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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter-1
Watching the car speed away, the weight on my chest seemed to lift all at once. Maybe it was the relief of finally getting away from that toxic group of people, and it felt like the best birthday gift I could have ever received.As expected, Ruby gave birth prematurely to a son. Thankfully, the baby was healthy and had not been affected too much by everything.Ashton, too, finally agreed to sign the divorce papers. As I stepped out of the courthouse, he called out to me, his face filled with frustration.“Clara, were you already cheating on me with Will? Is that why you’re so determined to force me into this divorce?”I told him that although I had known about the new neighbor who had moved in, it was not until the day I went to the hospital with signs of a miscarriage that I had actually spoken to Will. I stood tall and firm, confident in my truth. Even if the king himself had asked, my answer would have remained the same.“And you, Ashton? Can you really say that your relation
After Ashton and Ruby were kicked out of the company by Will's security, they went quiet for several months. I was originally surprised by how quiet those two had been and not stirring up any trouble. I had even prepared myself for a long, drawn-out battle with them until I heard that Ashton’s company was in trouble and he was busy dealing with the mess. Things did not seem to be going well for him, though. One day, Ruby went on a rampage, bombarding me with messages full of insults. She accused me of saying something to Ashton that made him take back the art studio and the house he had gifted her.I did not reply to her. Instead, I immediately took a screenshot of her messages and posted it on social media."Is the independent studio that Ruby keeps bragging about bought by my husband? Instead of wasting time messaging me, maybe Ruby should think about getting Ashton to sign the divorce papers."I had many mutual friends with Ruby, and she was the one who had them add me to sti
As I thought about it, it became clear that Ashton was downstairs at the office again, putting on that dramatic act of his when he saw Ruby. He must have told the receptionist that he was my husband, which was why he was allowed inside. Ruby seemed just as shocked to see him.After her surprise faded, anger took over as she repeated to Ashton how I had bullied her. “Clara has always been jealous of how nice you are to me! She’s just looking for a chance to get back at me!”With all the curious eyes around us, Ashton looked a little embarrassed. “What are you talking about? Clara isn’t like that! Besides, can’t we just see things as they are instead of taking a mere employee's word for it?”Ruby stared at him in shock, as if she was seeing Ashton for the first time. “Are you actually defending her? You don’t believe me?”I crossed my arms and watched the two of them argue, feeling a little surprised myself. Unlike before, Ashton was not blindly taking Ruby's side. If it were in
Honestly, I had no idea about any of that. Thinking back, it made sense that Will, being so young, must come from a well-off family to live alone in a big house and have an apartment while in college. Still, I never connected the dots that he was the son of the company’s chairman.Just as I was lost in thought, Will called me into his office. That snapped me back to reality, reminding me I had something important to report.Will’s family business specialized in trading high-end antiques and treasures, but he had also branched out into modern art. While the transactions in that new area were not as lucrative as those in the high-end market, he managed to carve out a niche and had done quite well.Coincidentally, several of Ruby’s paintings were up for auction in that new category, with prices hovering around the hundred-thousand mark. However, I discovered a serious issue: her work had plagiarized and combined the pieces from several lesser-known artists.That had previously gone un
Faced with Ashton’s aggressive questioning, I was beyond the mood to argue. He never believed he had done anything wrong.“A divorce paper can be printed a hundred times in a minute. Avoiding this won’t help.” In a fit of anger, he rose from his chair with such force that it crashed to the ground. Then, like a restless dog, he paced back and forth trying to calm himself down.“Honey, if this really bothers you, I can write a guarantee or a will, promising I won’t acknowledge Ruby’s child or let them inherit any of my assets. That should make you feel better about that, right?”I sighed deeply. Why could he not understand that while money and assets could be explicitly defined in writing, feelings could not simply be dismissed like that?How would it feel to watch a child grow up, seeing their likeness to him? After all, blood was thicker than water. How could he think it would not affect me?If I could still trust him, I would truly be the biggest fool in the world.“Ashton, I
Will noticed the food Ashton had brought and was visibly surprised.“There are so many restaurants around the hospital with meals suitable for patients, yet you somehow managed to pick the worst one. Now that’s impressive!”I could see Ashton clenching his jaw, trying to hold back his temper. After a moment of restraint, he spoke in a low, menacing tone, “From now on, I’ll cook for Clara myself. There’s no need for you to get involved.”Will, however, was not backing down. “I don’t trust you with that. I took good care of her, got her discharged in perfect health, and less than a day later, she miscarried. You have zero credibility.”Ashton’s brow furrowed deeply. “Clara is my wife. Why are you being so attentive? Don’t you understand how to keep your distance from a married woman?”I slammed my spoon on the tray and said sarcastically, “Well, you’re one to talk. Who’s more out of line than you helping someone else have a baby through IVF and not even realizing it’s crossing a b
