Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pounding on the door jolted Estre awake just as she had closed her eyes for the
night.
“Who the hell is it?” Estre grumbled, her irritation clear as her desire for sleep battled with the
persistent knocking.
No sooner had her voice faded than the knocking resumed with renewed vigor. Estre sighed, pushed
herself out of bed, and without even bothering with shoes, went to answer the door. The moment
Estre swung the door open and locked eyes with Jason, any trace of drowsiness evaporated,
reced by a cool, distant facade.
Before she could get a word out, Jason cut to the chase, “You got Serene to drug me? You want to set
me up with that cheating scandal?”
Originally filled with anger, he wanted tosh out at her, question her, but seeing her standing in front of
him like this, thinking about the fall she took three years ago, and realizing that he and she could never
go back, Jason suddenly couldn’t muster the He just calmly sought confirmation from her.
anger.
Estre met his gaze, and with a dismissive tone, she said, “Yeah, that happened.”
Her blunt admission sent a stab of pain through Jason’s heart. He had clung to a sliver of hope that
perhaps Serene was meddling, but Estre’s acknowledgment dashed it all.
Jason, hands still casually in his pockets, stared at Estre for a long moment, turned away in silence,
and then faced her again.
Unlike in the past when he would vent his anger on her, argue about right and wrong, or me her for
going too far, Jason just looked at her and said, “I promise you, when we go back, I’ll go through the
formalities with you.
Whether it was out of spite or sheer exhaustion, Jason was tired of holding on. Even when he had
discovered Estre was pregnant, he hadn’t thought of giving up. He’d always made excuses for her in
his mind, telling himself she was just being obstinate because she was angry with him for past
neglects, just like that fire seven years ago.
But Jason couldn’t stomach the thought of her pushing him into the arms of another woman, and he
couldn’t ept that she had Serene drug him.
In that moment, he felt a chill of disillusionment and an acute sense of loss, realizing how much Estre
despised him, and how desperately she wanted to be free of their rtionship.
Estre, he knew, was beyond his reach. She always told him to let her go, and this time. he would.
08-04
Estre was momentarily taken aback, then offered him a smile and a casual “Thanks.”
“Estre,”
himself son called out her name. She looked at him, expecting more, but he found
himself at a loss for words and simply added, Have a good night.”
“You too,” she replied.
Watching his retreating figure, Estre felt a sudden pang of empathy for his seeming solitude and
destion. As Jason rounded the corner and vanished from sight, she closed her door and leaned
against it, exhaling deeply. She gazed out the suite’s floor-to-ceiling windows, her thoughts drifting to
the phone call she had received from Serene just days before.
On Monday, Serene had called her and said, “Estre, are you sure you want to divorce Jason? Do you
really want me to help you?”
Estre had replied, “If you can help, I won’t mind.”
“Okay, I’ll help you,” Serene had said, then added, “If you really want a divorce, when Jasones to
have anypassion left, don’t want to be falsely used, and don’t want to disappoint Jason, you
can deny everything. I’ll take the fall.”
e you, just admit to whatever he asks. But if you w
“But Estre, if you deny it, then never bring up divorce again. Stay with Jason, live your lives together,
because deep down you still love him, and you don’t want to be
N?velDrama.Org is the owner.
misunderstood.”
And so, she had agreed to Serene’s proposal.
Now, with a chuckle, Estre acknowledged that she hadn’t misjudged Serene. She wa indeed the
cleverest, most adept at maniption, and it had taken just one move to shatter Jason’s resolve and
anger.
Estre couldn’t deny that Serene had also given her a chance to choose again. She cou have denied
everything when confronted by Jason, possibly leading to a different oue. But in that moment,
seeing Jason, she had chosen not to forgive. She had chosen to persist with the divorce.
She couldn’t forget the past, couldn’t bear the thought of him with someone else, and most crucially,
she had long since stopped liking Jason.
It was over. Everything was finally over.
Meanwhile, Jason didn’t return to his own suite. Instead, he found himself on the hotel rooftop, alone
with his thoughts and a cigarette.
was
The wind was fierce, tousling his hair, but his demeanor eerily calm, as if he were a
08:04
man without a soul.
He and Estre were finally to part ways.
He once thought that as long as they obtained the marriage certificate, whether they loved or fought
with each other, they would never be apart in this lifetime.
As thest drag of his cigarette burnt his fingers, Jason flinched, then snuffed out the butt
beside him.
Three dayster, as life resumed in the city center after the meeting, a call from Drew came through.
“Ms. Estre, Mr. Jason is already at the registry office,” Drew’s voice informed her through the phone.
Without hesitation, Estre replied, “Tell him to wait. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
Meals could be skipped, sleep could be missed, but a divorce was not to be dyed.
Back in her office, after hanging up with Drew, Estre nodded to Logan and dashed out to her car,
speeding toward the registry office.
“Ms. Estre,” Drew called out as she stepped out into the open air of the registry’s parking lot.
Estre turned and saw Jason’s car parked not far off. The end of their shared story was waiting just a
few steps away.
Estre felt a twinge of gratitude that he had agreed toe to the city hall, and rea end their
marriage. So, when she heard Drew’s voice, she couldn’t help but approach
“Ms Estre.” As Estre walked up to the sleek ck Maybach, Drew hurriedly ope the passenger
door for her.
ncing inside, Estre saw Jason, still d in his customary suit, his nose adorned his signature
gold-rimmed sses.
“Get in,” came Jason’s cool voice, prompting Estre to bend down and slide into the cal
Drew ge
gently closed the door behind her, and Jason reached for a thick stack of documents resting nearby.
“These shares are from my stake in Nelson International, this is a list of my fixed assets, and these
agreements,” he said, motioning to the papers, “wille into effect once you sign them.”
Estre remained silent as she looked over the documents Jason handed her.
Facing her reticence, Jason calmly assured her, “This is what you’re entitled to.” He had divided the
shares and assets, giving Estre her fair share.
Throughout their years of marriage, Jason had never been one to spend money on Estre. Now that
they had reached this juncture, he was not stingy in the least.