On Our Wedding Day My Husband Announced His First Love Online-Chapter 31: We Were Husband and Wife, After All; Let’s Not Make It Too Ugly
I staggered and nearly fell. When I looked up, I met a pair of furious eyes.
"Theodore Grant, what the hell is wrong with you, acting like a madman this early in the morning!" I yanked my hand from his grip and rubbed my reddened wrist, glaring at him coldly.
Theodore’s eyes were bloodshot, dark stubble dotted his chin, and his hair was a disheveled mess. He looked completely haggard, as if he’d aged ten years overnight. "Chelsea Joyce, you’re the one who’s truly lost her mind! Why did you leave me with Clara Langley last night? Don’t you know..."
He trailed off, and I frowned, wondering what he was about to say. ’Don’t you know... what?’ But Theodore had already changed the subject. He snarled through gritted teeth, "Chelsea Joyce, I would rather die than agree to a divorce! So you can just forget about it!"
His threat only fueled my frustration. "If you want to make this difficult," I said coldly, "we can litigate. Either way, I am getting this divorce. It’s final."
"You—"
As if he’d just thought of something, Theodore took a deep breath, reining in his emotions. "Chelsea, don’t fight with me anymore. I really know I was wrong. From today on, I’ll have nothing more to do with Clara Langley. You have to believe me!"
But the moment he finished speaking, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket.
I watched him coldly. I could tell from his expression it had to be Clara’s call.
To my surprise, however, Theodore just frowned, rejected the call, and then, in one smooth motion, blocked Clara’s number. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
I watched Theodore, surprised. I never thought I’d see him be so decisive and ruthless with Clara. ’Did she do something to piss him off last night?’
But before I could puzzle it out, Theodore suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. "Don’t be angry with me anymore, okay?"
I instinctively tried to pull my hand away, but his grip was too tight. For some reason, a wave of helplessness washed over me.
Affection offered too late is cheaper than dirt.
’Not that I believed Theodore ever had any real feelings for me anyway.’
The only reason he didn’t want a divorce was to save face—a man’s pride.
"Theodore, it’s over between us. We were married, after all. Let’s not make this any uglier than it has to be, okay?"
I took a deep breath and met his gaze. "You don’t have to do a thing. Just be like you were before—unmoved, no matter how I revolved my life around you, no matter how I racked my brain trying to please you. Wasn’t that better for you?"
"Are you saying I was a bad husband to you?" Theodore’s voice was low. "I’ll change. Everything I owe you, every time I’ve let you down... I’ll make up for it all. Chelsea, please, just give me one more chance. Okay?"
"Let go of me."
"Chelsea Joyce, how can you be so heartless?"
A sudden laugh escaped me. "How could I possibly be more heartless than you?"
’I begged him, pleaded with him. We were only redoing the wedding ceremony so my mother could be at peace. He knew that, he knew it, and yet he still...’
Theodore fell silent for a moment. He clearly knew what I was referring to. He lowered his gaze, looking dejected, but there wasn’t a hint of remorse in his posture. "Chelsea, I’ve told you this so many times. Clara’s husband saved my life. I couldn’t just stand by while she tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists. She’s a human being."
I yanked my hand back. "Theodore," I said, my voice ice-cold, "you made your choice between me and Clara a long time ago. After weighing all the pros and cons, I was the one you decided to discard!"
"And what about you and Sebastian Forrest?"
Theodore’s expression shifted in an instant. His eyes locked onto mine, his face contorting with rage. "Don’t you dare tell me you two just recently got together. Do you have any idea who Sebastian Forrest is? In all these years, I’ve never seen him give a single woman the time of day. Are you telling me there’s nothing going on between you two? That you’re completely innocent?"
"That’s right! I just remembered something!"
Theodore let out a cold laugh. "Sebastian has been acting strange ever since he got back from the research institute last month. It was weird enough that he made me get a physical for no reason, but then he immediately turned around and handed in his resignation..."
"That was right when he was up for a major promotion! You two must have started hooking up back then..."
SLAP!
Before he could finish, I swung my arm and slapped him hard across the face!
The force of my unexpected slap knocked his head to the side. He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, his gaze as sharp as a knife. "What’s the matter? Did I strike a nerve? Flying into a rage out of shame?"
"Theodore, you make me sick!" My body trembled uncontrollably, and my chest felt tight, like it was about to burst.
"Oh, really? And Sebastian doesn’t make you sick? He’s trying to steal his friend’s wife, so what does that make him!?"
I stared at him, my expression cold, feeling as if I were seeing the man before me for the very first time.
This was the man who had consumed my entire youth, the man I had adored with all my heart.
All my one-sided, fearless devotion... I never imagined it would one day come to such a pathetic end.
"Chelsea Joyce, I’m telling you right now, I will not divorce you! I’d like to see what power Sebastian Forrest thinks he has, daring to risk public scorn to be with a married woman!"
With that final threat, Theodore stormed away.
I remained standing there, utterly exhausted, feeling as though every ounce of strength had been drained from my body.
I don’t know how much time passed before I finally forced my hands up to rub my stiff face, trying to muster a smile.
’I’ve been out here long enough. I have to get back to work. I can’t let that bastard Theodore ruin my day.’
Once I’d managed to compose myself, I took a deep breath and turned back toward the office.
Today was a recording studio day.
Perhaps because of my public appearance at the company entrance this morning, everyone was suddenly very friendly to me, the "nepotism hire" who’d "parachuted" into her job. After all, in any company, you have to treat someone connected to the main financial backer with respect.
And right on cue, during my lunch break, I got a call from the "main financial backer" himself, Sebastian Forrest.
"There’s a banquet at Eastwood Manor tonight. Want to tag along and make an appearance?" The man’s voice, tinged with a lazy, magnetic smile, came through the phone.
Eastwood Manor...
The most sought-after playground for the rich and famous in all of Kington.
Its banquets were a gathering of Kington’s most powerful and influential figures.
Theodore had attended a few times, but he always said I would embarrass him and took his secretary instead. As a result, it was the kind of place I’d only ever seen in news articles or on TV—a place I’d never once set foot in.
"I... am I allowed to go?"
"Why wouldn’t you be?" Sebastian chuckled.
"I mean, given my current status..." I bit my lip, unsure of how to explain it to him.
’Theodore’s threat from this morning felt like it had been branded onto my heart. I couldn’t help but worry that I would drag Sebastian into my mess...’
"Maybe I shouldn’t go..." I trailed off.
"Are you sure?" Sebastian’s voice was soft with amusement. "I should probably warn you... Theodore plans on taking Clara Langley to the banquet tonight."
I froze. Then, my brow furrowed, and I replied in a low, deliberate voice, "Senior Forrest, I’ll go."
