Chapter 26
Carissa looked at her husband with a cold smile on her stunning face. “General Yates really has my best interests at heart, hmm? She’s even helping me so that I can keep half of my dowry.”
“No, this isn’t from Aurora. She didn’t write this,” Barrett argued. However, the signature at the end of the letter weakened his denial.
Carissa raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Then tell me, will you return my dowry in full if you divorce me today so I can take it with me?”
Before reading the letter, Barrett would have agreed immediately, even against his parents’ wishes. But Aurora had asked him to keep half the dowry. If he didn’t follow her instructions, she would be very disappointed.
Carissa laughed softly. “You’re hesitating. Looks like you’re not as honorable as you claim!”
Her voice was gentle, but each word cut deeply. Though her smile looked warm on the surface, it carried a chill like the winter frost.
Filled with shame and anger, Barrett couldn’t say a word and simply watched helplessly as his wife walked past him with a mocking smile.
When Theodore saw Carissa, he immediately asked, “Cari, has the Warren family mistreated you? Don’t be afraid to tell me! Your great-granduncle is here to stand up for you.”
Tears welled in Carissa’s eyes as she knelt before him. “Granduncle Theodore, I’m sorry you had to come here because of my failings. I’ve troubled you.”
“Stand up!”
Theodore was suddenly reminded of the tragic past that had befallen Hector’s family. He felt a pang in his heart and almost shed tears.
“Come, child. We’ll stand tall and speak our truth. Even if you’re all that’s left of your family, you will not be looked down upon.”
Rebecca sneered. “What’s that supposed to mean, Lord Sinclair? Aurora was supposed to enter as a rightful wife who was equal to Carissa, not to overshadow her. Are you suggesting we bullied her? Have we mistreated her?”
She turned to her daughter-in-law, looking heartbroken. “Carissa, since you married into our family, has anyone here insulted or hit you? Have I, as your mother-in-law, ever made you stand on ceremony?”
Carissa slowly shook her head. “No.”
Rebecca’s grief turned to anger. “If that’s the case, why have you turned against me? Is it because you’re jealous of Aurora? That marriage was decreed by the king. Your jealousy and disobedience have left us with no choice but for Barrett to divorce you. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Theodore intervened, “Hold on. You claim she’s disobedient, but everyone in the capital knows how she’s cared for you since she married into the family. She practically lived in your room, tending to your every need. She prepared your meals, as well as managed your medicine and treatments. How can you call that disobedience?”
Rebecca scoffed. “Yes, I once thought she was respectful and considerate, too. But as soon as the king’s marriage edict came, she stopped my medication. She refused to greet me and even went to the palace to ask the king to rescind the marriage edict. Whether she’s respectful is debatable. But let me ask you, Lord Sinclair, isn’t she guilty of jealousy?”
Theodore was momentarily speechless. Jealousy was indeed one of the grounds for divorce listed in the criteria of their kingdom’s marriage law, but it was common for women to be jealous. As long as it didn’t cause major issues, who would divorce a wife just because she was jealous? However, common sense couldn’t override the law, which did allow for divorce on those grounds.
Unwilling to argue further, Carissa looked at Rebecca and said, “I agree to the divorce! But let me ask, what about my dowry?”
Clearing her throat, Rebecca replied, “We’re not after your dowry. But since you’re being divorced, the law says the dowry must be withheld entirely. Out of consideration for your services over the past year, we’ll keep seventy percent and let you take the rest.”
“That is outrageous!” Theodore roared. “You call that not wanting her dowry? You’re exploiting the fact that she’s from a declining family. Jealousy is just a woman’s natural reaction! It’s hardly a crime. Even though it’s grounds for divorce under the law, it can be handled with discretion. It’s clear you want that woman to be your son’s legal wife, but still want to get your hands on Carissa’s dowry. Have you no shame? What will people think of the Warren family if word of this gets out?”
Solomon turned to Barrett and said, “General Warren, I respect your service to the country. Tell us honestly. Must you really divorce her? And if you must, do you truly intend to withhold seventy percent of her dowry?”