Chapter 9
Hunter received the divorce papers from the villa a day later while at the hospital. The sender’s name was unmistakably Nadine’s.
He was still tending to Serena when the express delivery arrived. A scornful smirk twisted his lips.
“Nadine’s really going too far now. Yesterday, it was a suicide attempt, and today, divorce papers. What’s next? Is she going to cry at my grandmother’s grave tomorrow?”
Curious, Serena peeked at the documents and noticed Nadine had relinquished all claims to their shared assets, leaving everything to Hunter. Her eyes lit up with hope as she looked at him.
“Hunter, you don’t love her anyway. Why not just sign it? Then we can be together openly. I want to be Mrs. Goldman properly, not live like this where I’m constantly humiliated.”
Hunter gave her a detached glance, then tore the papers to shreds and tossed them into the trash.
“I may not love her, but I have to take care of her. It was my grandmother’s dying wish. No matter what tricks Nadine pulled back then, I won’t divorce her.
“But I won’t let you suffer either, Serena. If she dares to bully you with those dirty tactics again, I’ll make her pay tenfold.”
A shadow of ruthlessness flickered in his eyes, making Serena beam with satisfaction. Yet in an unseen corner, the beautiful woman glared furiously at the shredded documents.
She had set her sights on becoming Mrs. Goldman–what was the point of everything she’d done if she couldn’t marry Hunter?
In the following days, no one gave the divorce papers another thought. Nadine didn’t bombard them with calls as before, allowing them to enjoy an unusually peaceful and sweet period together.
After Serena’s discharge, Hunter whisked her away on lavish outings. He rented out entire ski resorts for private getaways and gifted her the world’s largest diamond necklace.
During a media interview, Hunter casually wrapped his arm around Serena’s shoulders and kissed her deeply on camera, declaring to the world that the love of his life was right beside
him.
As he did this, an image of Nadine flashed through his mind. She must be seething right now, he thought. Just like before, any little thing he did would send her into a frenzy, making grand
Chapter 6
gestures to oppose him.
He waited confidently for her call, anticipating her hysterics. But ten days passed without a single word from Nadine.
Hunter checked his phone himself on the eleventh day, confirming he hadn’t blocked her
number or missed any messages. It seemed Nadine was genuinely giving him the silent
treatment.
He let out a cold laugh as he stared at the empty chat screen, Serena stirred aware beside him, wrapping her arms sleepily around his waist.
“Hunter, why not sleep a little longer? Let’s go see the northern lights today”
Hunter had granted her every wish lately. They spent their days traveling, taking in
breathtaking sights, and their nights tangled in bed, leaving her sore and satisfied. But this time, Hunter seemed lost in thought, and he even refused.
He kept his phone close the entire day, checking it obsessively. This made Serena bite her lip
in frustration.
That night, as they lay together, Hunter’s phone suddenly vibrated. He immediately stopped what he was doing to grab it, only to throw it aside in anger moments later. It was just another
spam message.
He didn’t understand why he was so furious. Was he actually waiting for Nadine to message. him? To throw her usual tantrums and drag him back by any means necessary?
Hunter’s face darkened as he channeled his inexplicable rage into the woman beneath him. He was rougher than usual tonight, yet with every breathy moan from Serena, his mind filled
with memories of Nadine.
Their couplings had always been like combat–Nadine never complained about the pain and accepted everything without protest.
He used to thrill at watching her expressions shift from agony to surrender, wanting nothing more than to break her completely. He wanted to leave her so wrecked she’d never rise from their bed again.
Maybe he might have actually loved her a little. The thought struck him so abruptly that he froze mid–motion, startling even himself.
Serena still clung to his shoulders, but his desire had evaporated. He pulled away and began dressing with a stormy expression on his face.
“Hunter? Where are you going so late?” Serena hastily wrapped a blanket around herself.
“Wait for me, Serena. Nadine is pulling another stunt. I’m going home to deal with her, then
Chapter 9
I’ll be back.”
3/3
He left without another glance, got into his car, and drove off. The night was stifling, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. Hunter never imagined that in just one hour, this day would become the one he regretted most in his life.
He would come to hate everything about it–the oppressive heat, the cold, hard floor, his own willful ignorance, and even the flies buzzing around him.
This was the day that doomed him to a lifetime of pain.
