I Divorced Him, Now He's Begging Me Back!

Chapter 6

'Has Ethan taken it? If he has, why has he not come to discuss the divorce with me?'

Sienna considered the possibilities. Fortunately, she had recently asked Chloe to help her find an attorney. She picked up her phone and texted her friend, asking whether the attorney could draft another divorce papers.

Chloe called immediately. "You only want a basic agreement? No demands, no conditions? That would let him off far too easily!"

For a moment, Sienna felt dazed.

When she married Ethan, she had been swept away by love and had never imagined they might divorce.

She had drafted the previous agreement in a rush. Only after Chloe's reminder did she ask, "What should I demand? What terms should I add?"

"Ethan is incredibly wealthy, and he's the one at fault in the marriage," Chloe replied. "At the very least, he owes compensation to you and Zoey. Zoey's treatment will cost money, and the two of you still have to live. You absolutely cannot let him walk away without paying!"

Not wanting Sienna to exhaust herself further, Chloe continued. "I'll work out the terms with my friend. Once the agreement is ready, you can review it. I'll fight for everything you're entitled to. I won't let you be cheated for nothing!"

Sienna did not care about Ethan's money.

But Chloe was right. She had to think of Zoey.

Hiring a clinical psychologist to treat her would undoubtedly be expensive.

The thought reminded Sienna of the mysterious psychologist Chloe had mentioned.

Several days had passed without any news, which meant Chloe had been unable to find him either.

"Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places," Sienna murmured. After some thought, she began searching military news sites and veterans' forums.

More than half an hour later, she finally found a relevant post on a highly respected forum.

It contained only a few lines, all describing the psychologist's remarkable career.

He had successfully treated a child who had lived with autism spectrum disorder for nine years, as well as the famous actress Madeline Stone.

Both patients had previously hired renowned specialists without success, yet each had recovered after he became involved.

But neither Madeline's interviews nor the child's family's social media posts revealed a single detail about the psychologist.

Sienna was disappointed, but she had no intention of giving up.

She would find that doctor somehow!

Once she had made up her mind, Sienna organized all the useful information she had gathered.

Just as she finished, Chloe sent her a message.

Chloe: Your divorce papers are ready. My friend added several terms in your favor, including child support for Zoey and compensation for the sacrifices you made during the marriage. Take a look as soon as you can.

Sienna: I don't need to. I trust you.

Chloe wanted only the best for her. Sienna knew she could sign without reading it.

She refused to let a man's betrayal consume her thoughts or drain her spirit any longer.

More importantly, she would never allow his favoritism to hurt her daughter again!

It was time for everything to end.

Sienna called her husband. He took a long time to answer, and when he did, his voice was as cold as ever. "What is it?"

Keeping her tone as calm as possible, she said, "When will you be home? I need to discuss our divorce..."

Before she could finish, Vanessa's soft, coquettish voice came through the phone.

"Ethan, the hotel only has one room left. It looks like we'll have to share tonight."

Before Sienna could react, Ethan said, "I'm away on business. Whatever it is, we'll discuss it when I get back."

Then he hung up.

Sienna could tell perfectly well whether he was on a business trip or meeting his lover in secret.

She had lived through moments like this countless times over the years.

In the past, whenever Ethan said he was away on business, she would wait at home without a second thought, looking forward to his return.

Now she understood. It had all been a lie. Business trips had simply been his excuse to see his lover behind her back.

Cold settled in her heart. Without further hesitation, she printed the divorce settlement agreement and signed it.

This time, she did not leave it on the nightstand and wait for Ethan to discover it. She placed it in the most conspicuous spot in his study, photographed it, and sent the picture to Ethan, his assistant, and his email address.

If he refused to speak to her face-to-face, she would make certain the agreement appeared before him one way or another.

Even he could not continue pretending it did not exist after this.

When she finished, her phone rang. The caller was Ethan's mother, Victoria Hawthorne.

Victoria demanded irritably. "Why did it take you so long to answer?"

Sienna replied coolly. "I was busy. What do you need?"

Victoria scoffed. "You don't even work at the company anymore. What could you possibly be busy with? Come to the estate. There's something important you need to handle."

Sienna refused without hesitation. "I have to care for Zoey. I don't have time!"

Victoria hadn't expected such a firm refusal.

Yet the angry outburst Sienna expected never came. Victoria swallowed her temper instead.

As if afraid of truly angering her, she softened her voice. "Bring Zoey with you. We haven't seen her in a long time. We can help look after her."

"I'm mainly asking you to come because we need help sorting out Mrs. Evelyn Hawthorne's affairs. She treated you so well. Now that she's gone, are you really going to refuse to help?"

Sienna could not refuse after that.

Evelyn had still been worrying about Sienna and Zoey on her deathbed. She had loved Sienna like a daughter and given her a warmth she had never known. Sienna could never turn her back on anything involving her.

But Sienna knew Victoria too well. When had the woman ever spoken to her this pleasantly?

Handling Evelyn's affairs was probably just an excuse. Victoria likely had another reason for calling her over.

Sienna kept her guard up and took Zoey with her to the Hawthorne estate.

When Sienna arrived at the Hawthorne estate, the family was gathered around admiring the gifts Vanessa had sent. The comparison made the looks they directed at Sienna even colder.

Victoria complained. "It took endless calls just to get you here. You certainly think highly of yourself!"

Sienna ignored the cutting remark.

Victoria had always treated her this way and had never once shown her kindness.

In the past, Sienna had always met Victoria's hostility with a smile, desperate to win her approval.

Every attempt had amounted to bending over backward for someone determined to reject her.

She no longer had the patience for it. "You said this concerned Mrs. Evelyn Hawthorne. What is it?"

Several members of the Hawthorne family exchanged glances before turning to Victoria.

Victoria looked at Sienna. "Mrs. Evelyn Hawthorne treated you so well, yet since she passed away, you've hardly come back here."

Sienna had never heard anything so unreasonable. She gave a cold laugh. "Every time I came here before, it was for Grandma Hawthorne. Now that she's gone, what exactly am I supposed to come here for? To wait on the rest of you?"

Victoria dropped the pretense of civility. "We're your elders. Shouldn't you show us some respect?"

'Respect? They just wanted a free maid they could push around.'

Sienna glanced at the opened gifts Vanessa had sent, scattered across the table.

If these people could be bought with a few cheap presents, why should she expect anything from them?

"Are you sure you really want me to start acting like a dutiful daughter-in-law?" Sienna knew Victoria was bluffing. Victoria would never dare make those demands of Sienna now. Sienna was no longer the meek woman who swallowed every insult.

Her patience thinning, Sienna said, "Stop beating around the bush. If you have something to say, say it."

Victoria gave her an awkward look. "We've been sorting through Mrs. Evelyn Hawthorne's belongings, but we can't find the family heirloom ring. You have it, don't you? Now that she's gone, it's the only keepsake we have of her."

Sienna understood at once. Just as she'd suspected, they had called her over for something else.

She looked at them coldly. "So you tricked me into coming here just to ask for the ring."

Victoria snapped back, "Don't make it sound so ugly, Sienna! That ring belongs to the Hawthorne family."

Sienna cut through the pretense. "As I recall, that ring is supposed to go to the Hawthorne family's daughter-in-law."

She deliberately walked over to the table piled with gifts.

Victoria rose instinctively, wary of what she might do.

Sienna merely asked, "If you want the ring back now, are you saying Ethan has another wife besides me? Or does he have another family somewhere?"