Chapter 4

"M-Mrs. Jefferson?" Dumbfounded, Gavin's friends quickly added. I heard them loud and clear earlier—they'd been calling Isabelle the same thing earlier. It seemed like Gavin had been sneaking her along to parties with his friends behind my back all these while. Isabelle burst out laughing and playfully teased, "You guys are always joking! Now that Tiffany is here, I'd like to see you try talking your way out of this!" Gavin's friends exchanged glances. All of a sudden, they were at a loss for words. Gavin looked equally embarrassed. He gave them a half-hearted warning, "Stop being disrespectful! Hurry up and get in!" Only then did the topic end. … I followed them into the private room and was shocked by the grandeur of the interior. There was even a multiple-tiered birthday cake with a huge "Happy birthday, Princess Belle!" written on it. It was vivid and eye-catching, so dazzling that I could hardly look away. I couldn't help but recall how Gavin had always bought discounted four-inch birthday cakes for me throughout our seven years of marriage. He had said that he wasn't a big fan of cakes, so we could save the money. It wasn't until now that I understood—to him, I simply wasn't worth it. As everyone came in to look for their seats, Gavin didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, he asked the waitstaff for a cushion for Isabelle's chair and poured her a glass of hot water. "Would you feel better like this, Belle?" She nodded obediently, yet there was a glint of smugness directed at me from the corner of her eyes. I walked over to sit beside Gavin. Just then, a man smiled and poured a glass of wine before teasing, "Today is Isabelle's birthday—she has to take the first shot. Am I right?" Everyone started cheering and egging Isabelle on. Just as she was about to take over the wine glass, Gavin boldly snatched it away. "Belle can't drink as she just had surgery. I'll drink in her place!" He then tilted his head and finished off the wine. Everyone started clapping and laughing at once. "You're just like her knight in shining armor, Gavin. Aren't you worried Mrs. Jefferson would get upset seeing you like this?" Gavin glanced over at me and laughed awkwardly. "We're all friends. I'm sure Tiffany wouldn't mind it." I smiled mockingly, saying nothing in reply. At that moment, a woman deliberately tried to stir things up. She looked at me and grinned. "Oh, right, you haven't given Belle a gift yet, Mrs. Jefferson!" Isabelle immediately countered, "Oh, gifts aren't important. I'm happy enough that Tiffany is willing to show up. Or maybe you could sing me a song instead, I heard Gavin say you sing really well…" Gavin hurriedly added, "You didn't prepare a gift for Belle's birthday today, Tiffany. You can just sing a song instead—anything would do." "I can't," I flatly rejected. The smile on his face froze. Clearly put on the spot, he shot up in anger and barked, "Just sing if they ask you to! Don't make this difficult!" I calmly retorted, "I said I can't. Do you not understand me?" Upon seeing the tense mood, Isabelle hurried over and tugged at my arm. She whispered, "Don't get upset, Tiffany. Gavin probably had too much to drink. I'll talk to him…" Just then, she suddenly fell backward. With a surprised yelp, she hit the floor, knocking her arm against the table, and immediately started bleeding. The next minute, Gavin shoved me away and rushed over to help Isabelle up. He then turned and barked at me, "Are you fucking crazy, Tiffany? Why did you push Belle?" "I'm fine, Gavin. Tiffany didn't push me, I was the one who didn't stand properly…" she said pitifully, which only enraged him further. Gavin advised, "You're just too kind, Belle. Tiffany is really pushing her luck!" Then, turning to me, he spat, "I'm warning you, Tiffany— Belle is still weak from her surgery. I won't allow you to bully her like this! You'd better apologize to Belle now, or I'll divorce you!" I stared at the shouting man in front of me. There was nothing left of the man who'd sworn eternal love to me when we got married. "Sure, I'll agree to it," I immediately replied. However, Gavin was taken aback. He wasn't expecting such a reaction from me. Aghast, Isabelle quickly tried to smooth things over. "Calm down, both of you. I'd been in deep trouble if the two of you really got divorced because of me. "Tiffany is even a housewife with two children, Gavin. How is she supposed to survive if you divorce her…" The more she comforted him, the more Gavin thought of her as understanding. Meanwhile, I'd look more aggressive in comparison. He stared right at me and angrily spat, "Fine! You said so yourself—we'll get the paperwork done at the courthouse tomorrow! Don't you dare regret this!" At that point, everyone saw how things were really blowing up and hurried to tell me not to take it seriously. However, I remained unhurried as I pulled out the divorce agreement from my bag. I tossed it at Gavin in front of everyone and calmly said, "Before we got married, you promised me that if I ever asked for a divorce, you'll leave with nothing and the kids will stay with me. Here's the divorce agreement—sign it." At once, he stared at me in disbelief.