Chapter 15 Divorce

A tense standoff stretched on as Talia and Thalia stood on either side, with Lucien caught in the middle. Talia let out a cold laugh at the absolutely ridiculous scene. She felt like she was fighting another woman over a man. It was just like one of those soap opera plots she absolutely despised. "Lucien? What a surprise!" An elderly woman in a wheelchair approached them, pushed by a middle-aged woman behind her. She seemed to recognize Lucien and called out cheerfully. Lucien greeted them. "Ms. Chapman, Ms. Harper." He began to introduce them to Talia. "Talia, they're—" Before he could finish, Thalia had already walked over and taken Julie Chapman's hand. "Ms. Chapman, it's been years! You look even younger than before!" Julie laughed. "Lia, you're still as lovable as ever, just like when you were a kid." Olivia Harper chuckled. "Mom, you actually recognized someone? You didn't even recognize me the other day." Julie spoke up right away. "That's Lucien's wife. How could I not recognize her? Back then, he followed her everywhere, carrying her school bag and buying her snacks like a little sidekick…" Olivia looked embarrassed and pointed toward Talia in the distance. "Mom, you've got it wrong. That woman is Lucien's actual wife." Julie suddenly grew serious. "You're the one who's mistaken. Who's that woman anyway? I don't know her. This is the one. Isn't that right, Lucien?" Lucien's expression darkened. His brow furrowed as he took a deep breath, trying to explain. Thalia tugged at his sleeve, clearly trying to pull his attention back to her. "Lucien! Remember when you gave me a ride on your bike, and it suddenly started raining? We took cover under Ms. Chapman's porch." Julie nodded eagerly. "That's right. I remember too. Lucien held his school jacket high over your head to shield you from the rain, while he got completely soaked. I thought he really knew how to treat his girl right." Olivia shot Talia an apologetic glance and stomped her foot in frustration. "Mom, that's enough…" She explained to Talia, "Sweetheart, don't take it to heart. My mom's getting old. She has dementia, and she's just talking nonsense." Thalia smiled sweetly. "It's not nonsense. Ms. Harper, you weren't home that day, so you probably didn't see it. Ms. Chapman was the only one there, and she even gave us an umbrella to share." Olivia was startled. She didn't understand why Thalia suddenly brought that up but didn't argue either. She just turned to Talia with an apologetic expression. Talia said gently, "It's alright, Ms. Harper. I understand." Julie held tightly onto Thalia's hand, affection written all over her face. "Look at that belly. You two were just kids back then, and now you're having one of your own. Time really does fly…" Olivia frowned and quickly pushed the wheelchair. "Mom! We need to get to the hospital. Let's not take up their time. Lucien, Thalia, and… Lucien's wife, come visit us sometime, okay?" She didn't know Talia's name, so she resorted to calling her "Lucien's wife" before pushing Julie away as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Thalia waved politely. "Goodbye, Ms. Chapman. Goodbye, Ms. Harper." Talia stared at Lucien for a moment, then pulled open the back door and got in, closing it with a sharp thud. Abigail was right. Lucien and Thalia had been entangled for over two decades. Talia had only known him a few short years, which was hardly enough to compare. By choosing the back seat, she made her position clear. The front seat was left for the two of them to figure it out. Lucien was about to say something, but Thalia had already swung open the door. She slipped into the front seat and shut the door. She kept urging him and said, "Come on, Lucien. We might still make it in time for lunch at the resort. Their sashimi is my favorite, and it's always gone if you're late." Lucien stood there, making his objection clear without a sound. Thalia pressed on. "Dr. Ainsworth already said yes. Why are you still stalling? Hurry up!" Lucien finally climbed in and glanced back at Talia, as if searching for words. But she turned her head toward the window, ignoring him. In the end, he let out a sigh and started the car. Abigail texted Talia. "Are you on the road yet?" Talia replied, "I've made my decision." Abigail responded with a flood of question marks. Talia texted back, "Divorce." … The resort was just as Abigail had described—luxurious and extremely expensive. A standard suite cost over three thousand dollars a night, and the luxury suite easily topped ten thousand dollars. Lucien told the receptionist, "Two luxury suites." The receptionist nodded. "Sure, please wait a moment." Thalia asked in confusion, "Why two?" "Talia and I will take one. You'll stay in the other," he answered. Thalia crossed her arms and gave him a look. "You really have changed. You used to insist on having your own room no matter what. I wasn't even allowed to stay." "We were already in high school back then. It was inappropriate. Did you not care about your reputation?" Thalia pouted, then turned to the receptionist. "Make that three luxury suites. One for each of us." Lucien frowned. "Talia's my wife. We can share a room." Thalia shot him a look of disdain. "What's wrong? Are you trying to save that tiny bit of money? You're so stingy." "What does this have to do with saving money?" Lucien asked. Thalia cut him off with an impatient wave. "Alright, that's enough." She turned the receptionist and said, "Go with three rooms. I'm making the call." The receptionist hesitated. "But Mr. Reese said…" "Forget what he said. He listens to me anyway." "Alright then," the receptionist replied. He quickly completed the check-in and handed over three key cards. "You're all set. The elevators are to your left." Thalia took the cards. "Thank you." "You're welcome," he said. She glanced down at the key cards and looked puzzled. "Why are there two rooms on the eighth floor and one on the second?" "I'm sorry, miss. It's peak season and we're fully booked. These are the only luxury suites left. If you want adjacent rooms, we only have standard ones available." "Absolutely not. Those standard suites are barely fit for people. If we're splitting up, then so be it," Thalia said. Lucien held out his hand. "I'll take the key cards." Thalia quickly moved the cards out of his reach and said with a frown, "Come on, it's not like they're heavy. I've got it." As she spoke, she handed one of the cards to Talia. "This one's yours, Dr. Ainsworth. Your suite's right near the restaurant on the second floor. Super convenient for you."