Mason knew his grandma said that on purpose, but he stole a glance at Zoe nonetheless. She had no intention of acting all lovey-dovey with him. She chatted with Barbara for a while before standing up and said, “I’ll make the pretzels now.”

The smile on Barbara’s face was gone as soon as Zoe left. Then, she leaned back.

“What’s up with Lilith, Mason? You can look after her a little, but fireworks are a tad too much. Zoe might be jealous of her and pick a bone with you.

“You should make more effort for Zoe. Don’t neglect her.

“She might just run away if you continue to treat her like she’s nothing.”

…

Mason gave Barbara some answers to appease her, but he did not bother to justify the fireworks. Perhaps it was Ava’s doing!

They had been chatting for a while when Zoe came in with the snacks. He looked at her and saw that she kept her shirt clean. She was so elegant and beautiful. Every lady should follow her example.

He lost his appetite for food all of a sudden. Barbara, on the other hand, loved it. She took a bite out of it and said, “You’ll be thirty years old in two years, Mason. Your friends are already raising two children. When are you going to have your own babies?”

Zoe remained quiet. Mason glanced at her and fiddled with one of her pretzels, “Zoe is still young. I think I’ll take it easy for another two years!”

Barbara knew what he meant, but she did not care to say it out loud.

…

Both of them had dinner at Lockwood Manor. It was quite late by the time they left. Mason buckled up and glanced at Zoe. She was looking out the car window.

She looked so fair and beautiful under the gloomy light. Mason stared at her for a good while before stepping on the gas gently. It was obvious he was trying to talk to her about something. That was why he did not drive very fast.

About five minutes later, Mason said, “I’ll ask my men to transfer your father to Lockwood Hospital tomorrow. He’ll be treated by the best professional medical team. Also, you should just let me know if you need more money.”

He spoke rather gently. This is his way of backing down. He did not love Zoe. He still had not forgiven her for tricking him back then.

However, he had no intention of replacing her with another lady. It was going to have a detrimental effect on his life as well as the company shares.

He would just have to get used to her!

Moreover, she was one of the prettiest and sexiest ladies alive. It was quite satisfactory when it came to sex, he thought.

Mason stole a glance at her when he stopped at the traffic light. He kept his hand on the steering wheel and said, “Ava will no longer come to our house. You can keep the jewelry for yourself. I’ll tell her about it.”

Zoe listened to him quietly. The air conditioner was very strong in the car. She had to wrap her arms around herself to keep herself from shivering from the cold.

She had been married to Mason for three years. She knew his character quite well. Truth be told, he was making a lot of compromises. She should be overwhelmed with gratitude, but she was not!

He said a lot and made some concessions too, but he had never said anything about Lilith. That was enough to tell Zoe that Lilith would continue to pop up in their lives if she agreed to his arrangements. Nothing had changed…

Zoe was tired. She no longer wanted to be trapped in a loveless marriage. So, she rejected him. “It’s okay. My father’s doing well at his current hospital.”

Mason knew what she meant. She was rejecting all of his offers and insisting on getting divorced.

He could not help but to get mad. “We signed an agreement when we got married, Zoe. You won’t be getting a single cent from me if you go through with this.”

“I’m aware of that!” She answered swiftly.

His patience was exhausted. So, he remained quiet.

They arrived at their manor twenty minutes later. Mason slowed down and told the guards, “Keep a close watch over the gate. Don’t let anything out.”

The guards were about to clarify his orders, but he had already driven away and parked the car.

Zoe was about to unbuckle her seat belt and get out of the car when Mason locked the doors.

Zoe released her grip on the car door handle. The atmosphere in the car was oppressive.

Mason was actually tired from his trip and the subsequent visit to Lockwood Manor. He rubbed his brow with one hand and gripped the steering wheel with another, the impatience clear in his voice.

“When are you going to stop being unreasonable?”

So, he merely thought she was being unreasonable. How disappointing.

Zoe sat upright and said softly after a brief pause, “I’m serious, Mason! I don’t want to be with you anymore!”

He turned around and looked at her. He looked so dashing with his sharp features. She used to fall for him every time, but she felt nothing now. Not even a little.

…

Mason stared at her and unbuckled his seat belt. “Out of the car!”

Zoe exited the car as soon as he unlocked the doors and walked briskly toward the villa. She puffed up her chest, determined to go through with the divorce.

Mason smoked a cigarette before he got out of the car and went upstairs.

They ended up sleeping separately. She took the guest room that night and Mason could not be bothered to soothe her. He was mad too. He changed into his pajamas and laid on the bed.

It was a little strange to have no one sleeping next to him. In the past, it did not matter how coldly he treated her. She would always wrap her arms around him from behind and doze off.

Morning came and a ray of light shone into the bedroom. Mason raised his hand to block it. Then, he woke up.

He could hear faint noises from downstairs. The servants were setting up the dining table. Zoe had always done it with them and prepared his breakfast separately.

Feeling better now, Mason got out of bed and had a change of clothes. Then, his gaze was fixed on a spot. Zoe’s suitcase was gone. He opened the wardrobe and found several of her frequently worn clothes also missing.

He stared for a few seconds and closed her wardrobe. After he changed into his usual working attire, he freshened up and wore his watch.

