CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: SIGNED THE DIVORCE AGREEMENT!

Ian Kane suddenly turned around and took a few steps forward, "Mom, Vera won’t go through with IVF, and I won’t let her suffer that torture either!"

He spoke with determination.

Vera could also see the patch of blood on the back of his white shirt, making it even harder for her to breathe.

A deep sense of guilt and his persistence weighed heavily on her heart.

Jean Crowe continuously pounded her fists on the altar table, causing the teacups to rattle incessantly. She screamed hysterically, "Ian Kane, you better not recognize me as your mother! I’ll become a nun at the temple tomorrow!"

Vera’s eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth, then said with all her strength, "I’m getting a divorce!"

As soon as she uttered those words, the entire Buddhist temple fell silent.

Ian Kane’s eyelids twitched, and his thumb instinctively rubbed his wedding ring.

Jean Crowe fixated her phoenix eyes directly at Vera.

Uttering those three words, Vera instantly felt much lighter.

At this moment, the man a few steps away slowly turned around, his deep black eyes watching her, the corners of his eyes tinged with red. He mumbled softly, "Honey, what silly words are you saying?"

Vera didn’t dare to meet his passionate gaze, she averted her eyes, "I’m serious, this is something between the two of us, we’ll talk at home."

With that, she turned and walked toward the door.

Jean Crowe sneered, "In the end, she still won’t suffer for our sake!"

"Ian Kane, look at this woman you’ve loved for seven years!"

At the sound of this, Vera hardened her heart and quickened her pace.

"Mom, please say no more!" Ian Kane left these words behind and chased after Vera’s silhouette out the door.

Elias Crowe, who had been waiting outside, never expected that Vera would actually want a divorce.

This seemed to be beyond President Kane’s control!

Vera got into her car, and as soon as she sat down, she leaned back into the seat, exhausted, and closed her eyes.

After a while, Ian Kane got into the car, bringing with him a strong scent of tobacco.

She opened her eyes.

The man leaned over, helping her with her seatbelt.

After that car accident, they both developed the habit of fastening their seat belts even in the back seat.

Once fastened, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes to rest, and instructed the driver, "Go home."

Vera couldn’t figure out his emotions and asked with concern, "Your back injury, let’s go to the hospital first?"

Ian Kane, "No need."

He seemed angry.

The faint scent of blood lingered in the air; Vera picked up her phone, called his family doctor, informed him of the situation, and asked him to wait for them at home.

Ian Kane’s lips turned paler, Vera handed him a thermos, but he didn’t take it.

They returned home in silence, and the doctor was already waiting.

With an overcoat draped over his shoulder, Ian Kane led the way upstairs. Old Doctor Young adjusted his glasses and said to Vera, "President Kane is not in a good mood, probably due to the rumors?"

Vera nodded, not saying anything.

The rumors about Ian Kane’s infidelity had not yet been suppressed, and she suspected that the main house was stirring things up.

An hour later, Old Dr. Young came downstairs with two nurses and said to Vera, "The injury is on the left scapula, five stitches, a tetanus shot, avoid water, and avoid spicy and all irritating food."

Vera carefully took notes and saw them out.

...

The bedroom was filled with a strong tobacco scent.

Vera entered with a tray, looked around, and found Ian Kane.

He sat in a blue robe on the blue sofa in front of the tall arched floor-to-ceiling window, surrounded by smoke.

The swirling smoke blurred his features, as if he were enveloped in a layer of melancholy.

Vera took a deep breath, walked over, and set down the tray, "Have something to eat."

Ian Kane lifted his eyelids, "Not hungry."

He put out the cigarette.

Vera sat on the nearby sofa, calmly said, "Ian Kane, I’m serious about the divorce. I’ve been undergoing therapy for some time now, it’s not helping, it only got worse—anxiety, insomnia, immense stress, and paranoia."

"Honestly, I shouldn’t have married you." As she spoke, her voice choked, her throat dry and aching.

His efforts and tolerance, all his goodness, were still fresh in her mind.

Ian Kane looked at her, his face expressionless, his tone indifferent, "Did I ask you to get therapy?"

Vera shook her head.

Ian Kane’s jaw tightened, "Was it my mom? Vera, I’ve always stood by you in front of my mom; she’s not what’s between us."

Vera looked at him, "It’s not her, it’s the pressure I put on myself."

"Ian Kane, I’m really exhausted, I don’t want to continue like this." She could feel herself slowly withering away.

She looked at him with teary eyes, reluctant but determined, "Let’s get a divorce."

The atmosphere was tense.

Ian Kane watched her with an almost pleading, coquettish gaze, his Adam’s apple moved, his voice hoarse, "Being with me is exhausting..."

Vera caught a glimpse of the vulnerability in his eyes, her heart ached as she sincerely said, "You’ve done well, it’s my problem."

"I’m sorry, I backed down."

When he was relentlessly pursuing her, she understood that a marriage without intimacy wouldn’t be happy, but eventually, she was moved by his deep affection and went ahead regardless.

Now, she wavered again.

Ian Kane got up, knelt on one knee in front of her, raised his chin, his black eyes fixed on her, "Did I not give you enough security before? I promise, I won’t have any close contact with any other women anymore, okay?"

Vera lightly shook her head.

The tiny hints and discomfort still troubled her, but she rationally understood that she wronged him.

"Ian Kane, let me emphasize again, it’s my issue, my psychological barriers, overthinking, causing myself distress," Vera said again.

She suddenly remembered Nina Sullivan’s mocking words from that morning.

She felt too insecure because of her frigidity...

Ian Kane smiled bitterly, his voice hoarse, "If you divorce me, what about me?"

Vera was taken aback.

In an instant, she understood his meaning and barely held it together.

But he would eventually get over it.