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### Chapter 2: Chapter-2
Watching the car speed away, the weight on my chest seemed to lift all at once. Maybe it was the relief of finally getting away from that toxic group of people, and it felt like the best birthday gift I could have ever received.As expected, Ruby gave birth prematurely to a son. Thankfully, the baby was healthy and had not been affected too much by everything.Ashton, too, finally agreed to sign the divorce papers. As I stepped out of the courthouse, he called out to me, his face filled with frustration.“Clara, were you already cheating on me with Will? Is that why you’re so determined to force me into this divorce?”I told him that although I had known about the new neighbor who had moved in, it was not until the day I went to the hospital with signs of a miscarriage that I had actually spoken to Will. I stood tall and firm, confident in my truth. Even if the king himself had asked, my answer would have remained the same.“And you, Ashton? Can you really say that your relation
After Ashton and Ruby were kicked out of the company by Will's security, they went quiet for several months. I was originally surprised by how quiet those two had been and not stirring up any trouble. I had even prepared myself for a long, drawn-out battle with them until I heard that Ashton’s company was in trouble and he was busy dealing with the mess. Things did not seem to be going well for him, though. One day, Ruby went on a rampage, bombarding me with messages full of insults. She accused me of saying something to Ashton that made him take back the art studio and the house he had gifted her.I did not reply to her. Instead, I immediately took a screenshot of her messages and posted it on social media."Is the independent studio that Ruby keeps bragging about bought by my husband? Instead of wasting time messaging me, maybe Ruby should think about getting Ashton to sign the divorce papers."I had many mutual friends with Ruby, and she was the one who had them add me to sti
As I thought about it, it became clear that Ashton was downstairs at the office again, putting on that dramatic act of his when he saw Ruby. He must have told the receptionist that he was my husband, which was why he was allowed inside. Ruby seemed just as shocked to see him.After her surprise faded, anger took over as she repeated to Ashton how I had bullied her. “Clara has always been jealous of how nice you are to me! She’s just looking for a chance to get back at me!”With all the curious eyes around us, Ashton looked a little embarrassed. “What are you talking about? Clara isn’t like that! Besides, can’t we just see things as they are instead of taking a mere employee's word for it?”Ruby stared at him in shock, as if she was seeing Ashton for the first time. “Are you actually defending her? You don’t believe me?”I crossed my arms and watched the two of them argue, feeling a little surprised myself. Unlike before, Ashton was not blindly taking Ruby's side. If it were in
Honestly, I had no idea about any of that. Thinking back, it made sense that Will, being so young, must come from a well-off family to live alone in a big house and have an apartment while in college. Still, I never connected the dots that he was the son of the company’s chairman.Just as I was lost in thought, Will called me into his office. That snapped me back to reality, reminding me I had something important to report.Will’s family business specialized in trading high-end antiques and treasures, but he had also branched out into modern art. While the transactions in that new area were not as lucrative as those in the high-end market, he managed to carve out a niche and had done quite well.Coincidentally, several of Ruby’s paintings were up for auction in that new category, with prices hovering around the hundred-thousand mark. However, I discovered a serious issue: her work had plagiarized and combined the pieces from several lesser-known artists.That had previously gone un
Faced with Ashton’s aggressive questioning, I was beyond the mood to argue. He never believed he had done anything wrong.“A divorce paper can be printed a hundred times in a minute. Avoiding this won’t help.” In a fit of anger, he rose from his chair with such force that it crashed to the ground. Then, like a restless dog, he paced back and forth trying to calm himself down.“Honey, if this really bothers you, I can write a guarantee or a will, promising I won’t acknowledge Ruby’s child or let them inherit any of my assets. That should make you feel better about that, right?”I sighed deeply. Why could he not understand that while money and assets could be explicitly defined in writing, feelings could not simply be dismissed like that?How would it feel to watch a child grow up, seeing their likeness to him? After all, blood was thicker than water. How could he think it would not affect me?If I could still trust him, I would truly be the biggest fool in the world.“Ashton, I
Will noticed the food Ashton had brought and was visibly surprised.“There are so many restaurants around the hospital with meals suitable for patients, yet you somehow managed to pick the worst one. Now that’s impressive!”I could see Ashton clenching his jaw, trying to hold back his temper. After a moment of restraint, he spoke in a low, menacing tone, “From now on, I’ll cook for Clara myself. There’s no need for you to get involved.”Will, however, was not backing down. “I don’t trust you with that. I took good care of her, got her discharged in perfect health, and less than a day later, she miscarried. You have zero credibility.”Ashton’s brow furrowed deeply. “Clara is my wife. Why are you being so attentive? Don’t you understand how to keep your distance from a married woman?”I slammed my spoon on the tray and said sarcastically, “Well, you’re one to talk. Who’s more out of line than you helping someone else have a baby through IVF and not even realizing it’s crossing a b
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