Chapter 7
At Dewberry Manor, Xavier lounged on the living room couch after returning home and didnât bother turning on the lights.
He was so worn out that he massaged his temples while resting. Yet, his eyes soon snapped wide open as he abruptly woke from his sleep.
It was odd because heâd had another nightmare. Not to mention, it was about Yvette.
He couldnât believe he had dreamt about Yvette dying and that it had felt so real. When he looked at his phone, he realized it was only 4:00 am.
It was the end of their coolâoff period, and they agreed to finalize their divorce together today.
Xavier couldnât help but text Yvette. âDonât forget that weâre finalizing our divorce today.â
Yvette was on the brink of losing her consciousness when she received that text.
Even so, she forced herself to send a voice message in response. âSorry, I might not make it⦠But donât worry. Weâll definitely get a divorce.â
Her death naturally meant their marriage would no longer be in effect.
Xavier inexplicably exhaled in relief while listening to
Yvetteâs voice message. He had known it. How could Yvette be dead? He believed that she wouldnât be willing to end her life or their marriage.
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With that thought, he called her
For the past few years, Yvette had seldom received calls from Xavier. He had always been straightforward and never beaten around the bush. So, he had rarely called her and had only texted.
Yvette answered the ell, but Xavierâs frosty tone rang out before she could speak.
He said, âMy patience is limited, Yvette. Youâre the one who wanted a divorce.
âDo you regret our marriage because I didnât give you money? I bet 300 million dollars isnât possibly enough to satisfy you into marrying someone new.â
Yvetteâs throat constricted, and she could no longer hear what else he had to say.
Ultimately, she refused to admit to things she had never done. She willed her last bit of strength to say, âI never cared about yâyour money throughout my mâmarriage to you, Xav!
âAâAlso, Iâm nânot divorcing you because of money! YâYou might not bâbelieve this, but I still wâwant to say it. I didnât k -know about my mother and brother breaking the contract b -back thenâ¦
âIâI wonât marry anyone for 300 million dollars eâeither!â
She stuttered a lot.
Xavier could hear the intense wind and rain from her end of the call. âWhere are you now?â
Yvette couldnât hear him anymore. Instead, she held her
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phone tightly while repeating, âIâIf I had known about what mâmy mother and brother had done, IâI wouldnât have
chosen tâto marry youâ¦
âIâIf I had known that yâyou had always loved DâDaphne, I- I wouldnât have married you eitherâ¦
âI-If I had known th my dad would get into a car accident on oâour wedding day, i wouldnât have mâmarried you!â
She repeated the phrase, âwouldnât have married you.â
Xavier could tell how aggrieved she had felt all these years from the way she spoke. Likewise, he detected how much she regretted marrying him.
All at once, he felt like something had lodged at the back of his throat, and he could barely breathe.
âWhat right do you have to regret our marriage? Werenât you the one who cried and begged to marry me back then?â Shockingly, his deep voice was a little hoarse.
Meanwhile, Yvetteâs voice grew softer, so much so that Xavier could barely hear her anymore. He yelled, âYvette! Where are you now?â
Yvette didnât answer him.
All he heard were her last words, âThe truth is⦠I hope you can be happyâ¦â
Then, a thud sounded as Yvetteâs phone slipped from her hands.
The rainwater drenched it, and its screen gradually dimmed.
At Dewberry Manor, Xavier looked at the disconnected call
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on his phone, panicking.
He tried calling Yvette back but only heard the emotionless automated response. âSorry, your call cannot be connected at this time. Please try again later.â
He stood to grab his coat, wore it, and turned to head out. However, he froze at e door, thinking that Yvette was likely up to something.
They were about to be divorced. So, why would her affairs concern him?
Still, Yvetteâs words continued to echo in his mind. âIâIf I had known about what mâmy mother and brother had done, I -I wouldnât have chosen tâto marry youâ¦
âIâIf I had known that yâyou had always loved DâDaphne, I- I wouldnât have married you eitherâ¦
âIâIf I had known that my dad would get into a car accident on oâour wedding day, I wouldnât have mâmarried you!â
Xavier turned around. Before he knew it, he was outside Yvetteâs old room. It had been over a month since she had left this room. He opened the door and entered the dark
space.
The atmosphere inside felt oppressive and heavy.
Even after Xavier turned on the lights, Yvetteâs room seemed empty. She hadnât left behind any personal belongings.
Xavier sat down, opened the bedside tableâs drawer, and found a small notebook. Only one sentence was written in the notebook. âI believe those who choose to leave after the most miserable experiences do so because they have gone
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through countless internal struggles before ultimately deciding to leave.â
A scoff came from Xavier as he read the elegant handwriting. âMiserable? Am I not miserable for having to be with you all these years?â
He threw the notebooâ into the trash can. Yet, as he turned to leave, he found himse.. going back and neatly setting the book back on the bedside table. After that, he couldnât fall asleep again.