Resolute, she looked at him pleadingly, "Ian Kane, I just want to feel better now, I’m on the verge of depression, I’m starting to lose hair... Please, just for me, okay?"

If he truly loved her, he would understand her, he would let go.

Ian Kane blinked, looking flustered, "I don’t want kids, I’ll get a vasectomy, is that okay?"

"Honey, please don’t leave me..."

Vera turned her head to avoid his pleading gaze, shaking her head, tears streaming down, "Ian Kane, the more you do this, the more pressure I feel."

Ian Kane gazed at her, the whites of his eyes visibly bloodshot, as his thumb caressed her faint dark circles, "Will a divorce truly make you happy and joyful?"

Vera remembered the time before marriage, when there was no pressure of childbirth, no worries about infidelity, no mother-in-law conflicts, living freely and unrestrained...

She nodded firmly.

Ian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, "Alright...!"

Vera was momentarily stunned, a bit surprised, only to see him already standing up, striding out of the bedroom.

Did he just agree with her?

Vera’s throat felt choked, her heart full of reluctance and emotion.

He still loved her, understanding her pain.

Soon, Maeve, with a worried look, found her, "Vera, I just saw him go to the utility room and take out an axe!"

Vera’s heart tightened, "Where did he go?"

Maeve, "The study, it’s rumbling in there, he won’t do anything stupid, right?"

Vera had already informed Maeve about the divorce during dinner earlier.

Hearing Maeve’s words, Vera, limping, rushed to the stairs, heading to the study.

The door was locked from the inside, and sounds of pounding and smashing kept coming from within.

Vera panicked, continuously knocking on the door and shouting for him to open it, but the man inside ignored her, the violent sounds making her heart pound with fear.

Maeve was at a loss, "Vera, he won’t do something stupid, will he? He cares about you so much, if you divorce him, he’d go crazy?"

Vera tried hard to stay calm, "Maeve, there’s a spare key, quickly go find it!"

Maeve, "Right, right, there’s a key, I’ll go get it!"

Not long after Maeve left, Vera raised her hand to knock again, and the door suddenly opened from the inside, a scent of wood shavings mixed with the metallic smell of blood hit her nose.

Through the gap, the room was dark with no lights on.

The next moment, Ian opened the door.

The man’s hair was disheveled, strands sticking to sweat, his lips pale, chest heaving, panting heavily.

"Ian, you were inside—" Before she could finish, the man handed her a small red book.

"The marriage certificate, for the divorce." His tone was indifferent.

Vera was taken aback.

She suddenly remembered, their marriage certificate was locked in the study desk drawer, and the key was flushed down the toilet by him.

He had been smashing the drawer.

Vera took the marriage certificate, opened it, and saw a photo clipped inside.

It was a scene from the famous ballet "Swan Lake".

On the stage, the pure and graceful White Swan princess Odette was performing delicate classical moves, "arabesque" and "port de bras", fragile yet elegant.

The performer was her 19-year-old self.

Due to camera exposure issues, the audience below was shrouded in blackness, only a striking profile of a handsome man could be seen.

His eyes were focused unwaveringly on the "White Swan" on stage, filled with affection.

That was Ian at 22.

This was the scene of his love at first sight for her.

He had always locked it in the drawer along with their marriage certificate.

In an instant, Vera’s throat was choked up.

Ian suddenly snatched the photo from her hand, "This is mine."

"Tomorrow at 9:30 in the morning, we’ll go to the district civil bureau for the procedures."

"This villa is yours, I’ll move out."

He left these words and walked away briskly.

Vera turned to watch his desolate back, gradually clenched her hands, bowed her head, opened the marriage certificate, looking at it, tears fell incessantly.

After a while, a familiar car engine sound came from downstairs.

Ian was gone.

...

That night, Vera stayed awake until dawn.

Just after breakfast, Ian’s driver came to pick her up.

In the car, she saw Ian.

The man was dressed in a suit with a black shirt inside, paired with a black tie, wearing sunglasses, and remained silent.

She asked with concern, "Is your injury any better?"

Ian nodded, "It’s nothing."

Elias in the front seat said, "Madam, President Kane had a high fever all night, refused to go to the hospital, just took fever-reducing medicine, and toughed it out."

Vera looked at him, eyes full of pain.

Ian’s tone was indifferent, "I’m fine."

Elias added, "President Kane, your scandal hasn’t been suppressed yet, going for a divorce at this time, someone from Chairman Kane’s side will definitely be watching, it gives them the chance to confirm the infidelity!"

Vera frowned.

Unable to suppress the scandal, it was surely Old Master Kane’s side pushing it.

The stock had plunged just after the market opened, she noticed.

Ian, as the group president, would surely be impeached by the board and face shareholder dissatisfaction.

"Madam, why not delay for a few days?" Elias asked cautiously.

Vera looked at Ian, "How about we delay for a few days?"

Ian’s lips curled slightly, "Even if we delay, you’d still divorce me, wouldn’t you?"

Vera remained silent.

Ian, "Let’s do it today, so you can relieve yourself a few days earlier."

Vera’s eyes heated up.

Ian instructed Elias again, "Keep it tight."

Elias hesitated for a moment, "Yes!"

...

They took the green channel, and at the window, Ian’s lawyer handed over three copies of the "Divorce Agreement" to the staff. Only then did Vera notice that Ian had given her half of his assets and real estate.

She looked at him.

The man said nothing, just held the pen she had given him before, signing his name with flourish.

Vera hesitated, then signed as well.

The divorce cooling-off period required thirty days.

Only after thirty days could they get the divorce certificate.

...

Vera hadn’t even returned home when she received a news alert: [Kane Group’s President Ian Kane and his wife Vera were spotted at the civil bureau applying for divorce, confirming the infidelity rumors!]