Chapter 3: Divorce Agreement, A Clean Break!

Adeline Scurr froze where she stood. Uriah Greaves had never spoken to her with such cold finality. The man in front of her felt like a stranger. "Uriah, how can you be so ungrateful?" Skye Lyson snapped, her voice sharp as broken glass. "Let me make this clear. If anything happens to your mom, don't you dare pin it on us. It has nothing to do with us. Not even a little!" "Mom, say less," Quinn Scurr pleaded. "Say less? Why should I?" Skye scoffed. "I'm telling the truth. Good thing you did a property registration before you got married. Otherwise, splitting assets during a divorce would be a nightmare!" Adeline let out a quiet sigh and faced Uriah. "As long as you're willing to sign this divorce agreement, you can ask for anything you want, except Cici. If it's within my power, I'll do it. I want us to end this properly. After that… maybe we can still be friends." "Adeline, what are you even saying?" Quinn's voice cracked as tears spilled over. "Did you forget it was my brother-in-law who gave you the startup money so you could open your first club? Did you forget he walked into that meeting alone when your company got targeted, and he almost got killed fixing your mess? Did you forget he-" "Quinn, enough." Adeline cut her off, eyes hardening. "That's all in the past." Her tone turned even more resolute. "Yes, Uriah helped me. But I repaid him long ago. And this… five hundred thousand dollars is more than enough to repay whatever I owed him back then." Quinn stared at her like she didn't recognize her sister. "How did you become this person? You forgot everything? Without him, would you have what you have today? Would our family have what we have today? How can you be this ungrateful?" "That's enough!" Adeline's voice rose, crisp and decisive. "Quinn, you're living in the past. We have to stand in the present and look to the future." She drew a steady breath, as if rehearsing words she'd already decided on. "Uriah and I were never right for each other from the start. When you take the wrong road, the GPS reroutes you. Life is the same. I need to start over." Her gaze softened as it drifted to Alvin Yale, tender and lingering. She believed her first love was the man fate had meant for her. She refused to spend her entire life drowning in what she saw as a mistake with Uriah. "If you really divorce him, you'll regret it," Quinn sobbed. "You haven't even faced your own heart!" "I won't regret it," Adeline said without hesitation. "And even if I do regret it someday… I'll live with it." Her voice stayed firm, but an inexplicable tightness clenched in her chest. When her eyes met Uriah's, she had the uneasy feeling that something was slipping away from her, drifting farther and farther out of reach. "Five hundred grand is way too much," Alvin muttered under his breath. "What a bargain for that guy." In his mind, once he and Adeline were together, everything belonging to the Scurr family would be his. That meant this money was coming out of his pocket. The thought made his stomach turn. *No. I'll find a way to get it back later.* Alvin had already started treating the Scurr family's assets like his personal property. "Mom… Dad…" Five-year-old Aurora Greaves couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears dropped one after another, pattering down her cheeks. "Please don't fight. Please don't get divorced. Cici is scared…" Skye's brow creased. "Quinn, take Cici to her room." She was terrified Adeline would soften at the last second. Skye had never been able to stand Uriah. Back when he was still useful, she'd tolerated him, half-closing her eyes to it. But the Scurr family had risen. Adeline's business was booming. Uriah had no value left. He should've been kicked out long ago. Quinn lifted Cici into her arms and walked to Uriah. "Brother-in-law… my sister got fooled. She just hasn't thought it through. Give her time. She'll realize she's wrong…" "Quinn…" Uriah's voice cut through, low and flat. "Your sister and I are finished. Completely." He picked up the divorce agreement. He didn't bother reading most of it. His eyes only swept over the section on Child Custody before he spoke again, each word weighted with steel. "I already said it. Divorce is fine. I can walk away with nothing. But I won't give up Cici's Child Custody." "Uriah, with your situation, you can't take care of her," Adeline said after a brief silence. "If you really want Cici to be happy, you should let her stay with me." She added, as if offering mercy, "Don't worry. I won't change her last name. You'll always be Cici's dad." Uriah looked at her for a long moment. "Adeline Scurr, do you really think everything you have is truly yours?" Her eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" He shook his head. "Fine. Add a clause to the Child Custody section. One year from today, whoever has more assets gets Cici. For this year, Cici can stay with the Scurr family. But I won't allow any irrelevant people to have contact with her." "Irrelevant people?" Alvin's face darkened instantly. "Who are you calling irrelevant?" "Fine." Adeline answered without missing a beat. "I agree. I'll have someone revise the agreement. Tomorrow we'll go to the Registry Office to file for divorce. After