Mason went downstairs and asked the servants, “Where’s Zoe?”

The servant said cautiously, “Ms. Zoe left early in the morning, dragging a suitcase with her. She didn’t even ask for the chauffeur.”

“She thinks she’s so tough!” Mason proceeded to ignore what he’d just heard and dug into his breakfast. It was the usual black coffee and whole wheat bread.

However, the contents in the newspaper grabbed his attention. It was filled with articles about him and Lilith. Each of the headlines was more sensational than the other.

He read it for a while before asking the servant, “Did Zoe read the newspaper before she left?”

The servant answered honestly, “Ms. Zoe left before breakfast.”

Mason raised his head and looked at her. Then, he made a call to Ava.

“I need you to deal with the articles in the newspapers!” He gave her a few more orders and prepared to hang up.

He unfastened his tie and said casually, “Also, I need you to check where Zoe sold off her wedding ring. I want it by four o’clock.”

Ava was startled briefly before saying, “That’s impossible! Ms. Zoe loved you very much. How could she sell off the wedding ring?”

With that, Mason hung up the call and threw his phone onto the dining table. He had lost his appetite after reading the articles.

…

Zoe was back at her family’s place. Mia had just finished making chicken soup and was about to head to the hospital, but she was upset when she saw Zoe.

She pointed at the suitcase and said, “Every couple bickers. It’s perfectly normal for a guy to cheat a little. Lilith’s looks are modest at best, and she’s a gimp. I’ve asked around and found out that she’s a divorcee. There’s no way she could shake your standing in the Lockwood family.”

“Nobody respected me there!”

Zoe laughed at herself and poured the chicken soup into a thermal jug, “I’m going to visit Dad at the hospital later.”

Mia stared at her for a while before wiping her hands.

“You might give your dad a heart attack when he learns that you’re getting a divorce! Let’s just take a step back and assume you really can’t be with him anymore, Zoe. How do you plan on surviving without the Lockwoods? How do you intend to support our family?”

Zoe tightened the thermal jug’s lid and said softly, “I’ll find a way around it! The money I made from selling my wedding ring will support Dad’s medical bill for half a year.

“As for Noah’s legal fee, I’m going to sell this house. Aside from that, I’ll look for a job that’ll let me support the family.”

Tears started to build up in Zoe’s eyes. Her birth mother left this house for them. They had never had to sell it away despite the hardships they went through in the past.

Mia was taken aback. She might have stopped persuading Zoe, but deep down she disagreed with it. Both of them went to the hospital after Zoe was done with her preparations.

Gordon Sanders had stabilized greatly after the doctor treated him. He was merely a little distressed, worrying about Noah’s future. Zoe said nothing about her divorce. In the afternoon, Gordon’s doctor came to check on him.

Doctor Cecil was a young and revered neurosurgeon with a Ph.D. Boasting a height of six feet, he was graceful, gentle, and easy on the eyes.

Once he was done checking Gordon, he looked at Zoe and said, “A word, please.”

Zoe was startled. She put down her stuff and said tenderly, “Excuse me for a while, Dad.”

They passed by a quiet hallway. Cecil gave her a comforting grin and read Gordon’s medical record.

“I talked over Gordon’s case with other surgical department heads last night. We reached a unanimous decision to arrange for customized rehabilitation for your dad.

“Otherwise, it’ll be hard for him to go back to how he was before. The price will be slightly higher, though. A hundred thousand grand per month. ”

It was an impossible amount for Zoe now, but she answered without any hesitation, “Let’s do it.”

Cecil closed the medical records folder and looked at her quietly. In fact, they had known each other for a long time, but she had forgotten about it.

He was her neighbor when they were very young. The stars were visible outside her balcony when evening came and she missed her mother every day.

“Will Mommy come back, Cecil?”

Cecil had no answer for her. He could not have known either. He stared at her and thought back to the moment he returned to this country three years ago.

He thought she married someone who loved her when he heard about the news, but that was not the case. Mason was cold and treated her terribly.

He was about to say something when someone said from across the hall called out.

“Zoe.”

It was Mason. Clad in his usual business attire, it seemed that he had come directly from his company. He walked toward them, the sound of his shoes clacking crisply across the floor.

Mason extended his hand and said nonchalantly, “It’s been a while, Cecil!”

Cecil looked at his hand, smiled faintly, and took it in his grip. “What brought you here, Mason?”

Mason released his grip briefly and looked sideways at Zoe. “Should we check on Dad?”

Both of them were playing mind games with each other. Zoe did not realize it, though. She did not want to antagonize Mason in front of Cecil, so she just nodded and said, “Please excuse me, Dr. Cecil.”

Cecil gave her a brief smile in response.

Neither of them talked to each other on their way to Gordon’s ward. Ever since she made up her mind to divorce him, she no longer felt the need to please him.

Mason grabbed her hand when they were mere steps away from the ward and pinned her to the wall, a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

The way Cecil looked at her earlier told Mason that he loved her. Mason caressed her cheek. It was fair and smooth, very lovable. He said with a hoarse voice, “What did you guys talk about?”

Zoe wanted to break free of him, but she was subjugated as soon as he exerted more force on her. Both of them were pressed against each other…