Chapter 3 End Your Marriage To Her Now

Outside, rain hammered the windows, the steady roar filling the night.

Thea lay restless beneath the covers, her body shifting, sleep refusing to come. A year of memories with Jerred replayed in her mind, unbidden and relentless.

Their grandfathers were close friends, binding the Dawson and Willis families together. That bond had placed Jerred in her life when she was very young.

Even as a boy of eight, Jerred had carried himself with a solemn maturity, dressed sharply in a black suit, aloof and distant from the world around him.

At five, Thea had been his opposite-bright, clingy, always tugging at his sleeve, desperate to pull his attention her way.

Jerred's innate courtesy never let him brush her aside. He had stayed near, tolerating her chatter, even taking on the quiet role of her protector.

One summer afternoon, her reckless play had ended in disaster when she tumbled into a lake, sinking under frigid water. Jerred had leapt in without hesitation, dragging her to shore and forcing breath back into her lungs.

When her eyes finally fluttered open through the haze of cold and fear, she thought she was staring at an angel as her eyes landed on Jerred.

After her parents' tragic accident, though, she was left in her grandparents' care, and the Dawson family came to see her as a burden.

They carried her off to the countryside, and from then on, she had never again returned to Braptin nor crossed paths with Jerred.

It wasn't until a year ago that her uncle finally tracked her down in the small, weathered cabin where she had been living all that time.

People all assumed she had married Jerred to escape the hardships of life in the countryside and to claw her way into wealth and status.

But only Thea knew the truth-how her heart had pounded with joy when she first learned she would become Jerred's bride.

Even so, she understood the marriage for what it was: a fleeting dream granted by fate, fragile and short-lived.

Now came the moment to wake up from that dream.

Outside the house, the storm raged across the night sky, lightning splitting the darkness while thunder rolled like cannon fire.

Curled beneath her blanket, Thea pulled the covers tighter around her, her heart gradually calming down.

The next morning, it was the shrill buzz of her phone that pulled her from sleep.

Jerred's mother's voice cut through Thea's drowsiness like a blade, dripping with disdain. "Still in bed at this hour? How did my son end up stuck with someone so lazy like you?"

For a full year, Thea had endured Maggie Willis' barbed remarks without a word in return.

Her silence had never come from weakness.

She had held her tongue because clashing with Maggie would only make Jerred's life harder.

As the head of Braptin's most powerful company, he already shouldered enough weight; she had never wanted to add family strife to his burdens.

But today, something inside her shifted. She was done enduring something like this.

Maggie's scorn only deepened. "If my family hadn't been desperate last year, I'd never have agreed to you marrying my son. You don't deserve to be with him. You'll never be good enough for him-"

Thea sat up, her voice calm but edged with steel. "You're right. I've never been worthy of Jerred. But marriage isn't only about one person; it's about both of us."

Drawing a steady breath, she continued, "If I'm such a disappointment, then tell your son to divorce me and marry someone you think is worthy. Jerred married me a year ago because he had to, but now, those problems your family was facing are gone, aren't they? He can divorce me."

Maggie froze, her tongue knotted. She was stunned by Thea's retort.

She couldn't believe that the woman who had always been submissive and quiet now had the guts to snap at her.

Was Thea out of her mind?

Just then, Thea's voice echoed again, sharp and unyielding. "Did you really call me just to scold me, Maggie? If you have that much free time, maybe use it to convince your son to divorce me. I'm not wasting another second on you. I'm going back to bed. Bye!"

She ended the call in one decisive motion, leaving Maggie no chance to reply.

Maggie's fury spiked when Thea ended the call, her chest heaving.

Not only had Thea brushed off her scolding, but she'd also dared to show not the slightest shred of respect toward her.

That insolence gnawed at Maggie until her temper boiled over.

Seething, she dialed Jerred's number. The instant he answered, she unleashed her rage, exclaiming, "Has your wife lost her mind? I called to wake her up, but she snapped at me instead-told me to tell you to divorce her! Who does she think she is, acting so arrogantly?"

In the hospital corridor, Jerred stood motionless, gaze drifting to the rain-washed leaves outside the window. A faint crease deepened between his brows as frustration pricked at him. "Thea really said that?"

"She did!" Maggie spat the words like daggers. "Jerred, I've told you over and over again this past year to divorce her, but you always make excuses to avoid it. Now that she's the one bringing it up, it's the perfect chance. I don't care what excuses you have; you need to end your marriage to her now! Do you have any idea how many people in high society laugh at our family behind our backs just because you married her? You-"

"Mom," Jerred interjected, his frown remaining. "The storm last night probably kept Thea awake with all that thunder. She was probably just in a bad mood."

He flicked his eyes to the glinting metal watch on his wrist, then added evenly, "It's only seven, and there's nothing urgent today. Why disturb her rest?"

As the words left his mouth, his gaze shifted toward the ward's doorway, where a frail figure in a hospital gown stood leaning against the frame.

His expression tightened, and he lowered his voice. "Something's come up. I'll hang up now."

Sliding the phone into his pocket, he walked toward Jaylynn. "Why are you out of bed?" he asked, his voice edged with concern.

Looking pale and weak, Jaylynn offered him a faint smile. "I overheard your mom saying Thea wants a divorce... Is it because of me?"

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked at him. "Jerred... Should I never have returned?"