Chapter 352: Chapter 344: A Difficult Decision
“I want the child,” Emily was about to reach out and take the divorce papers.
Then she wouldn’t hesitate.
She tried hard to suppress herself, a strange sensation like needles in her heart.
But at the moment she heard these words, she suddenly looked at him.
Emily’s hand hovered above the divorce papers, her fingertips trembled slightly.
Carlos’s words, “I want the child,” felt like an ice spike, piercing her heart unexpectedly.
She abruptly lifted her eyes, the mist in them cleared instantly, leaving only cold clarity:
“When we got married, you said the child belonged to both of us. I have a mother’s rights.
Carlos’s Adam’s apple bobbed, avoiding her gaze, “Times change.”
“Yes, times change,” Emily laughed, but the laughter didn’t reach her eyes, “When you disappeared for a month, and I was supporting Carter Automotive with a pregnant belly, why didn’t you raise the issue of changing times?”
“And you never mentioned selling the stocks to Blackstone Capital.
Billions traded for a child.
You’re not losing anything.”
Emily said no more, grabbed a pen, and signed her name on the agreement.
The handwriting was elegant but carried a resolute force.
As she handed the signed paper over, her fingertips brushed against Carlos’s hand, and both of them recoiled as if burned.
“The divorce procedures…” Emily stood up, the weight in her abdomen made her slower, but she still straightened her back,
“I will handle them.”
“From now on, I’m even with the Carter Family and you.”
After saying that, she turned around and left, without a trace of reluctance.
The moment the study door opened, Mrs. Carter and Maria Carter’s figures came into view. It was clear they had been listening outside for a long time, their faces a mix of shock and anxiety.
“Emily…” Mrs. Carter tried to hold her hand, but stopped mid-reach, her eyes turning red as she looked at Emily’s swollen belly.
Emily smiled at them faintly, a smile so painful it was worse than crying, “Mom, Maria, I’m leaving.”
She didn’t explain, nor did she complain, walking straight through the hall towards the exit.
Maria could no longer hold back, rushed into the study, and saw Carlos holding that divorce agreement.
She snatched it away, saw the signature, and was so angry she trembled, “Brother! Are you crazy? Sister-in-law has done so much for you, and you give her this as soon as you return?”
Mrs. Carter also came in, pointing at Carlos with a trembling hand, “Carlos, you’ve disappointed me so much! Emily is pregnant with your child, how could you…”
Carlos turned his back to them, looking out at the completely sunken dusk, his voice hoarse, “This is between me and her.”
“What do you mean between you two?” Maria slapped the agreement down in front of him, “What about the child? Do you want him separated from his mother too?”
Carlos closed his eyes and said nothing more.
On the other side, just as Emily reached the gates of Cloud Lake Villa, Evelyn Hanson’s car pulled up.
The window rolled down, and seeing Emily’s pale face, Evelyn almost choked with anger, “That bastard Carlos! I’m going up there to tear him apart right now!”
“Don’t go.” Emily opened the car door and got in, her voice carrying a fatigue only found after exhaustion, “He’s not worth it.”
Evelyn saw Emily’s movement as she touched her belly, eventually suppressing her anger and starting the car, “Let’s head back to your place; I’ll stay with you.”
The car was about to drive off when a flashy red sports car suddenly came to a halt in front.
The window slowly lowered, revealing Rainny White’s meticulously made-up face. She glanced at Emily, a hint of smugness in her eyes. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
At this moment, Cloud Lake Villa’s gate opened again, and Carlos walked out.
He walked straight to Rainny’s car, opened the door, and got in, not once glancing Emily’s way.
The sports car roared away, its taillights quickly disappearing into the night.
Evelyn gripped the steering wheel in anger, her knuckles turning white, “What does this mean? Just signed the divorce papers and he’s off with another woman? What does he take you for!”
Emily kept her eyes closed, her long lashes casting shadows under her closed eyes.
It wasn’t until Evelyn finished speaking that she slowly opened her eyes, their calmness like a dead still pond, with only the moisture at the corners betraying her emotions.
“Drive,” she said softly.
Evelyn looked at her trying to maintain composure, her heart feeling blocked with pain.
She knew Emily was truly heartbroken this time. The girl who once said, “Carlos is her light,” was finally burned by that light.
The car slowly drove away, Emily gazing at the retreating nightscape outside the window, her hand unconsciously covering her pregnant belly.
There were two small lives quietly growing in there—her only support now.
From now on, she’d live only for herself and her children.
“Babies, I’m sorry… Mommy just made a very bad decision.” Emily’s fingertips lightly pressed against her bulging belly, the warm touch through the thin fabric made her throat tighten.
The voice in her heart trembled as if afraid of disturbing the breathing of the little lives inside.
She clearly could be more resolute, disappear completely with the two children, leaving the Carter family without even a shadow of them. The grievances borne through these days, Carlos’s coldness upon returning, the remark during the divorce that “the child belongs to the Carter Family”—which of these wasn’t enough to harden her heart?
But when the slight fetal movements came, her heart softened after all.
“Daddy… maybe he doesn’t love Mommy,” she shut her eyes, her lashes still wet with unshed tears, “But don’t worry, you’ll have a grandma who loves you so much and a proud aunt.”
A thought hidden deep within her surged—a thought she found absurd, yet that soft stubbornness unwilling to let go took root, wrapping around her heart with a sour, bitter vine.
In the dim light of the car, Carlos took out two divorce certificates, handing one to the woman beside him.
The dark red cover shone with a sullen light in the faint illumination, the embossed gold lettering like a cold brand.
The woman glanced sideways, a striking smile tugging at her lips.
That smile carried a hint of playfulness, a hint of pride, like a poppy blooming quietly in the night—beautiful with a dangerous air.
If Emily weren’t in a daze, mind in disarray, she would have noticed the difference between this woman and Rainny White—Rainny’s beauty was vibrant with youth, while this woman’s beauty hid a cold fierceness, her demeanor entirely distinct.
“Carlos, you haven’t let me down,”
The woman took the divorce certificate, her fingertips sliding over the cover, her voice lazy with a touch of certainty.
“In that case, let’s continue our collaboration.” She paused, her eyes suddenly sharp, “Next step, kill the Speaker.”
As soon as the words fell, she slammed the accelerator, the sports car’s engine growled lowly.
In an instant, it shot forward like an arrow off the string, the sound of tires across the pavement especially clear in the quiet night, the car quickly vanishing into the thick darkness, fast as a ghostly shadow.