palmer Manor, I sensed something was off the moment I walked in. Adrienne and Jaiden were standing in the center of the living room. Adrienne’s father, Patrick Palmer, was sitting on the sofa, his face dark with anger. Patrick must’ve found out that Adrienne wanted to divorce me for Jaiden, and he was furious. Jaiden glanced at me and then said to Patrick, “Mr. Palmer, feelings can’t be forced, and Addie is already pregnant with my child, so I hope you’ll give us your blessing.” I thought, “Well, well, so Adrienne had someone else on the side all along! But I don’t remember there being a pregnancy plot in the novel. Did something go wrong somewhere? Oh well, as long as she gives me the money, she can cheat all she wants.” Adrienne looked at me, her expression complicated, as if she wanted to say something, but Patrick suddenly threw the cup he was holding onto the floor. Pointing at Adrienne, he exploded, “How could I have raised such a shameless daughter…” Patrick tore into Adrienne with a barrage of insults. I stood quietly on the side, saying nothing because I didn’t love Adrienne and certainly didn’t feel sorry for her. But as a man, I still felt a bit irritated. I thought Adrienne showed a complete lack of respect for Roderick in the book. However, thinking about the two hundred million dollars she was offering in alimony, I felt my mood lifted again. After his tirade, Patrick ordered the servants to throw Jaiden out. Though he was displeased with Adrienne’s behavior, he had no choice but to agree to the divorce. Perhaps feeling a bit guilty toward me, Patrick gifted me a few antiques. I cried in his arms and said, “Thank you, Mr. Palmer.” The next morning, Adrienne and I went to finalize the divorce. As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted Jaiden standing at the entrance, and I couldn’t help but curse under my breath. Jaiden’s demeanor was different from yesterday. He had a smug, superior look in his eyes as he gazed at me. Maybe it was because Adrienne was carrying his child, and he thought he had already won. I thought, “Give me a break. I’m not some fool like Roderick. I’m not going to fight him over Adrienne! Besides, I don’t want to end up as some tragic lovesick fool. All I want now is to get the divorce, take my alimony, and live a good life from here on out.” There weren’t many people at the courthouse that day, so it was our turn quickly. Ten minutes later, Adrienne and I walked out, looking dejected. Jaiden asked nervously, “Addie, did you get it done?” Adrienne shook her head. “No.” Jaiden frowned. “How could that be? Did Roderick change his mind and refuse to divorce?”
I rolled my eyes at Jaiden. “You’ve never been through a divorce, have you? The process is really complicated now. We have to wait thirty days before we can finalize it.” I had just learned how troublesome divorce procedures had become. I wasn’t in a good mood. Because I was so annoyed, I didn’t notice the flicker of hesitation in Jaiden’s eyes. Then Jaiden raised his voice. “Of course I’ve never been divorced!” I thought he was being ridiculous. “Why are you yelling? I couldn’t care less if you’ve been divorced or not.” Jaiden glared at me and snapped, “Roderick, I’m warning you. You’d better show up and finalize the paperwork when the time comes. Don’t even think about backing out!” I let out a cold laugh. “Sure, only a fool would want to stay with her.” Upon hearing that, Adrienne’s face turned livid with anger. I couldn’t care less whether Adrienne was mad. I just turned around and strode away. To make sure there were no issues with the divorce that might jeopardize my alimony, I made a point of showing up in front of Adrienne every day, trying my best to annoy her. I figured I might as well see if I could squeeze a bit more out of her. After all, Roderick had suffered enough for love while chasing her all these years. I figured it was only fair to get some compensation now. I thought, “The more money, the better.” Finally, Adrienne couldn’t take it anymore. She threw a black card at me. “Get lost.” I looked at the black card in my hand and grinned widely. “Sure thing, I’ll be on my way.” Being unable to finalize the divorce right away was frustrating, so I decided to comfort myself a little. I went to a luxury car dealership and bought a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. I charged it to Adrienne’s card. Adrienne may have been unfaithful in love, but she was never stingy with money when it came to Roderick. It was one of her few redeeming qualities. As I drove the luxury car around, plenty of people turned their heads to look. A handsome guy in a luxury car naturally draws attention. Next, I headed to the hospital for a full-body checkup. I needed to make sure I was in good health to enjoy that fortune. As I walked out of the hospital, I heard someone calling my name. “Roderick.” I looked up. I recognized the woman calling me. It was Tracey Schmidt. She had known Roderick since they were kids. She’d had a crush on him for years, but the original Roderick in the book didn’t like her. Instead, he insisted on chasing after Adrienne. Because of this, she and Adrienne didn’t get along at all. After Adrienne and I got married, Tracey rarely kept in touch with me. I shook my head, feeling a bit helpless. I thought, “Ignoring such a sweet and lovely girl for Adrienne? The original Roderick was definitely out of his mind.” Tracey asked, “Are you feeling unwell?” “No, I was just here for a routine checkup.” I looked at her. “What about you?” Tracey held up a bag she was carrying. “I came to pick up my dad’s heart medication.” After a pause, she continued, “I heard you’re divorcing Adrienne?” I nodded. “Yeah, she’s pregnant with Jaiden’s child, so of course, I’m getting a divorce.” Tracey looked shocked at first, then stared at me with a bit of confusion. “Roderick, I haven’t seen you for a while, but you seem… different. You used to be all about Adrienne.” Not wanting her to catch on to anything, I cleared my throat and said, “I chased her for so many years without a response. I’m tired. She can love whoever she wants.” I thought, “I’m this handsome, and I have money. I’m not worried about finding another wife.” Tracey kept staring at me like she thought something was off. Feeling a bit guilty, I chuckled awkwardly. “Well, I’ve got something to do. I’ll treat you to dinner another day.” Tracey was too sharp. I was afraid she’d figure something out. With that, I quickly walked away. There were still twenty-eight days until we could get divorced. I spent my time eating, drinking, shopping, and packing my things whenever I had a moment. I figured the more I could take, the more I could sell for extra cash later. As soon as the time was up, I immediately reminded Adrienne that we needed to get the divorce done. Adrienne frowned at me. “Roderick, why do I get the feeling you’re more eager to get divorced than I am?” I found it odd and thought, “What man would want to keep a cheating wife? It’s perfectly normal for me to want a divorce quickly.” I casually replied, “I’m just thinking of you. If we don’t hurry up with the divorce, what happens when your baby is born? You don’t want your child to end up calling me ‘Dad,’ do you?” Adrienne was silent for a few seconds before she looked at me and said, “Roderick…” I cut her off, “Alright, alright, you don’t need to say anything more. Just so you know, the kid’s not calling me ‘Dad.’ I’m not raising your lover’s child.” Adrienne’s face darkened. We headed to the parking lot. Just as we were about to get in the car, Adrienne’s phone rang. I couldn’t hear what the person on the other end was saying, but her expression turned incredibly sour. After hanging up, she grabbed my arm and asked, her face tense, “Jaiden is missing. Did you have something to do with it? Where did you take him?”
