Broken Oath: I Left, He Regretted-Chapter 116: Let Julian Sinclair Help Me Divorce
And he, clearly the lawful husband of Zoe and Doris’s biological father, could only clutch the cold baked sweet potato, standing in a corner where no one could see him.
Rationality screamed, saying Doris was still waiting for him at the hospital, telling him he should leave.
But his feet felt nailed to the snowy ground, and Timothy stood there stubbornly, allowing the snowflakes to cover his shoulders, turning his black coat grayish-white, self-destructively letting the cold wind seep into his collar.
He didn’t know how long it had been before Sharon suddenly sneezed, and only then did they return.
Sharon walked in the middle, holding Zoe with one hand and Julian with the other, chirping about the fun they had building a snowman, occasionally waving back at the snowman.
The dim streetlights elongated the shadows of the three of them.
Not until those three figures disappeared completely at the entrance of the building, and the lights in the hallway flickered on and off, did Timothy slowly emerge from the unlit corner.
The cold wind, mixed with snow grains, whipped against his cheeks painfully, but he seemed numb to it, walking step by step towards the chubby snowman.
The snowman stood there, Julian’s khaki scarf wrapped around its neck, and a small bear hairpin left by Sharon tilted on its head.
He stared at the snowman, his fingertips unconsciously curling up, lacking even the courage to touch it.
In the past, in the yard of the Sawyer Family, he didn’t know how many snowmen he had built with Zoe.
In those days, even when the snow fell on his face, it didn’t feel cold.
But the snowman before him was built by Julian and had nothing to do with him.
The curled fingers finally clenched into a fist.
...
Back home, Sharon was still immersed in the excitement of building a snowman, her cheeks red.
I took her cold hand and hastily urged, "Quickly go to the bathroom and take a hot bath, otherwise you’ll catch a cold. I’ve already prepared the bathwater for you."
Sharon obediently nodded, holding her change of clothes and bouncing into the bathroom.
The sound of running water soon came from the bathroom, leaving only me and Julian in the living room.
I glanced at the time; it was already ten o’clock.
Julian seemed to realize something and said, "It’s too late, I should leave."
As he put on his coat, he said, "Sharon’s winter vacation is almost here, and then it’s New Year’s. I’ll contact Mason, and he will come to pick up Sharon soon. It’s not a long-term solution to always leave the child with you."
I paused slightly, thinking about the days Sharon spent at the Hawthorne home, living like a guest, and said, "If it’s inconvenient for Mr. Hawthorne, I can continue to take care of Sharon. She is very good; she does her homework and plays with her toys by herself, without causing any trouble."
Julian looked at me, with a mysterious look and said, "I heard Doris is hospitalized? I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle both ends."
Mentioning Doris, the curve at the corner of my mouth instantly collapsed, and I smiled bitterly, "I don’t have much to do. She has Timothy with her, she doesn’t need me at all."
Julian seemed to see through me, saying, "You talk so casually. If you’ve really let it go, why are you so depressed today? If I hadn’t come over, you’d be eating takeout with the child?"
I sighed slightly. I couldn’t deny that I was indeed frightened by Doris’s situation today.
"Your marriage with Timothy, I think, can’t be resolved."
Julian suddenly came out with a sentence, his tone flat, yet it was like a needle gently pricking my heart.
I looked at his sarcastic expression, the grievance and annoyance buried in my heart suddenly surged, with a bit of spite, "So, Attorney Sinclair, do you have any good suggestions? If you can help me get a divorce, I will thank your ancestors for eight generations!"
I thought he would be angry, but unexpectedly, he chuckled and said, "Are you provoking me, wanting me to represent you in a divorce case?"
"It was you who brought it up first!"
I was somewhat speechless, my voice gradually lowering, tinged with an unwitting sense of grievance, "And... sometimes Attorney Sinclair, your words are really hurtful. If you can’t help me, stop saying things that stab at people’s hearts."
The living room grew quiet for a moment, then Julian suddenly stood up, his tall figure leaning towards me, a faint smell of tobacco wrapped around him.
His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of subtle ambiguity, "Then how do you want me to help, hmm?"
My heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.
But what kind of relationship do I have with him now? What right do I have to ask him for help over and over again?
He helped me, but what can I give in return?
I forced a smile, stepped back half a step, and said, "I’m kidding, I wouldn’t dare trouble Attorney Sinclair."
Julian’s gaze lingered on my face for a few seconds, not continuing the topic, nodding, "I should go, you should rest early."
"I’ll see you out."
I got up and followed him out the door.
We didn’t speak all the way until I watched his car merge into the night, the taillights gradually disappearing, I turned to go upstairs.
But as soon as I turned, a familiar voice came from behind, "Zoe."
