Married to a Mystery

Elaina walked out of the local courthouse with the freshly issued divorce certificate in hand. “Mrs. Halton… No, sorry. Ms. Gainsford,” Takvor Rigdon, the housekeeper, looked slightly embarrassed. “Mr. Nitzan asked me to give this to you.” Nitzan Halton was Jalen’s grandfather. After speaking, Takvor handed her a bank card. The implication was obvious. Elaina was stunned for a moment before saying, “That’s not necessary. Please thank him for me. He’s looked after me for the past two years, and I’m grateful for that.” With that, she headed straight to the street and got into the black Maybach that had been parked there for a while. Inside the car, Elaina glanced at the two men and felt slightly helpless. “Theodore, Andrew, it’s just a divorce. Do you really have to look so tense?” “You actually divorced him?” Andrew Chapman, the driver, looked back at her in disbelief. Elaina nodded and smiled. “See? The divorce certificate is right here. I just got it.” She pulled the certificate from her bag and waved it in front of them. “Good for you!” Andrew grinned. “You should’ve divorced him a long time ago.” “No—wait. Let me put it another way. You should’ve never married him in the first place.” Elaina looked at Andrew and quickly said, “Andrew, just focus on driving, okay? I want to start over. I don’t want this to be the end.” —Besides, what’s so great about getting divorced? Why am I even this happy? she thought. Don’t people usually want couples to work things out? Why do Andrew and Theodore seem relieved that I divorced him? “Of course you’re happy.” Andrew nodded and looked over at the man in the back seat, who had remained silent the whole time. “And I’m not the only one. Theodore’s happy too.” Sensing Elaina’s gaze, Theodore Murphy nodded. “Andrew’s right. You never should’ve married him.” Elaina sighed, feeling a little helpless. “My grandfather wanted this. You know that. I wouldn’t go against his wishes.” At the mention of her grandfather, both Andrew and Theodore went quiet for a moment. Then Andrew muttered bitterly, “What was Grandpa even thinking? Why would he want you to marry Jalen, that bastard?” “You were married for two years. He completely ignored you. What an idiot.” If Elaina hadn’t stopped him, Andrew probably would’ve gone and taught Jalen a lesson by now. Compared to Andrew, Elaina was much calmer. “It doesn’t matter now. Our paths never even crossed in those two years. He never once came to Halton Residence. I don’t even think he knows what I look like.” She thought to herself: Now that I think about it, it’s kind of funny. We were married for two years, and we should’ve been the closest people in each other’s lives. Yet, we never even met. Other women would’ve found that unacceptable. But I didn’t. We didn’t marry for love. I was fulfilling my grandfather’s final wish, and he was forced by his grandfather. Neither of us was happy. “If I had known he was such an asshole, I never would’ve let you marry him—no matter what,” Andrew grumbled again, clearly furious with Jalen. “I blame Grandpa. If he really wanted you to marry someone, why couldn’t it have been me?” He smirked, then added, “Or Theodore would’ve been fine too. Either of us is better than that bastard Jalen.” Elaina was speechless for a second. Then she said helplessly, “Andrew, stop messing around, okay? How could someone marry their own brother?” What was Andrew thinking? But Andrew didn’t seem fazed. “We’re not blood-related. Why can’t we get married?” Elaina rolled her eyes. Even though Andrew and Theodore had been adopted by her grandfather, they’d grown up together. To her, they were brothers. It had nothing to do with blood ties. “Enough nonsense, Andrew. You’ll always be my brothers.” Andrew was clearly joking, and Elaina didn’t take it seriously. Neither of them noticed Theodore, who had remained quiet in the back seat. When Andrew joked about marrying Elaina to Theodore, Theodore’s eyes flickered slightly, and he unconsciously looked over at Elaina sitting beside him. When Elaina finished speaking, his eyes darkened for a brief moment—before quickly returning to normal. He hid his emotions perfectly. All these years, neither Andrew nor Elaina had noticed a thing. “Let’s drop it. What matters is that you’re divorced now,” Theodore finally spoke, his voice warm and calm, like the winter sun—comforting and steady. “What are your plans for the future?” “Back then, you chose to retire after getting married. You lived in hiding for two years. Your fans went crazy looking for you.” Elaina sighed. She missed those days. “I’ve been away for so long. I wonder if anyone still remembers Dr. Gainsford.” “Of course.” Theodore looked at Elaina, his dark eyes unwavering. “You’re one of the most famous neurosurgeons in the world. No matter how long you disappear, you’ll never be completely forgotten.” “Really?” Elaina smiled, her eyes full of excitement. “Then congratulate me—I’m going back to the operating room.” The next day… Jalen was in the CEO’s office of the Halton Group. His assistant, Graham Reilly, had just gotten off a call and turned to look at Jalen, who was still busy behind his desk. “Mr. Halton, Takvor just called from the Halton Residence. Mrs. Halton has completed the divorce procedures and picked up the certificate.” Jalen continued working, not even pausing. “I see. How much did she ask for?” “Takvor said she didn’t ask for anything,” Graham replied. Upon hearing that, Jalen instantly frowned. “Not even a cent?” “No. Takvor said your grandfather intended to give her some money, but she refused.” Even Graham looked surprised. I heard she’s from the countryside. She must’ve needed money. Why would she refuse it? Jalen stopped flipping through the documents. After a moment of silence, he said, “Find her and give her the Westside property.” Elaina had never caused a scene or made trouble for Jalen over the years. She divorced him decisively. Naturally, he wouldn’t treat her unfairly. Graham nodded and was about to leave with Jalen’s instructions—but he didn’t move. “Is there something else?” Jalen asked with a frown. “Yes.” Being stared at by Jalen made Graham nervous. Cold sweat broke out down his back as he quickly said, “I just got word that Dr. Gainsford—missing for the past two years—seems to have resurfaced.”