Chapter 318
James couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
When he realized what document he’d just handed over, his eyes widened in shock. Without thinking, he lunged forward and snatched the divorce agreement from my hands.
“This is wrong! There must be a mistake!” he blurted out, his previous composure completely gone.
“I’ll take it back to Mr. Harding immediately!”
I wasn’t about to let him take it. After waiting so long for Henry to sign these papers, there was no way I’d let them slip through my fingers now.
I grabbed for the envelope, and in our brief struggle, the documents spilled onto the floor.
As papers scattered across the pristine hospital tiles, James froze. His eyes locked onto Henry’s signature on the divorce agreement, confirmation that his boss had indeed signed away his marriage. The assistant’s face paled as he glanced up at me, hoping to see some emotional reaction on my face.
But I gave him nothing.
I just stood there silently, expressionless, as though this was just another ordinary morning.
James knelt to gather the papers, his movements slow and deliberate. When he rose, he clutched the documents to his chest like he was protecting something precious.
“Mrs. Harding,” he began, then corrected himself with a wince. “Sophia, please reconsider. Just apologize to him, and I’m certain he’ll withdraw these papers.” His voice grew more passionate with each word. “You’ve been together for six years. Everything was stable, peaceful. Why push things to this point?”
When I didn’t respond, he continued, his voice taking on a pleading quality.
“I know you’ve suffered many hardships these past six years, but hasn’t Mr. Harding suffered too? When he heard you were sick, he rushed you to the hospital in the middle of the night, only for you to push him away. Did you know he stayed outside your room that entire night? He only left after the doctor assured him you were stable.”
James was now completely forgetting professional boundaries, speaking continuously: “There are countless examples just like that–things you never saw. Mr. Harding isn’t cold–blooded or unfeeling; he’s just slow to warm up to people. Perhaps because he’s been hurt before, he habitually gives his heart away piece by small piece. He hesitates, he wavers, he’s guarded with everyone. But with you, he’s already shown more courage than he has with anyone else!”
I raised a hand to cut him off. “James, thank you for sharing all this, but I don’t want to hear any more.”
My voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
“Since everything is now settled, I’d prefer not to discuss Henry again. It’s all in the past now.”
I tried to believe my own words as I spoke them: “The best way to forget someone is to find someone new. With the right person, there’s no old flame that can’t be extinguished. From now on, Henry and I will go our separate ways.”
For six months I’d been desperate for Henry to sign those papers.
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Chapter 318
Now that he had, I should feel nothing but relief. So why was there an ache deep in my heart?
Inside the manila envelope were additional documents detailing the division of our marital assets, with Henry Choosing Lat give me half of everything. I gathered these papers together and pushed them back toward fames.
“I don’t want any of this,” I said simply.
An hour later, I sat in my hospital bed, phone in hand, staring at the screen. Taking a deep breath, I posted a photo of the signed divorce agreement to my Facebook page with the caption: “Celebrating my return to single life! A new beginning
The post exploded almost instantly.
Messages poured in, each notification like a tiny needle prick to my heart.
“One minute you and your husband are jointly opposing Isabella, the next you’re divorced? Sophia, you don’t know when you’ve got it good!”
“What?! I go to sleep and wake up to find they’re divorced? Someone tell me if this is real!”
“Damn! Who gave Sophia the impression she’s so great? After leaving Henry, do you really think you’ll find a better man?
I scrolled through the comments with detached amusement. Their words couldn’t touch me. From this day forward, Henry would no longer be part of my life. We were like parallel lines–aware of each other’s existence but never intersecting again.
Betty burst into my room, waving a manila envelope of her own–the DNA test results I’d sent her to collect.
“Sophia, I got them! Don’t you want to see-
Without hesitation, I took the envelope and fed it directly into the paper shredder beside my bed. The harsh mechanical grinding filled the room as the unknown results were instantly reduced to confetti.
Betty stared at me in horror: “Are you insane? After everything we went through to get those test results?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Across town, Harding Investment released an official statement announcing that Henry and Sophia had amicably agreed to end their marriage. Social media immediately lit u up with the news, hashtags trending within minutes.
As internet users analyzed every detail they cared about, Henry sat alone in his office at the top of Harding Tower.
Floor–to–ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline, but he paid no attention to it, his expression dark and brooding.
He had thought that after receiving the divorce papers, Sophia would show some hesitation, some sign of regret.
He’d been ready–the moment she displayed even the slightest reluctance, he would have immediately filed for remarriage.
Instead, she had broadcast their divorce to the entire world, inviting congratulations on her newfound freedom.
His phone rang, the caller was Benjamin.
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Chapter 318
Henry almost ignored it, but finally answered on the fifth ring.
“Henry, you’re just letting her go? Just like that?” Benjamin’s voice was incredulous. “Are you honestly telling me you don’t have any feelings for Sophia anymore?”
Henry stared out at the city below, saying nothing.
The gray winter sky seemed to reflect the emptiness he felt inside.
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