Misfortune never came alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tears Sienna had been holding back finally spilled over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, a warm hand suddenly closed around her wrist, firm and unyielding as it pulled her upright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That person led her through the chaotic crowd, heading toward a balcony where a faint glow of light lingered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna instinctively thought it was Clayton, and the tension in her body eased slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hurriedly wiped away her tears and said in a deliberately nonchalant tone, \u201cIsn\u2019t it a little strange to suddenly say you want to celebrate my birthday now? We\u2019ve been married for three years. If you wanted to celebrate, you would\u2019ve done it long ago. Why bother now that we\u2019re about to get divorced?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you really insist on celebrating, why not just treat me to a breakup dinner on the day we finalize the divorce? It would be even better if you buy some fireworks to celebrate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf funds allow, set them off for three days straight. But don\u2019t even think about deducting that money from my 50 million\u00a0<\/p>\n
dollars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man ahead of her kept pulling her forward in silence, not saying a single word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna frowned. \u201cHave you gone mute? Or are you being stingy again? If you don\u2019t want to spend the money, just forget it,\u00a0<\/p>\n
then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was still no response.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only then did she realize that something was wrong. She tried to pull her hand free, but the man held her in a vise\u2013like grip, completely immovable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She started worrying that the man was a human trafficker. Cold sweat broke out along her back as she lifted her leg, ready to\u00a0<\/p>\n
kick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By then, he had already brought her to the balcony. Under the dim moonlight, he finally released her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The night breeze brushed against her cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna looked up and finally met Ethan\u2019s deep, unfathomable gaze. His fringe was tousled by the wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his hand was a dark gray handkerchief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWipe your face,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna lowered her head and glanced at her dress. Champagne had soaked into the fabric, spreading into blotches of deep and pale yellow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rejected him coolly. \u201cI don\u2019t need it. Why did you drag me out here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan withdrew his hand, the handkerchief clenched tightly in his palm. \u201cAren\u2019t you afraid of the dark?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped being afraid a long time ago.\u201d Sienna smiled, but her gaze was ice\u2013cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would I have survived those nights locked in the basement if I had still been afraid of the dark? I would have been scared to death,\u201d she continued bitterly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s throat tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment of silence, he asked, \u201cAre you really getting a divorce from Clayton?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what if I am?\u201d Sienna asked defensively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 82\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna\u2019s eyes glistened with tears and shone brightly, yet her voice carried a sharp chill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s none of your business. Weren\u2019t you secretly pleased when you saw them tearing into me again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnna, that\u2019s not what I was thinking.\u201d Ethan frowned, his tone gentle as he tried to reason with her. \u201cDad and Mom don\u2019t mean you any harm. They just want you to come home and have a meal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice softened further as he continued, \u201cPeople have to move on eventually. Clinging to the past will only hurt you in the end.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna almost laughed in anger. They really were taking turns lecturing her tonight. She\u2019d shaken off two of them, and now\u00a0<\/p>\n
here came a third.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shot back. \u201cOf course someone like you, who has only ever reaped the benefits, can say such things so lightly. How could you know what it feels like when you\u2019ve been a victim?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou enjoy all the benefits with a clear conscience, and now you accuse me of being distant?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan met her gaze calmly. \u201cI can help you if you want to take over Winger Group. Stop fighting with Dad. Whatever it is, talk it out properly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. \u201cCan you stop with the fake concern? You know perfectly well that\u00a0<\/p>\n
this isn\u2019t realistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly what you did when I was looking for a job\u2013you\u2019re rushing in to interfere before the results are even out. Do you really think that\u2019s for my sake? You\u2019re just doing it to ease your so\u2013called guilt. Ethan, you\u2019re still as selfish as ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s jaw clenched tighter, and creases formed in the handkerchief clenched in his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo home for a meal?\u201d Sienna continued, every word sharp as ice. \u201cWhy? So I can watch your family of four enjoying yourselves together? Am I supposed to be a decoration there? You can\u2019t eat without me? Did you guys skip meals when I wasn\u2019t around?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 83\u00a0<\/p>\n
She got the divorce and bolted 82 Misfortune never came alone.\u00a0 The tears Sienna had been holding back finally spilled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-she-got-the-divorce-and-bolted-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20156\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}