On the other hand, Claude didnât get much rest either. He felt like Yvette had been behaving strangely during the past two days, but he couldnât put a finger on it.
Like Xavier, he was awake around 4:00 am; he had received a call from Viola at that time. âClaude, could you help me check on Yvette? I just had a weird dream.â
Claude sat upright. âWhat dream?â
âI dreamt something happened to Yvette. She came to me all drenched from the rain, telling me not to forget to pick her up and drive her homeâ¦â Viola unknowingly teared up as she spoke.
âIâm worried that something happened to her. She didnât answer her phone when I called. A few days ago, she also told me to pick her up on the 15th. Something feels offâ¦â
Upon hearing that, Claude reflected on Yvetteâs recent behavior and got dressed immediately. âDonât worry. Iâll head to her now.â.
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Claude lived close to Yvette, so he reached her place in ten minutes. He opened the door but found the inside of her unit eerily empty.
The door to Yvetteâs bedroom wasnât even shut, and the inside was empty. She wasnât there.
Claude wondered wh
she could have gone at this hour.
There were two letters beside the pillow. Claude picked them up, opened them, and realized they were wills. One was for him.
It read, âIâve transferred the rental fees to your bank
account, Claude. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days.
âDid you know? I never made any friends after I came to
Tirion. Before we reunited, I thought I was a failure because I didnât have a single friend.
âLuckily, we crossed paths, and you made me realize Iâm not as bad as I thought. For that, I thank you so muchâ¦
âDonât be sad. Iâm merely going to be with my dad now. Heâll look after me.â
The other letter was for Viola. Claude opened it and saw the address where Viola was supposed to pick Yvette up. He
sprinted out the door at once.
The western suburbs werenât far from there. The journey would only take around 20 minutes by car. Even so, Claude felt the drive took longer than usual.
He couldnât understand why Yvette, whom he believed to be a
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talented, brilliant star, would choose to do something like this.
Yara was also on her way to the western suburbs at that moment. However, she was going there to take Yvette to the latterâs wedding in exchange for 300 million dollars.
It rained heavily at the cemetery in the western suburbs.
Yvette had fallen over in front of the tombstone while
raindrops fiercely struck her from above. Her long dress had long been drenched.
She was only skin and bones, and it seemed like she would vanish from this world at any moment.
Claude ran in the rain toward her. âYvette!â
One could only hear the wind and rain. Yvette didnât respond.
Before Claude could carry her, he noticed the empty bottle of pills beside her. He picked her up with trembling hands and was shocked at how light she was.
âWake up, Yvette! Donât you dare fall asleep!â He kept
talking to her while running down the hill.
âWeâre here, Madam Yara,â said the driver.
Yara looked out the,window and saw an unfamiliar man holding Yvette in his arms.
âYou sly little fox, Yvette!â she snarled with a frown. Brows
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That day, Yara had donned a formal brightâcolored dress for the celebration. Alas, the rain had soaked it.
Frustration crept onto Yaraâs creased face as she rushed to question Yvette. She was about to yell at the two when she noticed Yvette lying limply in Claudeâs arms.
Yvette had a ghastly
closed.
mplexion, and her eyes were tightly
âYvetteâ¦â Yara froze on the spot.
She was about to ask what had happened when her gaze settled on the bottle of pills that got blown over to her. She hastened to pick up the bottle, only to see the words sleeping pillsâ on its label.
That was when Yara recalled what Yvette had said a few days ago. The latter had said, âHow about I return my life to you? Would that mean I no longer owe you?â
Yaraâs umbrella dropped to the ground as she clutched the bottle of pills and stared at Yvette in disbelief. It was unclear whether her eyes had moistened from the rain or her tears.
âYou bitch! How dare you do this to me? I gave you life!â
Even her lips trembled.
Terrence sat in the car, watching Yara stand in the cemetery while it rained outside. He didnât know what was happening. When he finally ran over, he was shocked by the sight that greeted him.
He couldnât believe that Yvette had actually ended her life.
Panic shot through his veins when he snapped back to his
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senses. âMom, what do we do? Iâve already used Mr. Lorimerâs money to start a new company!â
Upon hearing that, Claude finally understood how the once- cheerful and strong Yvette had turned out like this.
Yara balled her fists. A dark, vicious glare appeared in her eyes. She focused on Yvette while shrieking, âWhy couldnât you have died after i rrying Mr. Lorimer? Why?â
Claude could no longer bear to listen to them. With red- rimmed eyes, he glowered at the two. âGet out of here! Donât make me repeat myself!â
Only then did Yara and Terrence notice Claude, whose distinguished presence could rival Xavierâs.
âWho are you?â Terrence demanded. âSheâs my sister! What gives you the right to tell us to get lost?â
He then turned to tell Yara, âMom, Mr. Lorimerâs men were just rushing me. They said weâre doomed if we donât take her there now.â
Yara gradually calmed down once she heard that. She
snapped, âTake Yvette into the car. She has to get married, even if sheâs dead!â
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