What


    a paragon of high moral standards he was.


    "If that''s the case... Let''s get a divorce!" I didn''t hesitate


    anymore.


    Silence filled the small space for two seconds. I thought Nichs might say something, or perhaps offer an exnation. "Alright. You''d better not regret it," he said ndly.


    Was


    I lowered my head numbly. To him, udia untouchable. Going against her was equivalent to going against him.


    "Oh, by the way," he added before leaving, "I was drugged at a social event tonight. Don''t misunderstand."


    I closed my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks. At that moment, the world seemed to fallpletely silent.


    The man who made love to me so intensely just now didn''t really love me.


    Only then did I realize his body had indeed been very hot. Thest bit of hope in me was snuffed out. He only came to me for relief after someone else had plotted against him.


    I whispered, "Nichs, what am I to you?"


    Was he afraid that udia couldn''t handle it if he was too rough with her? Well, that no longer mattered. It was time for me to leave.


    After waking up at noon, I wandered around Coral Vi while reminiscing about my four years of marriage. I had been fooling myself all this time. I tried to recall if there was ever a time when Nichs firmly chose me over udia when we both appeared together. It seemed there wasn''t.


    As I was leaving, Wendy brought in a mug of herbal tonic, most probably at Frances'' behest. Sadly, it was impossible for Nichs and I to have a child together.


    I recalled Frances telling me that the herbal tonic was best consumed after coption. As her words echoed faintly in my mind, I poured the tonic into the flower pot in the room.


    I softly said, "Grow strong in my ce."


    On my 18th birthday, my father gave me an apartment as a gift. It wasn''t exactly arge unit, but it was located in the highly prized downtown area. My dad said young women should live in popted areas for their own safety.


    I walked out of the vi''s gates and looked up at the sky. I imagined my father''s face hiding in the clouds. Perhaps he was secretly watching over me.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "Dad," I called out with an udylike grin on my face. "Have you known all along that Nichs wasn''t the right one for me? Is that why you prepared a ce of refuge for me in advance?"


    Just as I got into the car and was ready to leave for the apartment, I received a call from my mother, Brenda


    Thompson. "Ariana, thepany is facing a crisis!"


    Soon, I learned from her that a batch of goods was stuck at customs. She was very anxious about this.


    "Ari, if we can''t get this batch of goods released, thepany''s cash flow will be cut off. The buyers aren''t easy to deal with. If we can''t deliver, we can''t return their deposit either. They''ll surely sue us!


    "Ask Nichs for help. He should have some connections, right? The shareholders are making a fuss, and I can''t hold them off much longer!"


    ""Mom," I interrupted her.


    My calmness contrasted sharply with her panic. "Mom, we''ve done our best. It''s better we sell off the shares. I''m sure Dad won''t me us."


    "What?" Brenda eximed. She sounded incredulous, and she was probably thinking that she might have misheard me.


    In the next second, her voice rose by an octave. "Do you know what you''re saying, Ariana? How can you think of handing over your father''s lifelong business to someone else? How could I have raised such an ungrateful child? "Without Jones Corporation, would you have married the man. you loved? Would he have even noticed you? You''re a fool! Without a family business, people will talk behind your back. Don''t you know this?"


    Brenda began to sob in a low voice. "Why do you think I worked


    my ass off? It''s all for you!"