Elisa caught a whiff of smoke coming from Hamish’s direction and couldn’t help but cough. A tear formed at the corner of her eye from the cough.
Hamish stood up. “I’ll contact the lawyer right away and have them come over,” he said, and then left the room.
Elisa watched his back as she gently wiped away the tear from her eye. She felt so cold, even though it wasn’t winter yet. Her whole body felt chilled, as if there were shards of ice in her blood.
She didn’t want to cry, but the more she wiped away her tears, the more they kept falling. She covered her mouth, suppressing the throbbing pain in her heart.
Hamish made a phone call outside to the lawyer to draft the divorce agreement. He called the same person as before, Mr. Hunter. When Mr. Hunter heard “divorce agreement,” he paused for a moment. They had just fought a legal battle in court not long ago, and Hamish had refused to divorce. Why did he suddenly want a divorce now? Was their effort in the divorce case in vain?
Mr. Hunter didn’t know what Hamish was thinking, but after receiving the call, he hastily got out of bed, got dressed, grabbed his computer, and rushed to Shallow Bay. Despite the late hour, there was no traffic on the road, and Mr. Hunter arrived in forty minutes, a journey that usually took an hour.
The divorce agreement was based on Hamish’s intentions. After printing the documents, Hamish took the agreement and went to the bedroom.
“Take a look at the agreement. If you have any issues, point them out, and I’ll have the lawyer make changes,” he said.
Elisa unfolded the agreement in her hand and carefully read through it section by section. It wasn’t her first time dealing with a divorce agreement. The one the lawyer had drafted for her before was similar to this one, with the only difference being the division of marital property.
Unconsciously, Elisa had already flipped to the last page and was looking at the column for alimony. It clearly displayed a familiar figure: 800, 000, 000.
Eight hundred million. Hamish was being generous, even though she wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend it. But it was better to have it than not, and even if she didn’t want it, donating it would be better than rejecting it altogether.
Elisa held the pen and was about to sign when Hamish interrupted her.
“Elisa, are you really not reconsidering?” he asked.
“No need to consider. I’m satisfied. I didn’t expect to walk away from this divorce with such a large sum of money. It’s a good deal,” Elisa said without hesitation, and then she signed below.
Hamish watched Elisa sign her name. He placed his hand over his heart, feeling as if a sharp knife had been inserted there, stirring and causing unbearable pain.
This agreement would completely sever their relationship. After Elisa finished signing, she handed the agreement to Hamish. “Sign,” she said.
Hamish heard her words, but every word felt like a knife. His hand trembled, causing the paper and pen in her hand to shake. The hand holding the agreement continued to tremble, just like his heart at that moment.
He placed the agreement on the table, facing the signature below Elisa’s name. Her handwriting was as beautiful and graceful as she was, confirming that her heart held no remorse.
He gripped the pen tightly with his right hand and leaned closer to Elisa’s signature. With a smooth and flowing motion, he wrote “Hamish” above it.
After the final stroke, Hamish heard a clattering sound. He realized that the pen in his hand had fallen to the ground.
Hamish laughed through his tears. He had signed countless documents and agreements, but this particular one felt like it took half of his life away.
He had once wanted to divorce Elisa, but now, despite all his calculations to avoid divorcing her, he was the one who had to send her away.
He looked at Elisa, his wife, playing with the chain around her hand. No, wait… she was now his ex-wife.
His heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and he could only feel a sharp pain in his chest, as if something had just shattered there…