Chapter 7
1035words
His face turned stormy. He crumpled up the divorce agreement and hurled it to the ground. He didn't buy that Gwyneth actually wanted a divorce.
Asher thought she was probably just acting out because she didn't want Liana to move abroad with them. After 12 years of loving him and giving so much, Gwyneth wouldn't leave him that easily.
"Where the hell is she? How much longer is she going to keep this up?" Asher growled.
The man sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Ms. Payne didn't mention her whereabouts."
Asher dialed Milena's number, his expression cold. "Call her and tell her to stop with the drama. I'm not about to please her. If she keeps this up, I'll sign the divorce papers. By then, I won't spare her a glance, no matter how much she cries and begs."
Milena fell silent for a moment, clearly troubled. "Mr. Crowe, Mrs. Crowe called yesterday at 3:00 pm, telling me not to contact her about you unless… you agree to sign the divorce."
3:00 pm?
Asher's face tightened when he caught that key detail. She never boarded the plane!
He glanced around the vast airport, confirming that Gwyneth wasn't anywhere, and fell into deep thought.
Half an hour later, as they headed to the new villa, Liana turned to look at Asher. He looked like he was about to explode with anger, clearly pissed that Gwyneth hadn't come with them.
Liana was thrilled on the inside but masked it with a worried expression. "How about we catch a flight back home and look for Wyn?"
Asher snorted. "I'll let her stew for a few days. She'll come crawling back before long."
The maids spent the next few days unpacking the deliveries and setting them up around the villa. Since the branch office wasn't open yet, Asher took the chance to travel with Liana.
On the first day, they went skiing and snapped some sweet, lovey-dovey photos. On the second day, they went camping, and Liana fed Asher some barbecue skewers.
They spent the third day watching the aurora, and in the videos Asher shared, he was attentive and caring toward Liana. Over the next three days, they went on shopping sprees, and Liana blew through a million dollars.
Asher hardly ever posted on Instagram, but for the past few days, he'd been flooding it with posts, almost as if to rub it in Gwyneth's face. They came back from the trip five days later.
Asher paced around the villa, feeling like something was off. "Where's Gwyneth's stuff?"
A maid approached, shaking her head in confusion. "Mr. Crowe, we unpacked everything from home but didn't find anything that belonged to a woman."
Asher's face hardened. "How long is she going to drag this out? Does she have to make everyone miserable to be happy?"
He pulled out his phone and made three calls, but Gwyneth didn't pick up.
Asher opened WhatsApp and typed fast. "This is your last chance, Gwyneth. Don't make me sign the divorce papers."
He hit send, but only one gray check mark appeared—Gwyneth had blocked him.
The maid standing close by said carefully, "Mrs. Crowe sent a package from home this morning."
"What is it?" Asher asked, looking her way.
The maid nervously handed him the document. "It's a divorce agreement..."
Asher stared at the same divorce agreement from six days ago. He finally went through it carefully. It outlined the division of assets, from stocks to property and vehicles.
His face drained of color, panic creeping into his eyes for the first time.
The maids quietly slipped into the kitchen as soon as they noticed Asher was in a bad mood.
Just then, his phone buzzed. He picked up the call from an unknown number.
"Mr. Crowe, I'm the lawyer handling Ms. Payne's divorce. You should've already received the divorce agreement. If you have any issues with the asset division, you can contact me anytime," Norbert said, sounding formal.
Asher's expression grew tense, his anxiety mounting.
Gwyneth had loved him for 12 years, but this time, she was dead set on divorcing him. She wasn't just acting out. She was genuinely done and wanted the divorce.
Asher quickly had Milena arrange the earliest flight home.
Liana's face fell, and she tugged at his arm. "Honey, how about we give Wyn a few days to cool off? She might change her mind about the divorce once she calmed down."
Asher shook his head. "I know her too well. When she makes up her mind, there's no changing it."
It was like when he was penniless, and Gwyneth went against her parents to marry him anyway. It was like when she had to take care of some elderly woman over 80 years old and do all the chores just to close a deal.
Liana's face went stone cold.
Two days later, Asher returned home to Laverston. The moment he stepped inside, he asked the maid what Gwyneth had been up to the past few days.
The maid shook her head, looking baffled. "Didn't Mrs. Crowe go with you overseas? No one's been here the past few days."
Asher made another call, only to hear the automated message saying the number was no longer in service.
"Goddamn it! Didn't I treat her right? Can she even find someone better than me after the divorce?" Asher was freaking out.
He suddenly thought of something and drove to the hospital to find Yvette. He burst into her office and asked urgently, "Where's Gwyneth? Do you know where she went?"
Yvette stared at him. Back when he'd brought Gwyneth here for treatment two years ago, he used to call her "Wyn" with so much love. Today, it was just "Gwyneth".
"Didn't you bring your girlfriend with you?" Yvette asked.
Asher's expression shifted, his voice tense. "She told you everything?"
Was Gwyneth trying to ruin him by airing their dirty laundry?
"Let me show you something," Yvette said, pulling out the consent form Gwyneth signed for her abortion ten days ago.
