Chapter 65 I Want To Divorce Him
"Mrs. Olivia." Kendall kept her voice low.
Kendall wore comfortable sneakers, and her footsteps were light. It wasn't until she spoke that Olivia, who was standing at the apartment door, reacted, quickly turning around to see Kendall at the stairwell.
Olivia's expression brightened. "Little Kendall."
Olivia was over thirty, more than a decade older than Kendall, so calling her 'Little Kendall' wasn't surprising.
Kendall nodded slightly and walked to her door.
Olivia awkwardly stepped aside and hesitantly asked, "Are the words you said before still valid?"
Kendall had previously told Olivia that she would help if Olivia wanted a divorce.
"They are valid," Kendall nodded, opening the door with her fingerprint. "Come inside and talk."
Olivia followed Kendall into the apartment. Just like the last time she visited, Kendall's two-bedroom apartment was clean and simple, bright and dust-free. Aside from necessary appliances, there was hardly anything extra.
Olivia sat on the sofa. Kendall took two bottles of drinks from the refrigerator. Olivia's face was solemn. She seemed to have made up her mind and told Kendall, "I want to divorce him." She paused, then added, "And I want custody of the child."
Olivia had previously told Kendall the general situation with her husband, James. Kendall had also reviewed the data provided by the system.
Olivia and James didn't marry for love. The marriage was half due to her sick mother's final wish and half because she was fooled by James's outward appearance. After her mother passed away, James's true face was gradually revealed.
Olivia had called the police, obtained injury reports, sought help from the Women's Federation, filed for divorce with James, and even filed a lawsuit for divorce in court before the first half of the year. All attempts ended inconclusively.
James was manipulative, acting one way in public and another in private. He was very smooth, and since he controlled the finances, Olivia was constantly in a passive position.
For Kendall, getting James and Olivia divorced wasn't difficult.
The reason Olivia had been unable to divorce previously was that James refused to agree.
If James disagreed, Olivia suing him in court wouldn't work.
A judge would likely reject Olivia's application on the grounds that the couple's relationship hadn't completely broken down.
The situation was different if Kendall handled it. Even if James disagreed, she could find a way to make him agree to the divorce. The slightly trickier issue was their daughter, Ivy.
Ivy was only three years old, far from adulthood. If James wanted to seize custody, it would be easy for him, given his fixed monthly income. In contrast, Olivia was clearly at a disadvantage.
After becoming pregnant, her morning sickness was severe, and she was an older mother, so she quit her job at James's suggestion.
After Ivy was born, she became a full-time housewife and had no income for over four years.
Kendall asked, "Is the child usually closer to you or to him?"
"Me, of course," Olivia replied without hesitation.
"He doesn't like children and even has germophobia.
He looks presentable and kind to everyone outside, but as soon as he gets home, his face darkens.
Sometimes, if Ivy walks by, he'll kick her.
Ivy has been held by him only a handful of times since she was born.
Ivy is only three, an age when she should be most affectionate, but he scares her so much that she hides far away whenever she sees him come home. .."
As Olivia spoke, she couldn't help but feel like crying.
Kendall sat beside her, her expression calm, not showing too much emotional empathy for Olivia's words.
This was because she remembered that Olivia had been hesitant and didn't want to divorce James last time because she wanted to give Ivy a complete family.
A complete family?
Everyone has their own difficulties in life. From Olivia's perspective, Ivy was a piece of her own flesh, her most precious baby.
Considering James's attitude toward three-year-old Ivy, he was clearly not only a bad husband but also a bad father.
"James is too good at pretending. He doesn't care that the child isn't close to him at home.
If she isn't close to him outside, he smiles and explains to others that it's because he's too busy with work and rarely comes home, and the child is usually with me.
.." Olivia's voice was faintly choked with emotion.
She had tried to tell others about James's coldness toward Ivy. When James found out, he acted polished and refined, not only explaining Ivy's lack of closeness by citing his busy work schedule and lack of time with the child but also turning the blame on Olivia.
He made people believe that she had taught Ivy poorly, causing the child to be distant from her own father at such a young age.
After quietly listening to her finish, Kendall finally asked, "Do you have surveillance cameras in your house?"
"No," Olivia said, shivering in fear. "I secretly bought a camera before, but he found it after less than two days." The consequences of being discovered were severe. Olivia was tormented by James that entire night and wasn't allowed to leave the house for over half a month.
Kendall changed the subject. "If the divorce succeeds, have you thought about how you'll live with your daughter?"
"I have." Although it was a luxury, Olivia still looked forward to that day.
"Ivy is over three now. She can go to a nursery during the day, and I'll find a job.
