Chapter 3

Kimberly took to addressing Lucas as Mr. Gardner while calling me by name. Though she claimed it was to appear closer to me, I knew it was because she didn't think I was worthy of being Mrs. Gardner.

It was bad enough that she thought that. I never expected Lucas to think that way either.

A wave of bitter amusement welled in me. I was the esteemed heiress of the Quinton family—since when did I need the title of Mrs. Gardner to bully others?

Once again, I lamented my past self for losing sight of who I was in the process of loving Lucas. At the same time, the last bit of attachment I had toward our marriage thoroughly disintegrated.

"Lucas Gardner, you'd better hurry up and sign the divorce agreement. Don't make me take this matter to court."

With those cold words, I picked up my suitcase and left without another backward glance.

…

My parents were watching a travel documentary about the aurora and discussing it excitedly when I entered the house. Upon seeing me, they hurriedly switched off the TV.

Traveling around the world had been a long-held wish of theirs. Unfortunately, as their only child, I had been too much of a fool for love that I had devoted myself entirely to Lucas and refused to take over the company so they could retire.

I stepped forward to pluck the remote from the table and turn the TV back on. Following that, I fished out my phone and booked two flight tickets to Fintaria.

Instead of the surprised delight that I had expected from them, they looked at me with faces full of worry.

Knowing that I couldn't keep the truth from them, I decided to be honest. "I'm… divorcing him."

Immediately, the vast living room plunged into silence.

After a long moment, Dad and Mom came over to take my hands gently in theirs.

"No matter what you decide, we'll always support you as long as you're happy."

"Your mom and I will always have your back."

My eyes reddened before all the accumulated grief and suffering spilled forth in the form of tears.

Back when I first told them that I wanted to marry Lucas, my parents had actually been against it. However, they couldn't bear my desperate begging and had finally caved.

Grabbing Dad's hand, I pulled Mom's over as well so our three hands were stacked on top of each other. Then, I forced my lips to curl into a smile. "Don't worry. I'm okay."

However, they still couldn't stop worrying about me, so they insisted that I change the flight tickets from the day after tomorrow to next week, citing that they wanted to spend a few more days with me.

At their suggestion, I made an appointment with a studio for a family photo.

This was actually one of the most highly anticipated activities that our family did every year. After marrying Lucas, I had invited him to join us for a family photo countless times, only for him to always refuse by saying that he was busy with work.

The next morning, my parents and I arrived at the studio early. To my surprise, there was a familiar figure already there—Lucas.

Beside him was Kimberly, who leaned her head against his shoulder while her eyes gleamed brightly. "Luke, thanks for canceling such an important meeting to come take photos with me."

Lucas smiled and tweaked her nose playfully. "Silly, you're the closest person to me. Who else am I supposed to spoil if not you?"

A wave of bitterness surged through me. As it turned out, it wasn't that he wasn't free. I had simply been undeserving of his time.

"Lina, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I thought I saw someone familiar, but I was mistaken." I shifted so that I would block Mom's sight of Lucas before tugging her into the studio.

During the photoshoot, I hooked my arms through my parents while smiling like a carefree child. There was a loud click as the photographer pressed the shutter, sealing this heartwarming scene forever in time.

In that moment, it was as though I had been reborn and rediscovered the most important things in life to me.

"Ouch!"

Mom had only just left for the restroom when Dad suddenly clutched his abdomen, his face twisting into a pained grimace.

"What's wrong? Is your gastric flaring up again?"

I helped him to the room next door, then called our family doctor and an ambulance.

"I was wondering why you were finally divorcing Luke. Turns out, you've found yourself a new sugar daddy."

While we were waiting for the ambulance, Kimberly suddenly appeared in the doorway.