chapter 2
After renting the apartment, I returned to the villa to collect my belongings.
I placed the divorce papers I'd printed earlier in front of Everett.
He signed without even looking, but when I reached for the documents, his hand pressed down on the paper.
"Gabriela," he said, "haven't you thought about what Jason and Leila would think if they found out we're getting divorced? Aren't you afraid of breaking their hearts?"
I finally understoodEverett didn't believe a word I'd said. Perhaps Jason and Leila's ashes had already been carelessly discarded in some forgotten corner.
"Everett," my voice trembled, "I've told you countless timesJason and Leila are dead! What I gave you last time were their ashes. Where did you put them?"
"Gabriela, stop talking nonsense." He frowned, his tone cold.
"You're being completely unreasonable," I said.
"You're the one being unreasonable, Ms. Reeds." Grace suddenly appeared, slamming her phone on the table. The screen showed a social media activity log. "Leila was still liking posts online last night! I understand you want Everett's attention, but making up such ridiculous lies is pretty low, don't you think?"
I was close enough to clearly see that at eleven PM last night, Leila's account had liked a post.
But I had watched Jason and Leila's bodies being pushed into the crematorium with my own eyes. How was this possible?
"I'm being polite to you out of respect for Everett," Grace sneered. "But I've never acknowledged your status, much less this marriage. To get your hands on Gibson Group's assets, you actually made up lies about Jason and Leila dying in a car accident abroad. What exactly are you trying to pull?"
Since when did our marriage need her approval to be valid?
"My purpose?" I looked coldly at both of them. "I just hope you two stay together forever, so you won't harm anyone else."
I turned to Everett. "You believe whatever Grace says? You're the CEO of a public companydon't you have a phone? Whether what I'm saying is true or false, your secretary could verify it in five minutes. Why won't you check?"
Grace said, "Then how do you explain this like record? Are you going to say someone found their phones?"
Jason and Leila had indeed been in a car accident abroad, and their phones were never found among their belongings.
Everett suddenly spoke, his voice ice-cold: "You married me for money, didn't you? Don't think you can take a single cent through divorce. You'll leave with nothing."
"Don't worry," I laughed bitterly. "I won't take a penny of yours. If you look down on me so much, why did you pursue me so relentlessly in the first place? When someone's heart changes, their face sure follows suit."
He always interpreted my every word and action in the most malicious way possible.
I didn't want to argue anymore and turned to go upstairs to pack.
Behind me came Everett's furious voice: "You came here with just one bag, and now you want to take things when you leave? Letting you walk out in those clothes is charity enough."
I clenched my fists, suppressing my anger, wanting only to retrieve my parents' belongingsthe things that truly belonged to me.
"Ugh, what's that smoky smell? Is Leila burning the trash we cleared out yesterday?" Grace pinched her nose, feigning disgust.
She always liked stirring up trouble, and at her words, my heart sank.
In a roaring fire, all of my birth parents' belongings were being consumedyellowed photographs, old letters, and the necklace Mom had given me on my tenth birthday, her last gift to me.
I rushed forward to save them, but Grace deliberately blocked my way: "Such a big firebe careful you don't hurt yourself."
She wore a malicious smile, mocking my desperation.
Everett said, "Just a pile of junk. If someone wants to treat it like treasure, who cares?"
Once, Everett had called these items "your parents' final mementos." Now, in his eyes, they were nothing but disposable waste.
Just as my hand was about to reach the necklace in the flames, Grace suddenly swayed and fell toward the edge of the fire! Everett shoved me aside and threw himself forward to shield Grace in his arms.
My head struck the stone beside me hard. Sharp pain shot through me, my ears rang, my vision blurred, and the world seemed to spin.
Grace raised her arm, revealing slightly burned skin, and began to sob: "It hurts so much. I was just trying to get her away from the fire, but she pushed me!"
"Don't cry, I'll take you to the hospital right away." Everett lifted her up, and before leaving, he turned back coldly: "I thought you were just a liar, but I never imagined you could be so viciousactually pushing her into the fire."