I turned around in disbelief, and there was Timothy Xavier standing in the snow.
The streetlamp light fell on his shoulders, a thin layer of snow dusted him like powdered sugar.
My heart tightened suddenly, and I instinctively frowned.
Timothy’s gaze collided with my guarded eyes, his Adam’s apple moved, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Seeing me makes you this disgusted?"
I looked away, my voice remained flat and impassive: "Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital taking care of Doris? What are you doing here?"
He didn’t answer, instead, he slowly took his hand out of his coat pocket.
In his hand was a brown paper bag, its edges crumpled, with twisted lines much like our fragmented marriage over these years.
"It’s the roasted sweet potato from that place you used to love. I promised you, at the first snow every year, I’d get you this."
His voice lowered a bit and he said, "Unfortunately... it’s gotten cold."
The wind blew with snowflakes, and my nose suddenly stung with bitterness.
How naive I was back then, thinking his every small gesture, every promise meant love.
Even those around me thought so.
But it turns out, it was just wishful thinking on my part. He never loved me; it was nothing but a fantasy of my own making!
My eyes fell on the cold sweet potato in his hand, my tone devoid of any fluctuation: "If it’s cold, just throw it away."
Saying that, I turned to leave, but suddenly my wrist was grasped by someone.
His palm was as cold as ice, and I instinctively flinched, trying to pull my hand back.
But he held on tighter, his knuckles turned white: "Zoe, I want to talk to you."
I thought he wanted to talk about Doris, so I nodded: "Let’s talk."
Timothy’s Adam’s apple moved, and he sighed: "I’m good to Serena for Naomi’s sake. More importantly, she’s been wholeheartedly raising Doris for the past four years."
The wind whipped up snowflakes against my face, but I felt nothing, as if my heart was frozen, without a ripple.
After he finished, I just said calmly, "You can be good to whoever you want, it’s got nothing to do with me."
Timothy continued, "I’ll take care of the matter with Serena, don’t worry. That child... was an accident, I won’t let her be born, won’t let her affect us."
But his words only deepened my numbness.
My tone didn’t waver in the slightest: "How you deal with Serena is your business. What I care about now is when you’ll finally end this with me and finalize the divorce."
The expectation on his face collapsed instantly, and he stared at me intently: "You’re so determined, leaving no room for us, is it because of Julian Sinclair, is that it?"
I nearly had no strength left to refute, my voice carried a bit of helplessness: "Even now, you think our marriage ended up like this because of someone else? Timothy Xavier, imagine if you were me, having gone through everything I went through. Deceit, neglect, being hurt—would you forgive?"
Timothy’s lips moved slightly but no words came out. After a while, his voice turned hoarse: "I’m sorry."
I looked at him with a clear and firm gaze, and said, "Our marriage ended up like this, and it has nothing to do with Julian Sinclair, Serena Sawyer, or even Naomi Sawyer. It’s your indifference, your selfishness, and your arrogance!"
I took a deep breath and said, "Timothy Xavier, I don’t care how you handle Serena’s matter, nor whom you want to be good to in the future. But I beg you to protect Doris, don’t let her get hurt again, don’t let an accident like this happen again!"
After saying that, I didn’t look at him again, and I turned and quickly walked into the building, completely isolating myself from the sweeping snow and his silhouette.
As soon as I entered my home, my phone vibrated—it was a message from Timothy Xavier.
He said that Doris was still sick, hoping I could find time every day to visit her.
But I didn’t want to have any more entanglements with Timothy Xavier because of Doris, besides, she didn’t really need me.
So, I just replied simply: "I trust you to take good care of her."
Although I never visited Doris at the hospital again, Timothy Xavier’s messages never stopped from the next day.
Every day, he would send me updates about Doris’s condition.
"Today Doris’s fever went down, and she’s much more spirited."
"She ate half a bowl of porridge for lunch and even took her medicine voluntarily."
"Just now, she told the housekeeper she wanted to play with blocks."
Every message would end with: "Zoe, I’ll find a way to make Doris accept you, just trust me once more."
I never replied, but he didn’t seem to care and continued to send plenty of updates about Doris every day.
...
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
That day, I went to pick up Sharon Hawthorne from school as usual.
As soon as I arrived at the school gate, I saw Doris.
She seemed to have fully recovered, looking much healthier with Jack Sullivan, Timothy Xavier’s assistant, accompanying her.
Upon seeing me, Jack immediately greeted me politely.
I couldn’t help but ask him, "Why are you here to pick up Doris? Where’s Timothy Xavier?"
Jack sighed helplessly at my question and explained, "That day, President Xavier was negotiating with an important client when he got the news that Doris was sick. Without a second thought, he left a room full of people and rushed back. In the end, that project was snatched up by Julian Sinclair, causing significant losses to Xavier Group. Recently, President Xavier has been at the company dealing with the aftermath, having no time to pick up his child."
