Chapter 4

"Brandon, w-w-w-why... Brandon, you're finally here..."

Seeing Brandon walk over with a grim expression, Chloe quickly scrambled to her feet, her face tear-streaked.

"Brandon, I just wanted to persuade Riley not to be so impulsive, not to insist on a divorce."

"But, but the moment I arrived, I saw Riley cut all these things up..."

"I tried to stop her, but Riley tore off my necklace the moment she saw it..."

"She, she said that if it's trash she doesn't want, then I shouldn't have it either..."

"Brandon, this... this is the necklace you gave me, how could it be trash she doesn't want..."

Chloe then opened her palm, revealing the necklace.

But seeing the necklace broken in two in her hand, Chloe's tears flowed even more fiercely.

"This, this, how did it break... Boo hoo hoo... Brandon, I'm sorry... It's my fault, I didn't protect the necklace you gave me... I'm sorry..."

With that, Chloe clutched the necklace, sobbing uncontrollably in Brandon's arms.

"Trash she doesn't want?"

Listening to Chloe's fragmented words, Brandon's eyes darkened.

He took the necklace from Chloe's palm and walked towards me, step by step.

"You said it's trash?"

Brandon's voice was low, his eyes dark and unreadable as he stared at me.

"I..."

Meeting Brandon's angry gaze, I bit my lip and said nothing.

What did it matter if it was trash or not? He had already given it to Chloe, which meant, in his heart, the necklace no longer held its original meaning.

So why bother caring if I had said such a thing?

"Hmph."

Suddenly, Brandon let out a cold scoff.

He tightly clenched the necklace in his hand and suddenly flung it upwards.

The necklace cut an arc through the air, then fell directly to the floor with a sharp clang.

"If it's trash, then we don't need it."

Without waiting for me to speak, Brandon turned, took Chloe's hand, and walked out of the studio.

Watching Brandon's retreating back and the broken necklace on the floor, my heart had already gone numb from the pain.

I cleaned up the mess on the floor, throwing all the cut and torn items into the trash.

That included the broken necklace. Then, I grabbed my bag and left.

With the competition approaching, I had no time, nor did I want to waste it on these things.

Chloe had ruined many of my materials, and I still needed to finish the outfits before the competition.

The next few days, Chloe didn't bother me.

I immersed myself in the studio, focusing solely on my work.

The weekend quickly arrived. Early in the morning, I packed my things, ready to head to the venue.

But just as I stepped out of the studio, Brandon's silver Porsche appeared conspicuously at the entrance.

"Get in."

Brandon's cold voice startled me, then I felt a wave of resignation.

Right. I was his wife, the Hayes family's daughter-in-law.

Whether it was seven years ago or after the accident, we were always the affectionate, model couple in public.

For an international competition like "Starlight," where Brandon was a special guest, it was only natural for us, as husband and wife, to attend together.

But, since I had already decided to divorce him, why should I care about the Hayes family's reputation or Brandon's "face"?

At this thought, I turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

"I told you to get in the car, are you deaf?"

Seeing me turn away, Brandon frowned tightly. He quickly opened the car door, rushed after me, and grabbed my wrist.

"Brandon Hayes, why should I listen to you?"

I looked up, meeting Brandon's icy gaze.

Brandon froze. He had never expected me to resist him.

The hand gripping my wrist trembled involuntarily, then a hint of anger entered his eyes.

"Riley Maxwell, you're my wife. If you don't listen to me, who will you listen to?"

With that, without waiting for my reply, Brandon forcefully shoved me into the car.