When I heard that Jaiden had gone missing, I quickly shook my head and denied it. “It wasn’t me.” Adrienne didn’t believe a word I said. “Impossible. It must be you! You probably hid Jaiden away because you don’t want the divorce!” “Roderick, you’re absolutely despicable!” I didn’t know how to respond. Roderick had indeed done things to hurt Jaiden in the past, but I wasn’t the same Roderick anymore. I was busy every day figuring out how to make money, so I had no time to scheme. Besides, I didn’t want anything to happen to Jaiden. If something did, Adrienne would definitely think I was behind it. “How do you even know he’s missing? Did you check properly?” Adrienne glared at me fiercely. She and Jaiden had plans to have lunch together, so an hour ago, she sent someone to pick him up, but he was nowhere to be found, and no one could reach him. I thought for a moment before saying, “Take me to his place. Maybe I can find some clues.” Adrienne stared at me for a long moment. “Roderick, if anything happens to Jaiden, I won’t let you off.” At this point, I didn’t care to argue with her about falsely accusing me. I knew finding Jaiden was the most important thing right now. When we arrived at Jaiden’s place, I walked around but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. I thought, “Could this guy have vanished into thin air? Or maybe he got transported into another novel to be a scapegoat like me?” Adrienne shot me a furious glare. “Roderick, if you’re playing any tricks…” Suddenly, I heard a noise. Before she could finish her sentence, I rushed into the bathroom. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Jaiden slumped by the toilet, fast asleep, reeking of alcohol. Adrienne hurried over, crouched in front of Jaiden, and patted his face. “Jaiden, Jaiden, wake up.” Jaiden slowly opened his eyes. “Addie, why are you here?” “We were supposed to have lunch together. Did you forget?” Jaiden stood up. “I completely forgot. I was out with some friends last night and had too much to drink…” I turned to Adrienne’s bodyguards. “Did you guys not check the bathroom?” The bodyguard lowered his head. “We didn’t think Mr. Clarkson would be in the bathroom.” I thought, “Fair enough. Who’d expect him to be sleeping by the toilet? That’s a pretty unique habit.” Adrienne looked at her bodyguards and snapped, “You’re all useless!” I rolled my eyes. I thought her intelligence was far from what was expected of a formidable businesswoman. “Adrienne, can you please check things clearly next time? Don’t accuse me without evidence.” I had been on edge for nothing, only to find out it was all a misunderstanding. Now, it was my turn to be angry. Before Adrienne could say anything, Jaiden jumped in. “If you hadn’t had me kidnapped last time, Addie wouldn’t have suspected you.” I laughed in exasperation. “Fine, I’m not going to argue with you. But if you plan to sleep by the toilet again, make sure to let her know beforehand.” “You!” I couldn’t be bothered with Jaiden and turned to Adrienne instead. “Come on, let’s go finalize the divorce.” I didn’t want them to delay my alimony any longer. The divorce office was pretty crowded today, and it took a long time for our turn to come. But finally, we were divorced. I got the money and the house. I felt incredibly happy! Thinking about the good life ahead made me smile. Adrienne looked at the smile on my face, confused. “Roderick, what are you smiling about?” I thought, “I’ve endured so much to finally get my freedom. I’m done with all the humiliation. I have every reason to be happy!” I couldn’t be bothered to explain, so I brushed it off. “Nothing much. I’m heading out.” That same day, I moved out. I chose a large flat in the city. It wasn’t as big as Adrienne’s estate, but it was just right for one person. I rented out the rest of the properties. When the Marshall family heard that Adrienne and I were divorced, they were furious and even called me, demanding I beg Adrienne to get back together. In their eyes, I was just a tool to tie their interests to the Palmer family. So, I didn’t bother responding and simply blocked everyone from the Marshall family. I thought, “I don’t want to be some stupid side character anymore. I just want to enjoy my life!”
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