Following Jack’s gaze, I looked at Doris, who was hanging her head, looking listless and very unhappy.
Several times her gaze fell on me, but each time she only pursed her lips and didn’t say a word to me, finally following Jack straight into the car.
Meanwhile, Sharon Hawthorne has been getting more cheerful lately, always smiling.
As she got in the car, she said with a smile, "Auntie Ellison, the teacher said today that we’ll be on winter break in a week!"
Suddenly remembering the New Year was approaching, I asked her casually, "Are you missing your mom and dad, Sharon? Do you want to spend the New Year with them?"
The smile on Sharon’s face faded a bit, and she lowered her eyes, whispering, "I miss dad."
In my heart, I sighed lightly. Mrs. Hawthorne is usually so harsh on Sharon; it makes sense that the child only misses her dad.
At that moment, Sharon suddenly looked up, staring at me earnestly, and asked, "Auntie Ellison, if mom and dad have a little brother or sister, does that mean they won’t love us anymore?"
My heart tightened as I said, "Of course not. A mom and dad’s love for each child is the same unless they’re the kind of parents who play favorites."
Sharon let out a soft sigh, a touch of incomprehensible disappointment in her voice: "But it seems like Doris’s parents are also very biased. She says her mom’s got a little brother in her belly who everyone’s especially looking forward to, and no one’s paid attention to her for a long time now."
My grip on the steering wheel subconsciously tightened, and I followed up her words by asking, "Did Doris tell you this herself?"
Sharon shook her head and said, "No, Doris doesn’t like me very much, so she wouldn’t tell me anything like that. I overheard her saying it to the friend she gets along with best during today’s extracurricular activity."
I nodded silently, a wave of worry rising in my heart.
Honestly, whether Timothy Xavier keeps Serena Sawyer’s child or not, I really don’t care.
But seeing Doris look so abandoned by the whole world now, I can’t help but feel heartbroken.
That night, after updating my novel, I stayed up late sewing a few doll clothes and put them in a gift box.
This was something Doris wanted me to teach her last time she was in the hospital; she was very interested in it.
The next day, when dropping off at school, I asked Sharon to give it to Doris for me.
Seeing the delicate doll clothes and dresses in the box, Sharon exclaimed, "Wow! They’re so beautiful!"
I smiled and said, "If you like them, I’ll teach you how to make them when you get out of school tonight."
"Really?"
Sharon was thrilled and promised, "Don’t worry, Auntie! I’ll definitely hand these things over to Doris. She’ll definitely love them!"
I patted her head appreciatively.
After dropping Sharon off, I went back to work at the company.
As soon as I sat down at my desk, Victoria Monroe came over with a serious look.
She lowered her voice and asked, "Have you already divorced Timothy Xavier?"
I was stunned and asked, "Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"
Victoria directly shoved her phone screen in front of me, pointing at the trending search term from a few minutes ago: "See for yourself!"
I looked down, and the screen was filled with trending topics like #Xavier Family Daughter-in-Law Serena Sawyer Pregnant# and #Xavier Group Announced Good News#.
Clicking in, it was all media copy praising Serena Sawyer for carrying Timothy Xavier’s child, supposedly the long-awaited heir to the Xavier family, with the whole internet following and congratulating, implicitly assuming the two were about to make it official.
The release even included a video interview of Sophia Kendall.
In front of the camera, she was all smiles, praising Serena Sawyer to the reporter, saying that despite her pregnancy, she was considerate and never arrogant, treating her as if she were already the confirmed daughter-in-law of the Xavier family.
Although Timothy Xavier hadn’t appeared in front of any media or released any statements at all.
But that didn’t affect the public opinion’s direction.
"Look at her social media account."
Victoria scrolled through the screen, her tone dripping with disdain, "Even now, she doesn’t forget to market, posting pregnancy and acting photos every few days. Her acting skills are really exceptional."
I glanced at the post Serena Sawyer had just made.
In the photo, she wore loose-fitting costume clothes, gently cradling her belly, with the chaotic set as the backdrop, captioned, "For the role, persevering till the end."
Below, the comments were filled with fans’ fervent adoration:
"My sister is really going all out! Staying up late on set even while pregnant, she’s truly a dedicated actress!"
"So touching, she’s such a dedicated actress! I’m a fan now!"
"The baby is sure to be born safely! Looking forward to the little master’s arrival, by then, my sister will truly be the winner in life!"
"Those who badmouth my sister should shut it! Now that my sister is recognized as the prospective daughter-in-law of the Xavier Family, with them as her backing, no one can bully her!"
Reading these comments, I only felt a sense of irony.