I studied design before and had quite a bit of relevant work experience.
Before pregnancy, I even held the position of Creative Director.
Although I haven't worked these past few years, I've kept up with relevant knowledge and occasionally read industry news to stay informed.
It doesn't matter if I start as a small employee, as long as a company is willing to hire me and I can earn a salary to support Ivy and myself. "
The two talked about other things. Seeing that it was almost time for James to finish work, Olivia reluctantly stood up to leave.
In these two brief meetings, Olivia had placed Kendall on a level of closeness higher than that of an ordinary person. She wasn't a naturally cheerful and outgoing person.
She only had two or three close friends before marriage, and they all slowly drifted away after the wedding. One friend didn't even believe her words, instead trusting James and even helping James to criticize her. Goodness knew how long it had been since she had such a free-flowing conversation.
As Olivia walked out the door, Kendall followed her and said, "I'm going to give your daughter something."
Olivia turned back in surprise. Kendall's navigated to the items page in the system store, and a little bear hairpin instantly appeared in her hand.
Kendall deliberately placed her hand into her pocket, then took it out, handing the little bear hairpin to Olivia.
This item, which looked like an adorable little bear, was actually a disguised micro monitor. Kendall had previously spent 30 karma to purchase it from the system store.
Although the camera was only ninety-five percent new, the era in which it was researched was at least two hundred years ahead of Astoria's current technology.
Existing scientific instruments could not detect its presence at all. As long as Olivia didn't tell James, he wouldn't discover it.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly." The moment Olivia saw it, she was charmed by the cute little bear hairpin. Although it was a hairpin, its exquisite craftsmanship and brilliant lustre made it look like a luxury item.
"Just take it. Don't leave it unused. You can wear it as a brooch pinned to her clothes or as a hairpin in her hair," Kendall put the item in Olivia's hand.
Olivia thanked Kendall and happily accepted it. Watching her leave, Kendall didn't mention that the little bear hairpin was a miniature camera.
Olivia had been subjected to domestic violence by James for two years, and James's abusive behaviour had inevitably caused significant psychological harm and trauma to Olivia.
If Kendall had told Olivia that the little bear hairpin was a camera, Olivia might have accidentally given it away in front of James.
Kendall had no ill intent in using this micro monitor.
She simply wanted to see if she could use it to capture evidence of James's emotional abuse toward Ivy.
If successful, this would become powerful evidence for Olivia's custody battle for Ivy later on.
If the recording wasn't successful, Kendall would naturally find other ways.
After Olivia left, Kendall closed the door, sat on the sofa, and called Mark. Mark was a police officer and should have experience with cases like this.
Mark answered Kendall's call, and after listening, he sounded a bit mournful, his tone helpless.
"There's nothing to be done about this. The best thing is to get him to agree to the divorce voluntarily.
Otherwise, the only option is to file a lawsuit in court.
But as long as one of the two parties disagrees, it means the relationship hasn't completely broken down, and the court has an eighty percent chance of not granting the divorce.
After suing again six months later or separating for one year, they can apply for divorce again. "
What Mark said aligned with what Kendall already knew.
Olivia last filed for divorce six months ago, so she could file again now.
However, the couple hadn't separated, and Olivia's entire livelihood depended solely on James.
If James disagreed and appeared genuinely remorseful in front of the judge, the divorce would likely fail again.
Getting married could be an impulse, but getting divorced required overcoming every difficulty.
"Oh, right," Mark on the phone seemed to remember something and told Kendall, "My colleagues in Ruby Road Police asked me to tell you that they found John's hometown and contacted the local Women's Federation to rescue the young woman who was being held captive at home."
"She was rescued a few days ago, and the local department has already intervened in the matter.
They're currently mediating with the girl's family.
I meant to tell you before, but something came up, and I forgot.
Her relative, whatever his name is, has also been detained by the local police and is awaiting trial by the court. "
"Mhm, mhm," Kendall nodded. Although Mark spoke vaguely, Kendall knew exactly what he was referring to.
That night in the human trafficker's van, John couldn't help but brag to Joe about going home for an arranged marriage after pulling off that job. Kendall, hidden in the back compartment, heard everything clearly.
Committing a wrong act, and instead of trying to make amends, attempting to sacrifice one's own daughter's future to cover up the mistake!
Although that family wasn't part of the mission, Kendall kept it in mind and later reported the incident to the Ruby Road Police.
Because John wasn't a local of Ruby Road, the police took a little longer to investigate. Fortunately, the outcome was successful. The wrongdoer was taken into custody, and the young woman would not have to sacrifice the rest of her life to pay for her brother's actions.
(End of Chapter)