the one-month cooling-off period, we'll… go our separate ways." She accepted his terms far too easily. In her eyes, one year was nothing. Even if Uriah had a hundred years, he'd never surpass her wealth. She already possessed a vast business empire. She was no longer that helpless little girl who needed Uriah's shelter. "Adeline… Brother-in-law…" Quinn clutched Cici tighter, her shoulders trembling. Uriah's expression remained calm. "Quinn, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Cici. I'll visit her twice a week. One year from now, I'll take her away." Quinn swallowed hard. "Brother-in-law… is there really no chance between you and my sister?" "When every bit of affection you had gets tossed aside like trash, there's no point continuing," Uriah said. "A person can humiliate themselves once. They can't keep doing it forever." An ambulance siren wailed outside. Uriah carefully lifted his mother onto his back. He turned to Cici, who was still crying, and softened his voice. "Cici, be good. Daddy's taking Grandma to the hospital. Eat well and sleep well, and wait for Daddy to come get you, okay?" "Okay!" Cici nodded hard. "Cici promises Daddy!" Quinn handed over a check that had already been written, along with the revised divorce agreement. "This is five hundred thousand dollars. You can cash it at any bank." Uriah took the check and tore it into shreds. Then he signed the agreement, took his copy, and let out a cold laugh. "Adeline Scurr, I could raise you from nothing into Riverhold's top socialite CEO. I can also strip you back to nothing." "Uriah!" Adeline's face tightened with disappointment. "What are you doing, letting your pride talk at a time like this? Put away that pathetic self-respect. Take the five hundred thousand and you can still live with dignity. Times have changed. Your old ways don't work anymore." To her, Uriah's stubborn posturing only made him more contemptible. "Adeline Scurr, you don't understand anything," Uriah said, his voice turning colder. "Soon enough, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." With that, he didn't want to spend another second in that house. He strode out. A dream called love had ended. It was time to wake up. Back then, he'd fallen for Adeline at first sight. He'd believed she embodied everything beautiful in the world. For her, he'd given up everything. All to stand in the shadows and protect her. But all that remained in his chest was a deep disgust that made him sick to his stomach. Not a trace of love was left. Outside Scurr Villa, Uriah helped his mother into the ambulance. "Uriah," Adeline called, stepping forward. "Ride with me to the hospital. I already contacted Dr. Lee. A bed is ready. I won't let Mom-" "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have passed out," Uriah cut in. "Don't pretend you care. It only disgusts me more. Stay here and play happy couple with your first love who just came back." His gaze sharpened. "And I said it already. You're not allowed to call her Mom. Did you not hear me?" Adeline's expression turned icy. "Uriah, what happened to you? Even if we can't be husband and wife, we can still be friends. You're still Cici's dad. If you ever have difficulties, as long as it's within my ability, I'll help you." "No need." "Uriah, you've truly disappointed me." Adeline felt even more certain she'd chosen Alvin, her first love, instead of forcing herself to keep going with Uriah. "Adeline, you're just too kind," Alvin said, voice smug. "Some people aren't worth pity. Let them fend for themselves. Let's go back and eat. From here on out, what happens to that mother and son has nothing to do with us." "I can't," Adeline said, hesitating. "Uriah's mom treated me well. What happened today… I was at least a little wrong." She turned to Alvin. "Alvin, I'm sorry. I can't welcome you properly tonight. I'm going to the hospital." "Then I'll go with you." "Thank you, Alvin." Adeline looked genuinely moved. Uriah stayed impassive. His heart toward Adeline had already been sealed in concrete. Nothing she did could stir even a ripple. "Adeline Scurr," he said, voice heavy with warning, "remember what I said. Don't let Alvin have any contact with Cici. If you do, I'll take Cici immediately. If I decide to do something, you won't be able to stop me." Adeline frowned. "Uriah, I honestly don't understand why you're so hostile toward Alvin. Do you think I'm divorcing you because of him? This has nothing to do with him." Uriah waved it off. "That doesn't matter. Just remember what I said." "Stop acting tough," Alvin sneered. "Once you step out of this villa, you're nothing. Adeline, we don't need to waste time on him." Adeline nodded. As she moved to start the car and take Alvin to the hospital, a convertible Lamborghini came screaming down the road, its engine roaring with a hungry howl. It braked hard and stopped right in front of Uriah. The door swung open. A breathtaking beauty stepped out, dressed in a Chanel-inspired jacket and a curve-hugging skirt, black heels clicking against the pavement. She tossed her voluminous waves back and smiled like she owned the night. "Uriah," she said brightly. "Heading to the hospital? Want a ride?" "Amara Lyson!" Uriah's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"