Chapter 312
Mason couldn’t sleep. The blood in the bedroom had been cleaned up a long time ago, be he could smell the coppery stench in the air, reminding him of the tragedy that took place a mere few hours ago.
He and Zoe had finally come to the end of the line.
Yanni cried for hours. He couldn’t calm her down until past midnight. Then, he passed her to Deborah to take care of her.
The night was dark and quiet when he went into the study. He was smoking on the couch and wisps of light green smoke lingered in the air. It was all around him, giving him a hazy, surreal look.
It seemed, incidentally, that there were a lot of painful memories for Zoe here in the study. He had done some unspeakable, humiliating things to her when he forced himself on her. Then, there was the time when he slapped her because of the vinyl. She grew cold to him after that.
If there was a
a specific time he would point at and say, “This is where it started going downhill,” it would be that slap.
He tried to salvage their marriage. However, Lisa was right, he had too many responsibilities on his shoulders and he couldn’t stay by Zoe’s side at all hours, making sure she didn’t do anything stupid. Yanni needed a mother who was free of
any mental illness as well.
With that said, he knew very well these were just excuses. He was well aware that
the special treatment might not necessarily cure her. She might not come back in
one piece. 0
The fact was, he had given up on her.
His eyelids started twitching and his lean fingers, which were holding the cigarette, were shaking as well. Then, he began drafting the divorce agreement. He was very
generous with the terms.
The first thing he did was guarantee Yanni’s rights and interests. Then, he wrote
that he’d transfer all of his real estate and most of the liquid assets to Zoe. On top of
that, he’d give her the jewelry his grandma left for her as well as the jewelry she had
worn in the past.
He was being way more generous and gave her a lot now, but there was no way he could guarantee that she would return to Brookesville in one plece.
Training his gaze on the piles of documents in front of him, he reached out suddenly
and swung his hand. At the next moment, the paperwork fell in the air, reminiscent
of falling snow. They remind him of his marriage with Zoe. Nothing could piece
them back together and make them whole again.
The chandelier was brightly lit on the ceiling as he slowly covered his tearful eyes.
He told himself it was just the smoke that stung them.
Snow started melting the next afternoon. It was cold outside, but it felt as warm as it
was in spring in Zoe’s ward.
Her long, black hair hung down her back as she leaned on the headboard. The
patient’s gown was hanging loosely on her body, gracing her with a fragile yet
exquisite look.
Mason was standing by the window and talking to her in a casual tone. He was
telling her how well Deborah was taking care of Yanni and how there was nothing to
be worried about.
He even told her about the divorce agreement he drafted and how it’d support her
for the rest of her life. She’d be able to lead a comfortable life even if she did nothing
to earn money.
His tone made it sound like he was telling her about some mundane stuff.
However, she had been married to him for years. She knew his character well. Once
he was done talking, she asked him calmly, “All of these come with a cost, right?”
Turning around, he stared at her quietly. After a brief moment, he said in a husky
voice, “I have a villa in the suburbs. It’s a private rehabilitation center. I want you to
receive treatment there. There’s a car downstairs, waiting for you.”
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Then, he trained his gaze on her.
If she begged him and said she didn’t want to go, he would’ve called off the idea. If she told him that she wanted to stay by his side, he would’ve gone soft and taken her back eventually. Even if it meant they’d torment each other again.
However, Zoe didn’t do anything like that.
She merely blinked when she heard what he said. There wasn’t so much as a hint of surprise on her face. It was as if she had known all along that this would be his decision.
