CHAPTER 3 Let's Divorce
1388 Words
Mitchel's tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Stella. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Stella.
It was hard to tell if Martin saw Stella or just ignored her.
Regardless, Stella noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday.
She was Lauren.
Stella's shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away.
She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly.
Suddenly, the driver uttered, "Ma'am, where to?"
Stella was stunned for a moment.
She didn't want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home.
After a while, she replied, "Please take me to Crystal Bay."
She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel.
At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn't that big, but it had more than enough space for two people.
Martin didn't understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined.
Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years.
When she arrived at the apartment complex, Stella sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down.
The memories of the past two years were bittersweet.
Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights.
Love could move mountains, they said.
Yet, her love didn't move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone.
It was already late in the night before Stella finally decided to go into her apartment.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Martin standing in front of the door.
His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight.
Stella froze for a moment.
Why was he here? Didn't she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here?
Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Martin squinted at her.
"Why didn't you answer the phone?" he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn't slept in a long time.
Stella took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND.
There were five missed calls from Martin.
This marked the first time in their two-year marriage.
Martin blew up her phone because he couldn't find her? Surprising!
Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would've thought she won the lottery.
But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't hear it ring."
Martin raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, "I've been looking for you for two hours."
After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Stella everywhere. When he couldn't find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company.
He later found out that Stella went to Crystal Bay without telling him.
"Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let's go home now." After that, Martin walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance.
He meant to go back to Serenity Villas.
Stella didn't move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly.
Would they have a future?
Martin turned around, only to see that stella hadn't taken a single step. He frowned and asked, "Can't you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?"
The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable.
Stella took a deep breath and said, "Let's divorce."
"What do you mean?"
Martin's voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately.
"I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon."
Stella forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit.
"We will be strangers?"
Martin smiled coldly. "Stella, what do you think our relationship is now?"
His questioning left Stella stunned for a moment.
Martin had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate.
Martin was quite the catch in Adlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him.
His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn't let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn't be more wrong...
After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Stella said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don't have to come here again."
After saying that, Stella couldn't help but burst into tears.
How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time.
Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go.
It was high time she stopped being a fool.
Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering.
The deathly stare Martin was giving Stella right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie.
Although he understood that Stella sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now.
His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, "If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I..."
"No, this isn't about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now."
A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn't come close to any.
Stella felt exhausted. She passed by Martin and was about to open the door.
Yet, Martin was displeased with her stubbornness.
He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist.
"Stop this, will you?"
A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire.
"You have a fever?"
Stella felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly.
This made the whole situation complicated.
Stella was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back.
Before she could escape, Martin pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, "Where do you think you are going?"
The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Martin lifted her up.
He then headed for the elevator.
In a daze, Stella asked softly, "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I am doing?" Martin remarked. "Taking you to the hospital, of course."
"No way!" Stella cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength.
Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.
Stella struggled to get out of Martin's arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless.
"Don't be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor," Martin said firmly.
He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Stella's heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest.
"Put me down! I don't want to go to the hospital!"
- Writer
