"Grandma is old. This is a matter for you young people, and I can’t interfere. Since Kaden wasn’t blessed enough to be with our Wren, I can’t stand in the way of you pursuing a better future."

"It’s good that you’re divorcing. A clean break. From now on, you can still think of me as your grandma. When you have time, come visit this old lady and keep me company, alright?"

"Grandma..."

Wren Wynter couldn’t hold back any longer. She threw herself into Old Madam Xavier’s arms and began to sob, like a child who had finally found solace after being wronged. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

It was as if all the grievances she had suffered recently found an outlet in that moment.

Old Madam Xavier gently patted her back, her own cloudy old eyes filling with tears as she murmured, "Go on and cry. It’ll be better once you let it all out... Things will get better from now on..."

Meanwhile, after dropping Seraphina Sutton off at the Azure Dragon Bay Apartments, a deeply agitated Kaden Xavier drove back to his office.

The image of Wren Wynter’s determined departure haunted his mind like a nightmare.

He had just stepped into the CEO’s office when his assistant followed him in with a few documents.

Kaden Xavier waved his hand in annoyance. "Tell Wren Wynter to come see me."

The assistant looked at Kaden Xavier, stunned and confused. "Mr. Xavier, Dr. Wynter has already resigned. Didn’t you know?"

"What?!"

Kaden Xavier shot up from his chair, his voice suddenly sharp with incredulous fury.

"Resigned? Who approved it? When did this happen? Why didn’t anyone tell me!"

The assistant braced himself and replied, "It... It was a standard resignation process. The director said the resignation form had your signed approval, so the HR department processed it directly."

"My signature?"

Kaden Xavier froze, then it hit him. Wren Wynter had indeed given him a few documents to sign, and he had signed them without even looking.

’She planned this all along!’

She had tricked him into signing the papers, then quietly left the company, vanishing from his sight.

’What does she take me for?!’

Kaden Xavier sat in his office with a dark expression, his hands on the desk slowly clenching into fists. Even his breathing felt tight.

—

That evening, Wren Wynter returned to Crystal Nash’s small apartment from the Xavier family’s old residence.

As soon as she got back to her room, she received a text from Ho-ran Park.

[Hey Junior, next week, our mentor is taking a few of us to Ostrale for a ten-day international cardiothoracic surgery symposium. Do you want to go? It’s a rare opportunity. A lot of top international experts will be there.]

[Did our mentor agree to this?]

[He’s just too proud to ask you himself. He really wants you to come, so he had me ask if you wanted to go.]

A soft look flickered in Wren Wynter’s eyes.

[Okay, I’ll go.]

[Great. I’ll book six tickets then, and we’ll all go together.]

Wren Wynter ended her chat with Ho-ran Park.

Next week was still a week away. She had to use this time to finalize the divorce and prevent any further complications.

She then opened her chat with Kaden Xavier.

[The day after tomorrow, ten in the morning, at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Bring your documents for the divorce. Don’t be late.]

There was no reply.

Wren Wynter didn’t mind. In any case, Kaden Xavier had no reason to back out.

Two busy days passed in a flash.

On the morning of the third day, it was 9:50 AM.

Outside the Marriage Registration Office of The Capital’s Civil Affairs Bureau.

The early autumn sun was bright, but there was a chill in the air.

Wren Wynter was wearing a simple, cream-colored trench coat over a black knit dress. Her makeup was light, and she held a document folder in her hand.

She arrived ten minutes early and stood waiting quietly under a tree to the side of the entrance.

The minutes ticked by.

At ten o’clock sharp, Kaden Xavier hadn’t appeared.

Wren Wynter frowned, took out her phone, and dialed his number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. The background was noisy; she could faintly hear airport announcements and the murmur of a crowd.

"Hello?" Kaden Xavier’s voice came through, devoid of any emotion.

"Kaden Xavier, where are you? I’m already at the Civil Affairs Bureau."

There was a two-second silence on the other end before Kaden Xavier’s magnetic voice replied in a business-like tone, completely unapologetic for standing her up.

"I was just assigned an emergency flight mission. I have to take off immediately. I’m at the airport right now."

"An emergency flight mission?" Wren Wynter’s voice turned cold. "What a coincidence. Right at ten this morning? Kaden Xavier, you..."

Before she could finish, a soft female voice, distant but clear enough to hear, came from the other end of the line.

"Kaden, are you ready? We should get going."

It was Seraphina Sutton.

Wren Wynter’s fingers, clutching her phone, turned white at the knuckles.

’The airport?’

’An emergency mission?’

’And he’s with Seraphina Sutton?!’

’He’s doing this on purpose!’

"Kaden Xavier!" Her voice suddenly rose. "Are you doing this on purpose? I told you two days ago that we were getting divorced today, and you..."

Kaden Xavier didn’t give Wren Wynter a chance to continue, hanging up on her abruptly.

"Hello? Kaden Xavier! Kaden Xavier!"

Wren Wynter stared at her phone, now emitting a dial tone, her expression ugly.

She tried calling back, but his phone was already off.

A huge wave of powerlessness and rage threatened to drown her.

She stood at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, her eyes vacant.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, motionless, until her phone rang again, pulling her back from her thoughts.

It was Joy Lynch.

"Wren, how did it go? Are you done? Crystal and I are at the mall, waiting for you to come celebrate your return to single life!"

A lump formed in Wren Wynter’s throat. It took her a moment to find her voice. "He didn’t show. Said he had an emergency flight mission and went to the airport."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by Joy Lynch’s furious shouting, her voice rising an octave: "Fuck! That bastard Kaden Xavier! He definitely did it on purpose! That scumbag! So low! Wren, don’t be sad. Where are you? We’ll come pick you up right now!"

"There’s no need." Wren Wynter took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I’m fine. I’ll just head back on my own."

"Head back where?! Come meet us! You have to blow off some steam today! Wait, send me your location. We’re coming to get you!"

Joy Lynch hung up without waiting for an argument.

「Half an hour later.」

Crystal Nash and Joy Lynch drove up and found a dejected Wren Wynter standing by the side of the road.

Without a word, the two of them pulled her into the car and took her to the city’s most bustling shopping district.

"Shop! Buy whatever you want today! It’s on me." Joy Lynch patted her chest proudly.

Wren Wynter looked at Joy Lynch with amusement and poked her on the forehead.

"Forget it. With your salary, you’d better save your money."

"If hers isn’t enough, I’ll cover the rest."

Crystal Nash raised an eyebrow, looking at Wren Wynter playfully.

Wren Wynter really didn’t have the energy to argue. Her plan for the day was to get divorced and then go to the service center to apply for her passport, but Kaden Xavier had stood her up.

"Alright, so you got stood up. We’ll just schedule it again when he gets back. We can’t waste today."

A smile touched Crystal Nash’s lips. She exchanged a look with Joy Lynch, and together they flanked Wren Wynter, guiding her toward the mall.

The three of them shopped for a while before heading into a dessert shop to rest.

They had just sat down and ordered when the sharp-eyed Joy Lynch pointed through the floor-to-ceiling window at a high-end maternity and baby store across the street.

"Hey! Look, that person... isn’t that Kaden Xavier? And the woman with him, is that Seraphina Sutton?"