Chapter 2 Drafting a Divorce Agreement

For fear that William wouldn't trust her, Jeanette pulled her robe tighter around herself and took out her diagnosis report. "I have just three months left. Could you please give me a chance?" William took the diagnosis report and studied it with skepticism. His brows drew in a deep frown as his eyes skimmed over the line "advanced stomach cancer" in the final diagnosis section. In his memory, she'd always been full of life and constantly orbited around him without ever showing a hint of illness or fatigue. How could she suddenly be dying from advanced stomach cancer? Under the weight of his scrutiny, Jeanette's heart thudded violently in her chest. She knew how shameless she was and how pathetically desperate she must look in his eyes, but all she had was three months left. She couldn't accept not ending up with neither his heart nor his body after three years of effort. Encouraged by the slight shift in his expression, she braced herself to wrap her arms around his neck. But just as her lips were about to touch his, his hand shot up to grip her chin hard. With a mocking laugh, he murmured, "I never thought you'd go as far as to forge a diagnosis report just to get what you want, Jeanette." His tone was deceptively soft, almost like a lover's whisper, but the words that left his lips pierced her sharply. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "I didn't—" He released her and tossed the diagnosis report onto the table as utter disdain flashed in his eyes. "So when seduction fails, you switch to pity? I never knew you were this resourceful." The undisguised disgust in his eyes was nothing like the look of affection he'd given Giselle in the photo. As Jeanette met his icy stare, she could feel her heart grow cold. It struck her that this was what he thought of her. A broken laugh escaped her lips as she mocked, "So, have you been saving the last three years for your precious first love, Mr. Ashford? Did you sleep with her last night?" Confronted by her aggressive questions, William's gaze sharpened. "Have you been spying on me?" His non-denial felt like a clamp around her heart. Did that mean he and Giselle had really slept together? A sudden pain shot through her stomach like a sharp blade twisting inside her. She pressed a hand to her stomach, trembling uncontrollably. Tears welled up in her eyes. For a fleeting moment, her left eye, which had nearly been blinded from saving William three years ago, began to throb with a dull ache. She wanted to speak, but his cold voice cut her off. "Since you can't seem to stay in line, let's call it quits." She instinctively looked up as he turned to leave. What did he mean by that? "You have some time to think about what you want. I'll have my lawyer draft a divorce agreement," he said calmly. He would make sure she was financially provided for with a generous settlement as compensation for those three years of meticulous care, but that was all. With that, he slammed the door shut behind him. Jeanette's face was drained of all color. Her mind couldn't help but think back to the night from three years ago, when she'd saved him. In the storm, she'd thrown herself over William just to shield him from a blast. Shattered shards had sliced across her left eye and sent blood pouring down her face, but all she'd cared about was keeping him alive. She'd been completely oblivious to her wounds. After being soaked in the rain, the wound had festered so severely that the doctors nearly had to remove her eye. Even now, a faint pale scar remained. The younger Jeanette, who'd thrown all caution to the wind, must have never imagined things to end up in such a miserable, sorry state three years later. William was just… too ruthless. Tears streamed down Jeanette's cheeks as she curled over, feeling dizzy from all the pain. Suddenly, the sharp ringing of her phone jolted her back to the present. She hastily wiped her tears away and picked up the call. "Hello?" "How was it?" Sienna's cheerful voice blasted into her ears. "Was the lingerie I gave you sexy enough? Did William fall for you? "You sound hoarse, don't tell me that he actually—" Each word Sienna spoke seemed to drive the thorns in Jeanette's chest deeper. "No. Nothing happened," she cut her off. Sienna fell silent for some time before she asked, "Is he not capable or something? How could he resist touching you when you're wearing that?" Jeanette managed a smile uglier than a sob. "He just doesn't like me. That's all." Or rather, William despised her. "He doesn't like you? Why the hell did he marry you in the first place then?" Sienna gave a sharp, incredulous laugh. "And you were so dumb to give up that chance to study abroad, just to save him. After almost losing one eye, you never brought it up because you didn't want him to feel indebted." Jeanette's lashes fluttered, but she said nothing. Sienna added, "You had the medical school and IT giants fighting over you, and everyone called you a genius! If it weren't for William, you'd be a genius at the top of your industry by now. What he's doing right now is completely unfair to you!"