Chapter 4

Silence filled the atmosphere for less than a second before the crowd erupted into a loud commotion. The sounds of people insulting and questioning Cynthia filled the hall alongside the hurried snaps of hundreds of cameras. Cynthia's voice rang out through the entire venue as she spoke into the mic again. "Also, I'm going to say this once again—my father, Edward Stutton, is not a rapist!" Her words were like fuel to a burning flame, igniting more chaos on scene. "How can you be so certain of that, Ms. Stutton? The court's already given their ruling on the matter. Or was there a side to the case that we didn't know about?" "Do you take the law for child's play where you can twist right and wrong at your own whim?" "Doesn't your conscience weigh on you whatsoever, defaming an innocent victim like this?" Cynthia was caught amidst the reporters' frenzy. She snickered and fixed her gaze on a male reporter that was antagonizing her the most. She threw the mic in her hand right at him. Wham! Cynthia's voice wasn't very loud, but everyone present managed to hear her words loud and clear. "I may have fallen from grace and have a pitiful excuse for a life now. But if anyone dares insult my father in front of me again, I wouldn't mind dragging them down with me." Cynthia had been doted on by the Stutton family since young. Even though she'd lost her family, the pride and boldness ingrained in her bones still made itself known to everyone right now. Her eyes swept across everyone present at the press conference. Not a single person dared meet her gaze in return. Cynthia ignored the chaos unfolding behind her and walked off stage, carrying a frail but determined air. She'd only taken several steps forward when her wrist was caught in a strong grip, making her wince in pain. "What on Earth are you trying to do, Cynthia Stutton?" Damian just about hissed through gritted teeth. Cynthia flung his grip away with all her might. She gently massaged her aching, reddened wrist as a slightly mocking smile appeared on her lips. "What am I trying to do? Apologize, of course. Didn't you hear me loud and clear just now, Mr. Gray? I had to be in the wrong in the first place to do that, though," she said. "Do you know the consequences of what you've done?" Damian asked in a low voice. Cynthia smiled. "What more could I possibly lose, Damian Gray?" Her eyes swept across him, then at Alice a short distance away. Alice was currently trembling while being surrounded by a horde of news reporters. "Since you have the spare energy to question me, then why don't you spend it consoling that 'innocent' intern of yours that you 'have to take responsibility for'? Don't keep her waiting now," Cynthia said to Damian. Then, she turned around and walked to the exit without further hesitation. Cynthia didn't want anything more to do with Damian for even a second. She hailed a taxi after leaving the venue and set off to her next destination—the courthouse, bringing along the divorce agreement that Damian had signed last night. She stood outside the door once the procedure was done. Unexpectedly, she felt neither relief nor reluctance. There was only an indescribable feeling of emptiness in her heart. Putting an end to this marriage had been far more difficult than Cynthia imagined. It wouldn't be easy to completely let go of Damian either, but that was okay. Cynthia wasn't afraid of pain anymore. She slowly made her way 'home'. Her phone buzzed suddenly. It was a notification from her social media app. Cynthia tapped on it, and it brought her to a post Alice had just uploaded online. It was a photo of Damian's side profile as he sat before his desk. The caption read: "There's so much I didn't know about court proceedings given it was my first time dealing with them. Thankfully Dami patiently guided me through things. "He says that the law's purpose is to uphold justice. To me, he is my sense of justice and faith. He hurried to my side the moment I said I was scared…" Cynthia gazed at Damian's side profile in the photo, a focused expression on his face. This tender and patient side to Damian had once belonged to her, and only her. Her lips curled as she took a screenshot of the post, then she logged onto her social media account and uploaded the screenshot as a post with the caption: "What a perfect match." Cynthia felt a surprising sense of glee as she imagined what kind of chaos her post would trigger. She pushed the door open and was greeted by a far more 'exciting' sight in the living room than expected. As expected, Damian was home already. However, Alice was curled up beside him on the couch, her eyes red and swollen. She instinctively shrunk back from Damian upon seeing Cynthia. Damian gently patted Alice's back before turning to look at Cynthia with undisguised disappointment and exasperation. "What's this? Did you finally cave in and bring her back home?" Cynthia asked mockingly. Damian's brows knitted together. "That's enough from you. Alice was innocent from the start. She never did anything wrong." Cynthia gazed coldly at them. "Alice? Innocent? At least have some limit to your wilful ignorance, Damian." Damian swiftly rose to his feet. "I don't want to argue with you, Cynthia. Alice will be seeing a therapist later. She's not in a very good mental and emotional state right now." His eyes fixed on Cynthia. It was filled with scrutiny and leaving no room for doubt. "You're emotionally unstable too, so you'll be going for therapy with Alice later."