Chapter 1 Asking For A Divorce

In the high sea near Nolens

"Help! Help! Help... Help me... Brayden, please, help me!"

Averie Briggs' desperate pleas were growing fainter. On one side, the chilling seawater lapped at her, and on the other, a sheer cliff offered no escape.

Suddenly, headlights illuminated her face, now ghostly pale. She backed against the low sea guardrail.

Her ears caught the kidnapper's chilling voice. "Averie and Corinna, choose one..."

"Corinna," the man on the phone replied, without a second thought.

Averie fell silent, her heart turning to ice.

Brayden Fowler, the man she loved, had shattered her heart with such ease.

He had chosen to abandon her, despite her carrying his child.

In the next moment, a sudden kick to her abdomen from a figure in black sent her tumbling over the guardrail.

The frigid seawater swallowed her whole.

Her hatred for Brayden was overwhelming.

A sharp twinge of pain erupted in her lower abdomen, and Averie's world slowly blurred into blackness.

As she teetered on the edge of consciousness, a single thought crossed her mind. If she made it through this, she'd never live the same way again.

She couldn't justify sacrificing her life for such a man.

......

Miraculously, Averie survived.

A fishing boat found her and rushed her to the nearest hospital.

But her baby, the one she had so dearly hoped for, was lost, forever a part of the sea.

The bright overhead lights seemed to flicker above her as she lay in the hospital bed, lost in a daze.

The Fowler and Briggs families were immediately informed of her hospitalization on the first day.

But now, three days later, not a single visitor had come.

In her room, the TV broadcasted Nolens' latest social news.

"The Briggs sisters were suspected of being kidnapped, linked to Fowler Group's power struggle..."

"Brayden Fowler has become the youngest CEO in Fowler Group history."

Averie ran her cold fingers over her now flat stomach, a bitter smile playing on her lips. With difficulty, she grasped a pen and began to write on a piece of paper.

She had reached her breaking point.

As the sun set, someone opened the ward door.

"Apologies, Mrs. Fowler. Mr. Fowler got held up and is a bit late."

Hearing the voice, Averie tightened her grip on the quilt, her eyes on the suited man, Theo Gordon, Brayden's assistant.

"Take a seat, Theo." She tried to sit up a bit straighter, but it was too painful.

"Mr. Fowler's aware of the miscarriage... He mentioned something about making it up to you."

Brayden would make it up to her?

Averie wondered how one could make up for a lost life.

Just then, Theo looked toward the door and respectfully called, "Mr. Fowler."

Following Theo's gaze, Averie noticed a tall, slim figure approaching, backlit by the hallway light.

Despite the hospital's somber setting, his commanding presence was unmistakable.

Their eyes met, and a heavy silence filled the room.

"Mr. Fowler, Mrs. Fowler had a miscarriage, but the doctor believes her health is otherwise fine," Theo informed.

In the lamplight, Brayden's throat moved slightly.

He sat down, half his face shadowed, his eyes partly obscured by his hair.

Brayden lit up a cigarette, the lighter's flame casting a shadow on the scar under his eye, making him look colder and more intimidating.

"When are you getting out of here?" he asked, his voice low and captivating.

But Averie didn't pick up any emotion in his words.

He seemed indifferent, even about the baby they had lost.

If she hadn't been sedated when she learned of the miscarriage, she could have broken down.

But his reaction wasn't surprising. After all, she only married Brayden as a stand-in for someone else, and he had never really cared for her.

She had given up on expecting anything from this man.

All she felt was pity for the child she had lost. His father hadn't even anticipated his arrival.

A bitter smile crossed Averie's face, catching Brayden's fleeting glance.

"The day after tomorrow," she replied.

Three years had passed by. They had been married for that long, but her love for him went back even further.

Yet this young man, who had once been her protector in the poor and chaotic town of Haeidith, seemed to have forgotten all about her.

It was time for her to let go.

"Alright." Brayden's visit felt obligatory. He stood up, opened the door, and left as if he had completed a duty.

Averie and Brayden rarely talked to each other directly. Instead, Theo was often the messenger between them. The only time they were alone together was in the quiet of their bedroom.

"Brayden Fowler," Averie called out, stopping him in his tracks.

This was the first time she used his full name. Before, she had always boldly called him "honey."

Brayden turned to look at her, pausing mid-step.

"I need to talk to you about something..." Averie began, but her words were cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.

"Brayden, where are you? I'm terrified. I had a nightmare that I was kidnapped again..." The voice on the phone was sweet and flirtatious.

Brayden didn't stay any longer. He quickly left, blending into the crowd hustling through the hospital.

The room felt a bit uncomfortable after he left.

Theo said carefully, "Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Fowler mentioned he would give you a villa in Blossom Villas and a shop as compensation. If there's anything else you need, just let us know..."

Averie snorted softly. She remembered the days when Brayden had nothing, and his business was always in trouble. She had been by his side through those tough times.

Now that the Fowler Group was thriving, Brayden seemed to think money could solve everything.

"I want a divorce," she said firmly.

It was easier than she thought to say these words she had long considered. At that moment, Averie's face showed a hint of cold resolve.

"Mrs. Fowler, please think this through. Don't make decisions when you're angry," Theo urged, sounding worried.

"It's not about anger or a ruse," Averie said, handing a sheet filled with words to Theo.

"This is the divorce agreement. Can you give it to Brayden? He should read it closely. I'm not asking for too much."

"But, Mrs. Fowler..." Theo started, but Averie closed her eyes and fell silent.

Sensing the moment, Theo quietly left the hospital room.

Before Theo's next visit, Averie had already completed her discharge process on her own.

She didn't want to return to Brayden's house, so she reached out to her friend Nolan Brooks for help in finding a new place to stay.

Nolan, who didn't see an issue with men and women living together, warmly offered her a place at his home.

However, since he was a public figure, their living arrangement would lead to rumors. After they were seen dining together previously, gossip spread about Averie being Nolan's girlfriend.

This caused Brayden to give her the cold shoulder for an entire week.

Why was she thinking of Brayden again?

Averie shook her head, trying to dismiss these thoughts.

While tidying up the apartment Nolan had arranged for her, she got a call from Theo.

"Hey, Theo," Averie said, perched on a stool, busily wiping away cobwebs from above the kitchen cabinet.

"Mrs. Fowler, I've spoken to Mr. Fowler about the divorce you mentioned. I also showed him the divorce papers."

Theo's voice sounded a bit stiff, but Averie didn't really notice.

"Alright, so when is Brayden going to sign and get the divorce process moving?"

"Mr. Fowler wants to discuss the divorce papers face-to-face. He's asking you to come to the office."

"No need for that. I'm fine with whatever he decides, as long as he either hands over the properties he gave me or pays me in cash. I just want to be divorced as soon as possible."

Hearing Averie talk about a quick divorce, Brayden, standing near Theo, couldn't hide his gloomy look.

For Averie, once her decision was made, she was eager to sever ties quickly.

Having stood by him for years without winning his heart, she was ready to let go.

Before Theo could respond, a familiar, icy voice came through the phone.

"Come to my office, now."

With that, the call ended abruptly. Averie calmly put her phone away. But then, the stool wobbled, and she fell, wincing as her ankle started to swell. Through gritted teeth, Averie decided to deal with the divorce first.