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

Chapter 2

The funeral ended that afternoon, but Ethan did not come home all night.

Sienna saw him on the morning news, standing before the cameras as he formally announced a partnership between Hawthorne Group and Sullivan Group.

Everyone was congratulating them on both their business alliance and their supposed romance.

Apparently, they had become an acknowledged couple without her even realizing it.

Meanwhile, hardly anyone knew that she and Ethan were married.

The moment Ethan came home that evening, he said coolly, "Zoey's condition has been unstable lately. Clear out your office at the lab and stay home to take care of her."

Sienna froze. "Then what happens to the lab?"

She had spent years diligently running that lab for Hawthorne Group.

'What's he trying to do?'

Ethan answered as if it were only natural. "We're partnering with the Sullivan family, so Vanessa will be taking over the lab. She's worked at major research facilities overseas. She has more experience than you."

Sienna's hands curled into fists. Pain stabbed through her heart, bitterness spreading through her entire body. "You're not discussing this with me. You're informing me!"

She had once had a career of her own. Pharmaceutical research was her specialty, but she had moved into management for Ethan's sake.

And now he was pushing her out!

Her whole body trembled. "Do you have any idea how much I've poured into that lab over the years? The R&D division only reached its current size because I spent countless nights working alongside my team!"

'How can he erase everything I have accomplished so casually?'

His years of neglect and indifference, and his complete lack of concern for Zoey, had already left Sienna deeply disillusioned with their marriage.

Now he was destroying the results of all her hard work as well.

Her love meant nothing to him. He had thrown it to the ground and trampled all over it!

Sienna's eyes burned with unshed tears.

Ethan did not even have the patience to hear her out. He interrupted her. "Your job divides your attention. You haven't been able to devote yourself fully to Zoey, and that's why she hasn't recovered. You've failed her as a mother."

Sienna stared at him. "You know exactly what Zoey needs. She needs love from her family and time with both her parents. You're accusing me of failing her, but have you fulfilled your responsibilities as her father?"

A bitter smile touched her lips. "Of course not. You have someone else's child to dote on now. You've already forgotten that Zoey is your daughter."

Her words displeased Ethan. "We're talking about the lab. Stop changing the subject. Besides, Milo is only four years old. Why are you making such a big deal out of a minor incident?"

'A minor incident?'

In his eyes, Milo bullying Zoey was nothing more than a minor incident!

Sienna said quietly, "So there hasn't been a place in your heart for this family in a long time..."

Ethan frowned, apparently finding her completely unreasonable.

Sienna's heart bled. First she had been forced to step aside at the funeral, and now she was being forced out of her own job. At this rate, the next thing Vanessa took would be her place as Mrs. Hawthorne!

Looking back, Sienna realized Ethan had not changed overnight. He had ignored both her and Zoey ever since their daughter was born.

Now that Vanessa had returned with her child, their marriage had finally reached its end.

"I'm doing this for your own good," Ethan said. Without waiting for an answer, he walked past her. "This decision is final. I'm going upstairs to shower. Take some time to calm down."

'For my own good? What a convenient excuse.'

The absurdity of it almost made her laugh!

He wanted to make room for the woman he had never gotten over, yet somehow he still managed to make himself sound noble!

The new system Sienna had developed used cutting-edge technology. After several rounds of testing, it was nearly ready.

Once implemented, it would generate enormous profits for Hawthorne Group.

She had originally planned to surprise Ethan with it.

Now there was no reason to!

If there was no longer any room in his heart for her or their daughter, she had no reason to keep enduring this life!

Sienna returned to her room at once. After finding a template online, she drafted a divorce settlement agreement.

Her mind was in chaos, and she had no idea what terms to include. All she wanted was to divorce him as quickly as possible and bring everything to an end.

Once she had printed the agreement, she clutched it tightly. Suddenly, her body stopped trembling, and the lost, hollow feeling inside her disappeared.

She signed her name without hesitation and even had her signature notarized.

