Chapter: 13

However, when he caught the resolute look on the woman standing at the bottom of the stairs, Alan was struck speechless.

The vibrant red dress transformed Kaitlin. Normally, she was docile and eager to please, reminiscent of a vine clinging for support.

Now, however, she embodied the essence of a proud, thorny rose-fiery and full of life, strikingly reminiscent of the woman in his memories.

He almost uttered that name but caught himself just in time.

No, this was not Ashley...

Struggling to regain his composure, Alan adopted a frosty tone.

“Kaitlin, cut out the nonsense! What grounds do you even have to speak of divorce?"

Kaitlin's face remained stoic. "Alan, marriage and divorce are both within my legal rights. Is that an issue for you?"

Her voice sharpened as she continued, “Moreover, don't you despise me? Surely, divorcing me should be precisely what you desire."

Alan's complexion darkened, and the veins on his hands swelled with fury.

He hated to admit it, but the mere mention of divorce irritated him immensely.

He couldn't stand her, so why the resistance to divorce?

Kaitlin's following words struck a nerve.

“Or are you suggesting that the thought of divorcing me is unbearable? It's absurd. You mourn your late fiancée while entangling yourself with her sister, and yet you cling to me, the wife you claim to loathe..."

“Shut up! How dare you speak to me that way!" Alan exploded, his eyes blazing with fury.

He surged to his feet in a rage, seized her wrist, and slammed her against the couch. “You think you deserve my love?"

“Why don't you just divorce me then?"

Kaitlin's wrist ached sharply, yet her gaze remained icy, stripped of any former warmth. “The courthouse isn't far from your office. It shouldn't take much of your time."

Alan's expression darkened, his stare piercing as if trying to scorch her with his gaze alone.

Kaitlin met his look unflinchingly, the air in the dining room heavy with tension.

Unseen by either, a maid witnessed the altercation and slipped outside to whisper into her phone.

The room was swallowed by a tense silence until Alan's laughter broke through, bitter and mocking. “You think ending a marriage is that simple? What about splitting our assets? What about your alimony?"

“I don't want anything. I'm willing to walk away empty-handed, and you won't have to provide for me," Kaitlin declared, her face emotionless.

Alan's hold on her wrist faltered ever so slightly.