Chapter 453

“Yes,” Debra said, seeing no reason to hide it from Juan any longer. She took a deep breath and said calmly, “I hope we can proceed with the divorce as soon as possible.”

Juan felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, so intense he could hardly breathe. “Does it have to be this way?”

Debra paused, her back to him. Slowly, she revealed the harsh truth. “Juan, I don’t love you anymore.”

Those simple words felt like a dagger twisting in his heart. He instinctively clutched his chest, the pain almost unbearable. As the head of the Nichols family, he had weathered many storms and losses, but he had nearly forgotten the raw, aching sensation of heartbreak. Until now.

Debra left, her expression serene. Before uttering those words, she recalled their first meeting, how he had held her hand, guiding her forward. She had truly loved him, but that love belonged to a different lifetime. Given a second chance, she refused to repeat her mistakes. Her love for him had dissipated, lost in the regrets of her past life. The girl who once looked at him with affection was no more.

“Sir, what’s wrong?” Joe approached, finding Juan rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the empty corridor.

“Sir?”

“Do you think that once something is lost, it’s lost forever?”

Juan’s mind was flooded with unwanted images: Marion kissing Debra’s neck, the two of them entwined in passion—images conjured by the mark he had seen on Debra’s neck. Each mental snapshot sent a fresh wave of pain coursing through him.

“Sir…”

“Go get the car,” Juan said. “I’ll be fine.”

His position as the head of the Nichols family demanded perfection and cold detachment. In the past, only Debra could stir his emotions. But from this day forward, he vowed to remain unmoved.

“Yes, sir.”

In the wake of the abrupt cancellation, the program entered a period of adjustment, and the recording schedule was postponed.

Debra led Freya to the empty conference room. Freya spoke first, her voice tinged with anxiety.

“You said that if I let you go, you’d make sure I’d be okay.”

“That’s right. I will keep my promise.”

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“I need you to expose Cathryn.”

“What?” Freya recoiled, her brow furrowing. “Her family is powerful, as you said. If I do this, I’ll be as good as dead.”

A slight smile played on Debra’s lips. “I know the risks, but only I can cover the breach of contract fees for you. Cathryn won’t lift a finger to help you.”

Freya eyed her skeptically. “You? Do you have that kind of money?”

Debra’s smile didn’t waver. “Believe it or not, you have no other options now. You have to trust me.”

Freya fell silent for a moment, weighing her choices.

“I have one more condition.”

“Name it.”

“I want to debut.”