I didn’t know what Timothy’s current stance was, but judging from Sophia’s reaction, she was overjoyed beyond measure.
No wonder Doris has been so neglected like this.
Victoria Monroe saw it and said to me, "You and Timothy haven’t divorced yet, right? These Sawyer siblings are really shameless, one more than the other! How dare she make her pregnancy public while you and Timothy are not even divorced!"
Just then, my phone rang; it was Timothy calling.
I went to the lounge and answered the call.
As soon as he started to explain, I interrupted, "I know what you want to say. It’s your mom who forced you to accept Serena Sawyer’s child and announced her pregnancy without your consent, right?"
Timothy noticeably breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zoe, I’m glad you understand. I’ve been overwhelmed with work at the company, and I didn’t expect my mom to blow things up like this. I’m just glad you don’t misunderstand me."
I said, "You slept with Serena Sawyer, she got pregnant, and now her pregnancy is announced publicly; none of this was your intention. But all these happened because of the opportunities and conditions you provided. So, Timothy, you are not innocent."
Timothy was silent for a moment and said, "I will deal with this matter as soon as possible. I’ll... have a proper talk with Serena, and I don’t want this child."
"You don’t need to tell me these things. I just want to know when you’ll deal with our issue first?"
I said, "Now the whole internet knows Serena Sawyer is pregnant, and everyone is expecting your wedding announcement. But Timothy, bigamy is against the law. We have to finalize the divorce first before you can move forward with her."
Timothy’s tone grew heavier, "The moment this happened, the first thing I thought to do was call you to explain. But this is how you respond to me? Zoe Ellison, do you actually want me to take the next step with Serena Sawyer, or do you want to move forward with Julian Sinclair?"
I couldn’t help but grip the phone tightly and said, "If I were to show our marriage certificate right now, what do you think would happen!"
"Zoe Ellison!"
Timothy’s voice suddenly turned sharp, squeezing each word through his teeth, "Julian Sinclair has taken over Xavier Group’s business and messed up the stock price! If you dare add fuel to the fire, I’ll destroy The Ellison Family first! You know my ways; I don’t want things to get ugly, but don’t push me."
I knew that Xavier Group’s stock price was already on the verge of collapse. If Timothy were to break a scandal that could ruin him, it would definitely be a devastating blow to Xavier Group.
But for Timothy, his career is of utmost importance.
If I don’t seize the chance to push him now, then we might have to endure months of agony until we fight it out in court again.
Thus, my tone became unprecedentedly firm, "Timothy, I’ll give you three days to think it over. If you don’t agree to the divorce, I’ll reveal our marriage certificate! You want to take The Ellison Family and my mom down with you, but if Xavier Group is finished, how well do you think your mom and Serena Sawyer will fare? You want to go down, then we’ll all go to hell together, and no one will get through this easily!"
I thought Timothy, for Xavier Group’s sake, wouldn’t dare go to extremes with me.
But he merely let out a light laugh and said, "Have you thought about Doris? Don’t forget, Doris is my daughter, and if you ruin my reputation, the first to suffer will be Doris. Zoe Ellison, could you bear to let the people who know Doris point fingers at her, could you make peace with her not being able to hold her head up in this circle in the future?"
"Timothy, you bastard!"
I clenched the phone, trembling as I said angrily, "You actually remember Doris is your daughter? Yet now you’re using her as a bargaining chip with me!"
Timothy coldly said, "I want us to start over and have a good life together. But it’s you who insists on pushing down a dead-end road."
After saying this, he hung up.
I kept taking deep breaths, but my eyes still stung with a dull pain.
Just then, the lounge door clicked open.
I looked up abruptly, meeting Julian Sinclair’s profound gaze.
His eyes fixed on my red-rimmed eyes, and his brow furrowed into a deep crease, he asked, "Is it really that painful?"
I was taken aback, looking at him in confusion.
Julian Sinclair walked to the window, coolly saying, "Grandpa said he couldn’t reach you and asked me to advise you not to get depressed over Serena Sawyer’s pregnancy."
At the end, his tone had a hint of mockery, and even a bit of frustrated anger.
I was slightly stunned, could he really think I was jealous over Timothy?
I immediately denied it and said, "I’m not upset; Serena Sawyer’s pregnancy has nothing to do with me."
"Then stop slacking off here, go back to work!"
With that, he turned and left, his back as cold as an iceberg.
The atmosphere in the company was exceptionally oppressive for the rest of the day.
Julian Sinclair stayed in his office without coming out, and even Jolie Joyce and Leo Grant, who entered and exited his office, were tiptoeing around.
Victoria Monroe quietly moved next to me, lowered her voice, and said, "Don’t you think President Sinclair seems off today? His face is so cold, like he’s heartbroken."