Ethan was still in the shower. She placed the agreement in a conspicuous spot on his nightstand, certain he would see it immediately.

She did not want another pointless argument, so she left after setting it down.

Then she returned to Zoey's room as usual, coaxed her daughter to sleep, and waited for Ethan to come discuss the details of their divorce.

A long time passed. The only thing she heard was Ethan answering Vanessa's call downstairs, speaking in a gentle voice Sienna had never once heard him use with her.

When Sienna went to check, the divorce settlement agreement was still exactly where she had left it.

Had he not seen it, or had he seen it and deliberately ignored it? Of course. His heart and mind were filled with Vanessa. Why would he care about anything else?

Sienna frowned, impatience rising within her. She wanted nothing more than to call him immediately and settle the matter once and for all.

Just then, however, Zoey sat up and weakly tugged at the hem of her shirt.

"Mommy..."

One look told Sienna that something was wrong. She immediately contacted Lena Morris, Zoey's clinical psychologist, and asked her to examine the child.

Lena held a doctorate and had been hired by Ethan. She was highly regarded in her field.

Yet Zoey's condition had shown no improvement under her care.

Sienna could not keep silent any longer. "Dr. Morris, you've been treating Zoey for some time now. Why does your treatment plan seem to be having no effect at all?"

Lena's face hardened dramatically. "I'm the doctor here. Mr. Hawthorne hired me personally. What qualifications do you have to question me?"

Sienna's voice turned cold. "Zoey hasn't improved in the slightest. As her mother, don't I have the right to ask questions? Are you actually qualified to treat her?"

The challenge left Lena feeling humiliated.

She shot to her feet. "If you think I'm incompetent, then by all means find someone else. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you regret it!"

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out in her high heels.

Not long after Lena left, Ethan called to demand why Sienna had driven the psychologist away. He even tried to force her to apologize.

"There has to be a limit to your tantrums," Ethan snapped. "That irresponsible attitude proves you don't deserve to be Zoey's mother. Call Dr. Morris right now, apologize, and ask her to come back!"

Pain pierced Sienna's heart like a needle. From beginning to end, he had not asked a single question about Zoey's condition.

All he cared about was forcing her to apologize to Lena. He treated an outsider with more consideration than he showed his own wife and daughter.

Sienna clenched her fingers and said coldly, "I will not apologize to her. I'm Zoey's mother, and I have every right to choose who treats my daughter! If Dr. Morris doesn't want to come back, all the better!"

She hung up without giving him another chance to speak.

'How could I have been so blind? I had been hopelessly infatuated with him, as if I had lost all sense of myself.'

Perhaps it was not too late now that she could finally see him clearly.

Sienna set down her phone and looked at Zoey, curled into a tight ball. She gently smoothed the crease between her daughter's brows and sat beside her for a long time before calling her friend Chloe Bennett.

After hearing what had happened, Chloe asked with concern, "Has Zoey been doing any better lately?"

"No. That's why I wanted to ask if you know an exceptionally good clinical psychologist."

Chloe thought for a moment. "There is someone. I don't know him personally, but I've heard of him. He's supposed to be extraordinary. Powerful and wealthy families compete to hire him, and even the military has tried everything to recruit him. The problem is that he never stays in one place for long. But if he agreed to treat Zoey, I'm sure her condition would improve."

Knowing how anxious Sienna must be, Chloe reassured her warmly. "Don't worry. I'll ask around for you. The moment I hear anything, I'll let you know. All right?"

Sienna thanked her. After ending the call, the news finally eased some of her anxiety.

She had known from the beginning that things would not fall neatly into place overnight.

Zoey had been ill since she was one. Every day since then, Sienna had waited for a miracle.

She had already waited so long. A few more days would not matter.

Outside, the nighttime rain gradually stopped. Moonlight slipped through the clouds and fell across the neglected divorce settlement agreement.

Ethan had not looked at it. Ethan did not care.

But she no longer needed him to care.

Their divorce was only a matter of time. She would make certain it happened.

This time, she would choose the right path for herself and her daughter!