The Divorce Cooling-Off

For three years of marriage, I tried everything. Nothing ever made Jaden Grant, with his touch-starved condition, willing to be close to me. All because his precious love, Emma Shaw, died in a car crash after a fight over their engagement. He pinned all the blame on me. Hated me to the bone. At a family dinner, the elders drugged us and locked us in together. Burning up and desperate, I begged him. He just tossed me into an ice-cold bath, indifferent, and locked me in as he left. The freezing winter water cut to the bone. So did the coldness in my heart. After the drug wore off, I wrapped myself in a blanket and demanded answers. His voice was flat: "Someone who's indifferent to death and suffering—what gives you the right to demand anything from me?" But the next day, at a gynecology appointment, Emma Shaw turned up alive. She arched a brow and sneered: "Jaden was drugged too, but he held out for hours to find me rather than touch you. Mrs. Grant, you're such a failure." I froze for a second, then said, disbelieving, "Emma? But you..." Emma crossed her arms and looked down at me. "But I was dead? Is that it?" "Sorry to disappoint. Luck was on my side. Someone saved me. I'm very much alive now, and I've been with Jaden for a long time." My hands curled into fists. A bitter taste flooded my throat. I forced the words out. "When did Jaden... find out?" Emma's mouth curved in a mocking smile. Her voice dripped with triumph. "Jaden found out two years ago." "Surprised? Every night you spent alone in that empty house, Jaden was with me." "The man you couldn't get near no matter what you tried spent every day and night glued to someone else. How does it feel, Sophie?" It felt like a rock was crushing my chest. I let out a bitter laugh. So I was the only one in the dark. I couldn't bear to imagine how Jaden saw me the past two years, using every trick I had to please him. Or how he might have told Emma about it, laughing at it like it was a joke. I held my shaking body still and forced the humiliated tears back into my eyes. Just then, a nurse came up to me and said, "Mrs. Grant, you can go in now." I practically fled, grabbing my bag and following the nurse. I hadn't gone far before Emma's voice sounded behind me: "Sophie, enjoy what little time you have left as Mrs. Grant. Because if I decide to fight for it, how much longer do you think you'll last?" I turned at the sound, and saw the smug smile on Emma's face. My heart clenched. I faced forward again and walked faster. The doctor examined me and said the old problems from before, plus the whole night in the freezing bath, had caused severe internal coldness and damage. Not only would conceiving be difficult, but it would take years of recovery just to repair the damage to my body. I gave a bitter little smile. Jaden never touched me, so what did it matter if I could get pregnant or not? At home, I made myself a pot of healing soup. Right as I was about to drink it, I saw a message from Jaden. [Bring two boxes of Si's Bagels and doughnuts.] Jaden often had me deliver things to his office. Sometimes it was dessert soups from the west side, sometimes cakes from the east side. He could easily use a courier, but he specifically asked me to do it. Today, Si's was all the way on the north side—the complete opposite direction from Grant Group, which sat on the south side. A chill went through me. I bundled up in a thick down coat and drove out. The line at Si's was long, and rush-hour traffic was a nightmare. By the time I got there, the bagels were a little cold. I dropped them with the secretary, telling her to take them in. Jaden had given strict orders about that. But back in the car, I realized I'd forgotten the doughnuts. I ran back up. This time, the secretary's desk was empty. Afraid the food would get too cold to eat, I had no choice but to push the door open myself.The sight before me was a shock. Emma had her legs draped over Jaden's lap, and he was feeding her bagels one bite at a time. I rubbed my eyes, not wanting to believe it, hoping it was a hallucination. But Jaden's cold voice told me it was real. "What are you doing in here? Get out." Emma patted the back of Jaden's hand to soothe him, then walked over and took the box from me. Her tone was all magnanimous favor. "Sophie, thanks for the effort! If not for you running the errand, I wouldn't get to eat the famous Si's bagels that everyone lines up for. I've got it now. You can go. Otherwise Jaden will be upset." It suddenly hit me. All the things I'd been asked to deliver—the sweet soups, the desserts—they were all the kinds of things young girls like. I had wondered before why Jaden wanted me to buy those things. But I never dared to think too deeply about it. I just did as I was told. Now it was clear. It was all bought for Emma. A dense, aching bitterness spread through my heart. The humiliation was total. Jaden saw I was still standing there. His voice got even colder. "Did you not hear me? Get out." I held back the sting in my eyes, swallowed the bitterness, turned around and left. To think I hadn't dared stop for even a moment, afraid I'd delay his meal. A self-mocking smile tugged at my lips. If nothing I did could warm Jaden's heart, then fine. I was done. The next day. I had my lawyer draw up a divorce agreement and brought it to Jaden's office. I waited a while before the secretary led me in. Once inside, I placed the document on his desk. "Take a look. If there are no issues, sign it." Jaden glanced at the cover, saw the words Divorce Agreement, and tossed it