Chapter 13

He felt as if those words were meant for him, that she was expressing her feelings indirectly. It seemed she wanted to tell him she'd made many efforts and sacrifices in their marriage. If he chose divorce, he would face the consequences.

“Ms. Goodwin, I understand, but I can’t accept it! Tom wants to divorce me and marry a young woman.”

“But what about me? What did I sacrifice all those years for this family and him? Should I find a young man, too?”

On the other end, the woman chuckled. “Ms. Goodwin, your emotional intelligence is impressive. I love chatting with you.”

“I’ve learned a lot from you, too,” Naomi replied.

Brendan’s face darkened.

Naomi was proficient in handling divorce cases and worked hard. Maybe it was all for another young man in the future.

“Ms. Goodwin, you’re still young; you don’t understand. Tom and I met in our twenties. Back then, he was…”

As Naomi listened, she noticed a stiffness in her neck. She lay down on the bed with her phone. After lying down, she glanced at Brendan and whispered, “My client is going through a divorce. Let me comfort her first.”

Brendan gave her a disdainful look and returned to his book.

Annie spent the night talking to Naomi, recounting her 30-year marriage. Naomi eventually fell asleep. Brendan stayed awake, nearly breaking down listening to Annie. He realized Naomi’s calm demeanor and reticence were remarkable qualities; otherwise, he would have been driven insane.

When the vintage clock struck midnight, Annie sighed. “Ms. Goodwin, you’ve listened all night. I appreciate your patience. It’s getting late. You should rest; you work tomorrow.”

Brendan, picking up Naomi’s phone, gave a noncommittal hum. Annie, focused on venting, didn’t realize she was speaking to a man. After a few more words, she ended the call.

He tossed Naomi’s phone aside, glancing at her sleeping form. He thought of her happily clinging to his arm, urging him to have a baby. Brendan’s expression turned grim. She always made promises, but ignored him when he hesitated. He was so angry that when her leg accidentally touched his, he kicked it away.

After turning off the lights, Brendan lay down beside Naomi. She snuggled into his embrace, murmuring, “Brendan, you… don’t…” Each time she reached an important word, he couldn’t hear clearly, but her tone wasn’t promising.

“Brendan.”

“Yes,” he responded indifferently, pulling the blanket around her.

The night was quiet. Looking at the night light, Brendan recalled past memories.

“Brendan, you’re more despicable than me.”

“Without all this and the Ludwig family, would we have ended up like this?”

He had once slapped Naomi—the first and only time he’d hit a woman. He’d never thought he would.

Unwilling to dwell on the past, Brendan turned off the night light and closed his eyes.

The next morning, Naomi woke to find Brendan dressed, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, fixing his tie. Seeing he was leaving, she said, “Brendan, let’s make up for last night tonight.” She’d planned intimacy, but had fallen asleep.

Brendan ignored her, put on his jacket, and left. Jason and the driver waited downstairs. After getting in the car, Brendan took documents from Jason. He asked calmly, “What happened last night?”

Jason, in the passenger seat, looked back. “Ms. Yates’ mother had a medical emergency, but it’s resolved. Her younger brother is staying temporarily at a teacher’s house. Ms. Yates’ situation doesn’t seem good either.”

“Keep an eye on her.”

The following section was repeated in the original text and has been removed.

“Alright. By the way, the handover procedures for the legal affairs have been completed. From now on, Solaris Law Firm will be responsible for the company’s legal affairs.”

Brendan showed a hint of disdain. “Naomi only handles divorce cases. She doesn’t know anything about corporate law. From now on, all legal matters will be handled by me.”

“Understood,” Jason replied.

Back at the villa, Naomi went straight to court. She had a divorce case—one Brendan still looked down upon. Apart from Ludwig Corporation cases, almost all her cases were divorces or civil disputes. Although she’d reminded Brendan to return that night, he hadn’t seemed to take it seriously.

Naomi finished work and returned home. Even as she prepared for bed, Brendan hadn’t returned. In the following days, he didn’t return; he ignored her completely.

On Friday night, after dinner with Reuben and other leaders, Brendan was about to leave when Jason urgently knocked on the car window. “Mr. Ludwig, something’s happened to Ms. Yates.”

Chapter 14

Meanwhile, Naomi had just returned home from work. Jennifer told her excitedly, “Mrs. Ludwig, Mr. Ludwig just called; he’ll be back today.” Jennifer knew he was too shy to call Naomi directly.

Naomi handed her bag to Jennifer. “Alright, I’ll go upstairs and freshen up.” She showered, put on new pajamas, and waited. But Brendan hadn’t returned by 11:00 pm.

Naomi lost her mood. She tossed the case files onto the table, picked up her phone, and called Jason. “Jason, where’s Brendan? Wasn’t he supposed to come back today?” Calling Jason was her only option. After “that incident,” Brendan had stopped answering her calls; Jason relayed messages. She found it self-deprecating that they didn’t contact each other, even as a married couple.

Jason answered, “Ms. Goodwin, Mr. Ludwig is busy.” After a pause, he added, “He might not be able to return tonight. You shouldn’t wait for him.”

Hearing this, Naomi hung up, irritated. She slammed her phone down, angry that Brendan had given her false hope. Everything was ready; she’d showered and changed, yet he hadn’t come back. If things continued, she might never have a child with Brendan. Time was running out; their window for conception was shrinking.

Feeling uneasy, Naomi called Brendan’s cousin, Ronald Ludwig. “Ronald, are you free? Can you check what Brendan’s doing tonight?”

Ronald replied, “Sure. Give me three minutes.” Ronald was Brendan’s cousin and a classmate of Naomi and Bailey. He consistently sided with Naomi.

A while later, Ronald called back. Hearing his update, Naomi’s expression turned cold; she smiled with self-mockery. She’d thought she could keep Brendan’s…

In the ward, Chloe still hadn’t regained consciousness. Brendan checked his watch; it was nearly midnight. His expression darkened. Jason whispered, “Mr. Ludwig, Ms. Goodwin just called.” Brendan gave a noncommittal hum. “Why don’t you head back? I’ll keep an eye on Ms. Yates.” Brendan let out a…

Suddenly, Chloe frowned and regained consciousness. Seeing Brendan, tears welled in her eyes as she called out to him.