Chapter 197
Jonathan’s face was half in light, half in shadow. The flickering light across his features made him look unreadable and heavy with emotion.
I wasn’t sure how long had passed, or maybe time had simply frozen.
Jonathan finally looked at me with the kind of unfamiliarity I’d been waiting for.
As if he were seeing me in a new light, he let out a chuckle. “Elise, don’t tell me you and Frederick have been scheming behind my back this whole time.”
He was smiling when he said it, yet a chill ran down my spine.
I pressed my lips together. There was no point in denying it anymore, so I admitted it. “Yes. It was all me.”
I’d been holding it in for days, just waiting for this moment. I wanted Jonathan to understand that some things don’t just get swept under the rug. Unless we divorced, we’d only end up destroying each other.
“Good. Very good.”
He seemed to have nothing more to say, just repeated the words, then glanced at me a few times before turning and walking away.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel the anger in the air as he walked away. Maybe there was disappointment too.
But it didn’t matter. I had been let down by him so many times. It was about time he felt the same.
After the day Jonathan left, I never saw him again.
He lifted the restrictions he’d placed on me, so I was free to move through Willowcreek without interference.
Since that was the case, I had no reason to stay. The next day, I left without looking back.
No one tried to stop me.
As I got into the car Frederick had arranged, I noticed a familiar Brabus parked under a nearby building.
Beneath the shadow of the trees, I thought I caught a glimpse of someone I knew, but I didn’t pause. I told the driver to go.
Deep down, I had a feeling that this marriage was over. And sure enough, not long after, Jonathan sent over a divorce agreement.
I skimmed through the terms, and most of them were in my favor. He even gave me a portion of his shares, which meant I’d be financially secure for life.
I hesitated, unsure whether I should accept it.
Frederick walked over and gave me a look. “If you want to sign, sign it. You deserve this,” he said.
“But…”
I paused, still feeling a little uneasy. “I didn’t do anything, and I’m getting all this money. Isn’t that a little too lucky?”
Frederick shot me a strange look. “Did you forget what you went through with Jonathan over the past five years? This is compensation for the emotional damage he put you through. What’s wrong with taking it?”
I took a deep breath and signed my name.
If I didn’t accept the agreement, I’d have to keep going back and forth with Jonathan. A clean break was better for both of us.
And if he ever decided to take the money back, I’d return it without hesitation. I had no intention of spending a cent.
But Jonathan must’ve known I’d think that way. He added a clause at the end stating he would never take the money back under any condition.
My feelings were a mess. People say you don’t judge a man’s love by his words, but by his actions. That’s where his money goes, his heart follows. But even though he was willing to spend a fortune on me, I couldn’t feel any love from him.
There were times I felt completely lost, but I shook my head and forced those thoughts away.
Whatever the case, we had reached the end. Everything was finally settled.
From now on, he’d live his life, and I’d live mine. That mistaken relationship we had ended right then and there.