Chapter 146

Just as I was about to call security, Hayden turned and stepped into the light. His chiseled features and cold, indifferent eyes were instantly recognizable. The alarm bells in my head ceased. My fear subsided, replaced by burning rage. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists and demanded, “Why are you in my room? Didn’t Richard say you weren’t coming?” The thought crossed my mind: Could Richard be lying to me now?

“We’re married. Shouldn’t I be here?” Hayden retorted, his eyebrow arched, his words righteous and indignant. His words left me speechless. I assumed the staff hadn't dared disobey him and had given him the key. I bit my lip, my gaze unfriendly.

We stood facing each other, a brief silence stretching the short distance between us. Seeing him filled me with fresh anger. “Mr. Parker, you must have the wrong room. Doesn't Joanna stay on the fifth floor?” I said, attempting to break the silence. Knowing Joanna had slept with Zachary, and the media was rife with headlines about them, I deliberately brought it up to provoke him.

His face darkened slightly. “You brought Yosef with you. Are you worried he’ll stop you from selling Jackson Group?”

I hadn’t expected him to sidestep my point. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him coldly. “What if I am?”

“Why did Marlon help you?” Hayden pressed, his voice tinged with indifference.

“Why couldn’t he help me? Money talks,” I retorted, my neck stiff. Marlon’s acquisition of Jackson Group was funded entirely by himself; if the sale fell through, his investment would be lost. He would naturally do his best to help me, even if only for his own sake. As for other reasons, I hadn’t considered them.

Hayden clearly didn't believe me. In an instant, he was beside me, looking down condescendingly. “Yvonne, what are you planning?”

I smiled lightly. “You think too much. I just want to work hard and earn money. Then I won’t end up on the streets when we get divorced.” I used to believe love was paramount, something I would sacrifice anything for. Now, I knew money was the most important thing. Without it, I couldn't survive.

Chapter 147

“I said, we are not divorcing.”

I looked up. His features sharpened in the dim light. Hayden stood before me, yet he felt… different. His words were absurd.

“Grandpa has already agreed. There are no more obstacles between us,” I reminded him.

His gaze intensified.

“Yvonne, I told you, no divorce,” he repeated, word for word.

“Why?” I was baffled. “Didn’t you promise to divorce before?”

“Before was before, now is now.” He blatantly reneged.

I didn't understand. After much thought, a possibility occurred to me. “Could it be because Joanna is with Zachary, and you want to take revenge on her?” Even so, it was their game, and I didn't want to be involved.

“It’s not entirely unrelated to her,” Hayden’s deep voice resonated.

I was close to tears. “Hayden, I beg you. Please let me go, okay?” Desperation clawed at me. I’d endured for almost three months, only to be told we weren’t divorcing. I felt like a pawn in his game.

He remained silent, leaving me on the verge of collapse. “Will it make you happy when you torture me to death?” I cried angrily. I used to wonder if others' desperation was worth it. Now, experiencing it myself, I knew it certainly was. I never expected the man I’d been willing to die for would become the one I desperately wanted to escape.

Hayden’s eyes narrowed slightly, his cold tone revealing a hint of chilling calm. “Even if you die, your ashes belong to me.” His overbearing dominance was suffocating.

I was stunned. “I never knew you hated me so much,” I murmured. It turns out that not only do I loathe him, but he also despises me… Good, we are a perfect match then! I sneered, meeting his dark eyes. “Do you really want me dead?”

“Yvonne, don’t forget that you provoked me in the first place!” Hayden exploded, his temples throbbing. My heart grew colder.

Chapter 146 (Continued)

“How have you hurt me all these years?” I asked calmly, enunciating each word. I wanted to leave quietly. No one was entirely blameless in this relationship. Since we couldn’t be together, I just wanted to end it. But he suddenly refused to let me go. Fate, it seemed, was cruelly mocking me. Once, I'd wished he'd hold onto me. Now that he did, it was fueled by hate.

Hayden was stunned by my question. A smile stretched my lips. “Hayden, you never loved me but promised to marry me. That’s one mistake. You ignored me for a year after we got married. That’s another. After our marriage, you returned to the country with your mistress and humiliated me. You refuse to divorce me and insist on dragging this on…”

I recounted his transgressions, one more shocking than the last. Hayden froze, his face paling.

He stammered, “I didn’t know it hurt you so much…”

His words struck a nerve, and I burst into laughter. “Hayden, you’re so funny! It was you who extinguished my love for you! Are you satisfied?” I demanded, feeling the years of love and obsession crumble into nothingness. I’d poured everything into this relationship, yet he’d never cared. I felt utterly pathetic. My eyes burned, my vision blurring.

“I…” Hayden began, unable to continue.

Heartbroken, I couldn’t bear to look at his face. I turned my back abruptly and yelled, “Get out! I don’t want to see you!”

Silence descended. I didn’t know when it had started, but every encounter ended in an argument. Each parting was bitter. Time ticked by. After what felt like an eternity, footsteps sounded again.