Evelyn had gone to West Lake to look for an apartment, yet Jason twisted it into something involving Adrian. His inner darkness was suffocating! But they had reached the point of divorce, and arguing further seemed pointless.

“Let’s handle the paperwork tomorrow morning.” Her eyes were filled with resolve and sorrow. “It’s been three years; I can’t delay you and Cecilia any longer.”

Jason’s face darkened as he gripped her wrist tightly, his voice rising in anger. “Just seeing Adrian has you all restless?”

Only then did Evelyn realize Adrian had come to Riverton today.

“Say whatever you want.” She felt utterly disillusioned with the man before her, losing all desire to explain herself.

“He gives you a few sweet words, and you can’t tell up from down anymore.” Jason’s arm trembled slightly, his gaze darkening with rage.

“Three years ago, he betrayed you, and you’re still hung up on him three years later! Evelyn, have you lost your mind?!”

A deep ache radiated from her wrist, but she bit her lip and remained silent. Little did she know, Jason mistook her silence for guilt. He lifted her chin forcefully, “You haven’t returned to Lycheeville in three years. I thought you were content being Mrs. Stark, but now that Adrian’s in Riverton, you’re all shaken up.”

The room was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a flickering glow. They locked eyes in that uncertain light.

She reached out to grasp Jason’s hand, but he tightened his grip instead. Suddenly, Jason’s arm swung, slamming her against the desk. A glass ornament shattered on the floor, the sound of breaking glass reverberating through the study.

Evelyn’s back hit the desk painfully, and as she tried to rise, she found herself too weak. “If I’m as pathetic as you say, then it’s pointless to continue. Let’s just get divorced.”

Since Jason suspected she was in cahoots with Adrian, she might as well take the blame and expedite the divorce.

Jason’s body was tense, his gaze sharp and fierce. She felt the air around them grow oppressive, and a few drops of warm blood fell from Jason’s palm onto her chin, the warmth contrasting sharply with the chill of fear.

The glass ornament had cut him.

“Evelyn,” Jason said, his voice heavy with emotion, “I’m a businessman driven by profit. I won’t accept losing both money and you. If you have a child, I’ll sign the divorce papers immediately.”

“Is there any point in bringing a child into a divorce?” Evelyn's voice cracked under the weight of despair. “A child raised in a single-parent family will inevitably have some issues. I don’t want my child to grow up like that. Jason, wake up! I can’t have children.”

“If you can’t be the mother, someone else will. As long as you give birth, our past grievances will be settled.”

Jason’s bloodied hand hovered over the first button of her blouse. One, two. The third button reached her chest.

Evelyn raised her hands, gripping Jason’s reckless fingers tightly. “All the people in Riverton know that Cecilia is more suited to be Mrs. Stark than I am.”

“Evelyn, you must fulfill your duties as a wife.” Jason’s eyes held a coldness that offered no warmth.

With that, a sharp sound cut through the air—

Her shirt was torn open! The flesh-colored bra was yanked askew.

Defeated, she let her arms drop and closed her eyes, giving up the fight. At that moment, she could clearly feel Jason's desire pressing against her.

A man consumed by lust had no rationality. The more she resisted, the harsher the consequences would be. Refusing him now was not a wise choice.

Jason’s lips pressed against her cheek, trailing downwards. The familiar scent of him enveloped her senses, flooding her mind with memories from the last three years. The intermittent cold wars, the endless arguments, and the few tender moments they shared all surged to the forefront.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Jason’s torment brought forth both anger and hatred, forcing her into the most humiliating position, pinning her hands down as he asked, his eyes bloodshot, “You’ve slept with me for three years, and you still think of Adrian?”

“Once the Stark Group’s investment in Lycheeville breaks even, you can go wherever you want. Right now, you can’t.”

“Did Adrian mention he’s about to get engaged to another woman while he was flirting with you in Riverton? I’ll enjoy watching him try to balance it all!”

No matter how Jason used his body and words to humiliate her, she gritted her teeth and remained silent.

It was her body that couldn’t withstand the pressure first. The encounter, devoid of any foreplay, combined with Jason’s complete lack of tenderness, left her feeling as if her lower half was tearing apart.

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over once more.

The dim light in the room caught Jason’s attention as he sensed the chill in her expression. He pulled away in anger, kicking the trash can by the door as he stormed out.

It took Evelyn a long time before she could drag her painful body out of bed. If Jason hadn’t withdrawn the two million advertising fees from her account or remained neutral in the matter of the “dead man’s money,” she might have tried to calmly explain the situation.

But now, her heart was thoroughly broken by Jason.

Let the misunderstandings remain. She would use this as a reason to finalize the divorce.

Jason didn’t come home that night.

She slept poorly, her mind racing with thoughts of the lump, the dead man’s money, the advertising fees, and the divorce...

Before dawn, she grabbed her phone to check it.

Six months ago, she had pinned Jason as a top contact on WhatsApp. How laughable that seemed now! The last message was from ten days ago.

She clicked a few buttons and removed Jason from the top of her contacts.

Since he was unwilling to divorce, she was prepared to take another route: filing for divorce unilaterally in court.

After finishing her work in the morning, she took the lawsuit she had prepared yesterday to the district court, formally suing Jason for divorce.

More than once, she wondered how Jason would react upon receiving the lawsuit.

In the afternoon, she hosted an annual meeting for an IT company. The financial investment of the annual meeting paled in comparison to the Stark Group, and it wrapped up in three hours. After deducting her predetermined salary, she ended up with a small red envelope of two thousand yuan.

As she left the venue, she immediately opened her phone, which had been off for four hours.

Jean had called her multiple times.

Just as she returned the call, Jean’s anxious voice came through the receiver, “Not good, Eve! That scum Stark has sued me!”

“He’s suing you? Why?” Evelyn was confused; she couldn’t see how Jason and Jean were connected.

“Jason discovered the truth about the biopsy report. He’s suing me for fraud and violating medical ethics. I was suspended two hours ago, and I might lose my license.”

Jean’s tone remained relatively calm, but Evelyn was far from composed.

She quickly ended the call and dialed Jason’s number.

Three calls went unanswered, but on the fourth try, he finally picked up.

Evelyn couldn’t hold herself together any longer, pleading, “Jason, spare Jean! I’ll agree to any condition you want—”