Chapter 1 Divorced

• The strong, luxurious scent still lingered in the spacious bedroom.
• Gemma Lewis checked her phone, and a headline caught her eye.
• The CEO of Summers Corporation, Joel Summers, was seen entering and leaving Trayhan International Hotel with Patricia Quinn, the daughter of the Quinn family. They were intimate, and it seems that good news is on the horizon.
• Similar news had been circulating for some time now. Gemma scrolled through her photo gallery and found a picture of Patricia in a bathrobe taking a selfie, with Joel just having taken a shower behind her.
• This picture was more damaging than the rumors on the internet.
• With the sound of running water in the bathroom as the background, Gemma picked up a cigarette from the cabinet, walking towards the balcony. The smoke choked her, and tears streamed down her face. She did not have the habit of smoking after a stressful event, but she had picked it up after receiving that photo. She realized how foolish she was when she choked on the smoke.
• She heard the sound of the bathroom door opening and quickly put away her phone and cigarette. She walked over to help Joel dry his hair, but he shook his head and did it himself, which was unusual.
• "There is something in the drawer. Take a look," he said.
• She had already looked at what was in the drawer and knew that this day would come eventually, but she didn't expect it to come so soon.
• Gemma took out the divorce agreement and looked at him. The man had deep, well-defined eyebrows and a chiseled face. His eyes were as black as obsidian, and he appeared aloof. His nose was straight, and his lips were thin and slightly cold, making him difficult to approach.
• Joel smelled the faint scent of smoke and frowned impatiently. "Check the compensation terms, and if you have any requirements, just say so."
• "Do we have to rush this? Grandma just had surgery..."
• "There's no point in delaying it. Don't forget that you accepted our agreement when we got married. Our agreement was for three years."
• Before he could say anything else, Gemma said, "Oh, I don't need any compensation. The Summers family hasn't mistreated me."
• "After the divorce, you can continue living here. Grandma likes you a lot."
• "I don't need to." Gemma laughed at herself and swallowed the bitterness in her mouth. "Do I continue living here as the daughter of the Summers family or as the wife of Joel?"
• Joel was a little impatient, but when he thought about how she had taken care of him meticulously for the past three years, even going against her family for him, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
• After thinking for a moment, he said, "If you want to move out, I can compensate you with an apartment."
• "No need." Gemma hesitated and asked, "Joel, we've been together for so long, don't you have any lingering feelings?"
• They had been married for three years. Did he feel nothing?
• Joel furrowed his brow and looked at her for a while. As a wife, Gemma was impeccable.
• But what did that matter? Her goal was wealth and status.
• "You didn't even graduate from college. If Grandma knew that I didn't take good care of you, she wouldn't be at ease." Joel's voice was still as indifferent as ever. She suddenly laughed. He was doing this just to avoid his grandmother's anger falling on Patricia, who hadn't even married him yet but he had already started clearing obstacles for her.
• "Never mind, you still think I'm trying to climb the ladder of power in the Summers family after all this time. There's no need for any compensation. Let's just part ways amicably." Gemma shook her head.
• Joel looked at her, and although he didn't like her at heart, he couldn't help but admit that this woman was exquisite from head to toe. Her eyelashes were as thick as tiny brushes and trembled slightly. A faint rose fragrance seeped out of her tender skin. If it weren't for her pale complexion, she would be like a beautiful painting.
• "The Summers family doesn't treat people who have done good deeds unkindly. You deserve this."
• With a snort, Gemma signed the divorce agreement and closed it. "Take some time to go to the civil affairs bureau."
• Her mood was indescribably heavy. She had been Mrs. Summers for three years, giving up her family and friends and working hard on her marriage, only for it to be worthless to him.
• Since things had come to this, there was no need to ask about the secret from twelve years ago.
• "I'm free the afternoon after tomorrow." Joel no longer forced her and hesitated momentarily, "Although Grandma's surgery was very successful, her body is weak and cannot withstand any blows."
• "Eager to get rid of me and afraid I'll complain?" Gemma sneered. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back to my room."
• Joel watched her leave with a slender figure, feeling inexplicably lonely.
• Back in her room, Gemma could no longer hold back her emotions and silently cried under the covers. The love she had humbly begged for was now shattered. Her phone beeped nonstop with messages, and she knew who they were without looking.
• Perhaps because she didn't get a response from her, the other person called directly. Gemma was annoyed and snapped, "What do you want?"
• "Don't you know what I want? You've occupied Mrs. Summers' position for three years; it's time for you to give it back to me. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because the old lady is backing you up. Have you received the divorce agreement, Gemma Lewis? What does it matter if you have a name if you can't keep a man's heart?"
• Gemma's heart sank as her fingertips turned white. Joel had even told Patricia about the divorce, but what about her? What was she to him?
• "If you loved him, how could you bear to leave him when he was going to die? Mrs. Summers' position was never yours!"
• Gemma hung up the call after that and read every text message she received while her fingers trembled. She received a series of pictures. Those were pictures of Patricia attending business meetings with Joel and the gifts she received from him. She had never been to business meetings with him and yet Patricia was invited to every occasion. However, that was not the end of it as she continued to receive offensive messages from her. She had received a pregnancy test and she was shocked to find out that Patricia had been eight weeks pregnant. This stunned her so much that her mind went blank. She finally knew why he wanted to divorce her so soon. "So what if you've been married for three years? You don't even have a child with him for the last three years you've been married to him anyway!"
• "As soon as I said I liked painting, he bought me a gallery and gave me whatever I wanted. Gemma, do you have the same power of speech in front of him as I do?"
• "We were together every night when he was away on a business trip. Count how many days you were alone."
• Gemma sneered and curled her lips. It was boring to be so trampled upon with sincerity. She took a deep breath and dialed the number she hadn't contacted for three years. It only rang once before it was answered.
• "Ian..." Gemma cried out.
• "Why are you crying? It’s been three years. Time to come back home now. Everything’ll be fine." The man's voice was indulgent yet domineering.