aside. His tone was flat. "Until you sort things out with the elders, don't bring up divorce with me. Save me the trouble of them kicking up another fuss." My voice was urgent. "If you want a divorce too, why won't you come with me and talk to them?" Jaden finally looked up at me and said coolly, "I'm not as idle as you are, with nothing to do all day." My breath caught. I nearly choked. Idle? I'd put aside my own work at Shaw Group to stay home and care for his sick mother. I handled everything, down to the last detail, and put a lot of thought into it. And in Jaden's eyes, that was being idle? An icy chill spread through my chest, wrapping around my heart. I was about to say something when the door behind me suddenly opened. Emma swept past me like a gust of wind and threw herself into Jaden's arms. She held up a medical report and said in a playful voice, "Jaden! We're having a baby!" Jaden froze for a second, then his face lit up with genuine joy. He pulled Emma tight and pressed his lips to hers. They were completely intimate, acting like I was nothing but air. Watching their bodies press together sent a shuddering pain through every organ in my body. This was the kind of closeness I'd never once been given. Jaden had a touch-starved condition, but even when I initiated intimacy, he'd never let me in. I lowered my lashes and sucked in a hard breath through my stinging nose. A moment later, they separated. Emma looked at me as if she'd just noticed I was there. Startled, she said, "Sophie, I'm sorry, I didn't expect you here. You're not mad, are you?" The words flew out of Jaden's mouth. "Why would she be mad?" Then he paused, seeming to remember something. He picked up the divorce agreement, flipped through it, and signed his name. "It's signed. Once you sign, we go to the courthouse tomorrow." Icy coldness flooded through me instantly. A moment ago, Jaden wouldn't sign. Now that he knew Emma was pregnant, he signed without a second thought.In Jaden's heart, Emma was still the one who mattered most. I held back the desolation inside me, grabbed the papers, and staggered out. Just as I stepped out of his office, I collapsed from low blood sugar. I was unconscious for a full day. When I woke, Jaden's secretary was beside me. She saw I was awake and immediately called Jaden to report. Through the phone, Jaden's icy voice came through clearly. "Since she's awake, tell her to go home, get her documents, and meet me at the courthouse. I'll wait outside in two hours. You come back to work." The call ended. The secretary's eyes flickered, and she couldn't look at me. I pushed myself up and gave her a weak smile, told her she'd worked hard, and sent her back to work. After she left, I dragged my sick body up, called a ride, got my documents, and drove straight to the courthouse. But when I rushed to the entrance, I was one minute late. Jaden was waiting outside, brows tightly furrowed. "Why so late? Don't tell me you regret it and don't want the divorce after all?" I didn't say anything. I just forced a smile and walked inside first. We went through the procedures. The staff told us that after the one-month cooling-off period, we could come back and finalize the divorce. Leaving the courthouse, Jaden said flatly, "Get your things out of the villa. Emma is moving in." Thinking of his ill mother, Gwen, I couldn't help saying, "Your mom isn't well. We shouldn't tell her about the divorce yet. It might shock her." Jaden hesitated, then said, "Then keep looking after her this month, so they don't kick up trouble during the cooling-off period. Everything else, we'll figure out after the month is over." I nodded. I went back to the villa, packed my things, and went to the family estate. When Gwen saw me carrying so many bags, she grinned. "Sophie, are you moving into the estate to keep me company?" "I don't need keeping company. You should spend more time with Jaden. Get closer to him." I gave a bitter pull of my mouth. Holding back the dense ache in my heart, I wound my arm around hers and acted cute. "Mom, I just want to spend more time with you." Gwen smiled helplessly, held my hand, and went on with her heartfelt advice. "Jaden might neglect you, but deep down he's a good kid. Once he comes around, he'll treat you right. Sophie, just wait for him." I kept my face composed, but inside I was deeply bitter. Jaden was never going to come around. And I wasn't going to wait for him. The next day. Emma somehow got word I'd moved into the estate. She asked to meet. The moment I sat down across from her, she started in. "Sophie, have you no shame? You're nothing to Jaden's parents, and you still push your way into the estate to look after my future mother-in-law?" So this was what she wanted to talk about. I let out a mocking laugh. "First of all, we're not officially divorced. Gwen is still my mother-in-law. And even if the divorce goes through, Jack and Gwen are long-time family friends. It's a bond that won't break. What gives you the right to insult me?" Emma stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You just reminded me. If you keep popping up in front of them, his parents will always compare me to you. They'll never see me in a good light." My heart suddenly tightened. A vague unease stirred inside me. The next second, I heard Emma's sinister voice: "Better to just erase you completely. So you never show your face again." She picked up her glass and threw the water at me. My eyes couldn't close in time. The water hit, stinging sharply. Seconds later, I felt my consciousness start to blur. Slowly, I passed out.