Chapter 79: The Waiting Game

Both marriage certificates were stored at the Hudson family home, and knowing her soon-to-be ex-husband's methods, Ellis was sure he had checked what was needed for the divorce and wouldn't have forgotten to bring the certificates. Confidently, she waited for him to confirm he had them.

However, to her surprise, under her watchful gaze, Easton said in a slow voice, "I didn't bring them."

"What?" Ellis's voice rose slightly. "Are you kidding me? The marriage certificates are at your place! Don't tell me you know we needed them for the divorce!"

Of course, Easton knew the certificates were necessary, but he hadn't anticipated completing the divorce proceedings without Ellis capitulating at some point. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her. "First time getting divorced, is it so wrong not to know everything?"

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have had someone bring them over!" Ellis wished she could teleport to the Hudson family home and grab the certificates herself.

Seeing the urgency in her expression, Easton felt a twinge of discomfort and irritation. With people waiting behind them, the clerk handed back their paperwork and said, "We can't proceed without the marriage certificate. Please bring it next time."

Calculating the travel time from the Hudson family home, Ellis glared at Easton. "Call someone to bring it now!"

"What's the rush?" Easton took out his phone leisurely.

"You might not be in a hurry, but I am." The thought of further waiting irritated Ellis. She hated waiting for people, especially now that she had to wait for her ex to have someone deliver the certificates. Seeing him leisurely scrolling through his contacts, she impatiently snatched the phone from his hands.

Finding the butler's number, she immediately said upon connecting, "Sir, go to Easton's room, in the top drawer of the bedside table, and bring both marriage certificates to the nearby Civil Affairs Department."

The number was Easton's, but the voice was Ellis's, which made the butler pause before saying, "Yes, Mrs. Hudson."

After the call, Ellis handed the phone back to Easton. As their hands inadvertently touched while exchanging the phone, she quickly withdrew hers, leaving a fleeting warmth in his palm. Easton, without thinking, grabbed her hand that she hadn't pulled back fast enough.

Her first instinct was to pull away forcefully, as if shaking off something filthy. With her hand suddenly free and feeling oddly empty, Easton frowned deeply, watching her take a few steps away, and pressed his lips together tightly. "Ellis, you—"

Before the butler arrived with the marriage certificates, Ellis preferred not to engage with Easton to avoid any quarrels that might impede their divorce that day. Honestly, winning an argument with him felt good, but not if it meant not getting divorced!

She sat down on a chair in the waiting area, keeping a safe distance from him. Intending to browse the internet aimlessly, Easton seemed oblivious to her desire for distance. Despite many chairs being available, he chose to sit right next to her. Their proximity was less than a foot; a simple movement from him could touch her.

She immediately moved to another chair. Instantly, they were like any other couple there to get divorced, both wearing unhappy expressions, an invisible barrier between them forbidding any contact. Everything in front of Easton told him that Ellis was repelled by him. She didn't like his touch, nor did she like him being close. Realizing this, he decided to test his assumption and sat next to her again.

As soon as Easton moved closer, Ellis snapped. "With all these chairs, why sit right next to me?"

It wasn't a misconception; the clarity of her aversion made Easton's expression darken intensely. "You dare to be disgusted by me?"

Ellis fell silent. What is he saying? Is that even rational! He always found fault with me, so why couldn't I find fault with him? Almost laughing at the absurdity, she retorted sarcastically, "Do you really need to ask whether I'm disgusted by you?"

With that, Ellis looked down at her phone. Don't ask. Ellis was supremely disgusted by him and didn't want to give him the time of day. She realized, perhaps a bit empathetically, why he had been so cold to her before. It really was annoying to have someone you didn't love constantly around.

Easton knew her feelings well, but hearing it from Ellis directly made him more agitated. Scanning the surroundings and seeing her genuinely engaged with her phone and treating him like he was invisible, he grew even more irritable and reached out without thinking.

Her phone disappeared from her view mid-scroll, causing her to pause. Fixing her gaze, she saw Easton had taken it. Annoyed, she demanded, "What are you doing with my phone!"