Chapter 48
Chapter 48
In the crowded guest room, Hesper knelt on the floor and picked up the divorce agreements sheet by sheet and compiled them.
'This is my ticket out of the Duvals. It's also a turning point in my life where I get the fresh start that I deserve, so no matter how humiliating this is, I can't let it slip through my fingers.' "Thank you for the agreement. I'll sign it and hand it back to you later."
Hesper then stood up and turned around, ready to leave without saying a word.
Rickard was fuming. "Who gave you permission to leave!" There was not even a trace of warmth in the reprimanding tone. "I've made it very clear that you're to kneel in the yard to apologize!" "Rickard Duval, you'd better not push your luck."
"Is that a no?" He gave off a malevolent smirk. "If you don't want to kneel, that's fine by me. However, if that's your choice, you'll be deprived of your rights to visit your son from today onward!" Hesper gritted her teeth in anger. "Aside from threatening me, what else could you do?! Rickard Duval, are you even a man?"
Rickard's expression looked cold and stern. He did not care what she had to say; all he wanted was to force her into submission.
'If she's willing to admit her mistake and apologize now, and stop bringing divorce up all the time, I can consider taking my words back at any moment.'
However-
"Alright, I'll kneel! But Rickard Duval, you'd better keep your promise!"
Hesper exited the room and knelt in the middle of the yard under all
the watchful eyes of the Duvals and everyone who was working in the villa.
Nobody knew when it started, but the rain started to get heavier and heavier as soon as she started kneeling out in the open. It managed to completely drench her clothes in under a minute.
When Madam Duval and Sophia saw this scene, they could not help but reveal mocking smirks through the corners of their lips.
'At this point, it's impossible for Hesper and Dick to reconcile their relationship. Plus, the divorce agreement has already been signed, so she'll soon be driven out of the Duvals and no longer be part of the family.'
Seeing that her long-standing wish was finally going to be actualized, Sophia was so exhilarated that she could hardly conceal her
emotions.
Rickard glanced coldly at her at that moment, causing her to panic instantly. She could not retract her smirk in time, so her expression. became very awkward-looking.
Fortunately, Rickard was not in the mood to care about her at all and left the room angrily.
In the courtyard.
'This is not the first time I've been asked to kneel as a form of punishment. That bastard has used my baby to threaten me multiple times in the past.
'I've had enough of being slandered and bullied by the family members without any evidence. The quality of my life here at the Duvals' is, without a doubt, worse than being in hell.
'Perhaps our marriage was a mistake from the very beginning. I shouldn't have kept my hopes up high that Rickard would fall for me someday."
Her heart was cold, but the tears streaming down her cheeks were
warm.
Under the heavy downpour, Hesper could only weep silently.
She wept for herself and also for those countless days and nights when she got no concern from anyone living in the Duvals' residence.
"Mr. Duval, do you really want Mrs. Duval to continue to kneel like that out there?"
In the study, Benji stood behind Rickard with a worried look. Located directly in front of them was a huge French window, through which one could clearly see Hesper kneeling in the rain.
Benji continued to persuade him. "The young lady is very weak. If she were to continue to kneel in the rain, she might not be able to bear it. Maybe you can consider allowing her to get up and come back in?" "Benji, since when did you become so soft-hearted?"
Rickard's gaze looked unforgiving. He walked up to the wine cabinet and poured himself a large glass full of red wine. Raising his head, he drank it in a gulp while letting off a hint of ruthlessness through the corners of his eyes.
"I want to let her in too, but do you think she looks like someone who knows she's at fault in this matter? She's the one who got drugged and slept with some random man, but she still has the courage to humiliate Sophia and Juniper. Who does she think she is, and who gave her permission to betray me and our marriage?"
Benji did not follow him to the hospital earlier, so he did not know the details regarding the matter, but he heard the result from the others during the showdown in the guest room. Hence, he hesitated for a bit, and his tone sounded rather cautious.
"Mr. Duval, is there any misunderstanding here? The young mistress
really doesn't seem like someone who would cheat on you. You
should know her feelings for you over the years better than anyone else."