Chapter 6 I Am Going to Divorce Him

Joanna thought for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.

There could never be anything between them again. The truth no longer mattered.

At least he'd woken up. He was standing right there in front of her, alive and well. Claire hadn't been playing some cruel trick.

That was enough.

Joanna took half a step back, swallowing every question lodged in her throat. She turned to leave—and came face-to-face with her father Leon, just arriving home.

"Joanna?"

He looked startled to see her. Joanna had no interest in dealing with him. She acted as if he were invisible and brushed past.

Leon hadn't noticed Ethan yet. He shouted after her, "Stop right there! You see me and don't even say hello? Where are your manners? No wonder Justin doesn't like you."

Joanna stopped. Turned around. Her expression was ice-cold.

Leon pressed on. "I heard Justin's been getting close to some woman. Is it true?"

Ah. So that's why he'd bothered to stop her. He'd caught wind of the rumors.

Joanna figured Leon would find out about the divorce sooner or later. Might as well tell him now.

"No idea. But Justin and I are getting divorced, so whoever he's close to is none of my business."

To Leon's ears, this sounded like his daughter had been dumped and was pretending to be brave about it.

"You can't divorce him."

Justin had never treated him like a father-in-law worth respecting over the past three years. If they divorced, Justin would definitely pull his investment from Sterling Industries.

"Joanna, be more obedient. Win Justin back. You cannot get divorced."

This was her father.

She'd just told him she was getting divorced, and his first concern wasn't whether she'd been hurt. Only his own interests.

"Mr. Sterling," Joanna said—she didn't even call him Father anymore—"given how the company's been performing these past three years, even if Justin pulls his investment, it won't collapse. I already saved you once from financial ruin. If you still can't keep the company running, that says something about your competence. Maybe you should hand it over to me instead. Don't forget—before Mom died, she transferred all her shares to me. I have the right to take over."

She didn't wait to see the shock on Leon's, Stella's, or Claire's faces. She turned and walked out.

Only when she stepped outside and breathed the open air did her racing heart begin to calm.

Her mood was wretched. She walked without direction.

Before she knew it, she'd ended up at her grandparents' house—home to the only two people in the world who truly loved her.

When Joanna arrived, her grandparents were just sitting down to dinner. They lit up at the sight of her.

Her grandfather pulled her into a seat. Her grandmother hurried to fetch dishes and utensils, piling food into a bowl for her.

"Next time, let us know you're coming so we can make all your favorites. Lucky for you, I fried some fish today—the kind you love. Here, try it."

She placed a piece of fried fish in Joanna's bowl.

Joanna took a bite. The familiar taste hit her tongue, and her nose prickled with tears. She kept her head down, focusing on eating.

When she finally looked up again, she wore a bright smile.

"It's delicious, Grandpa, Grandma. I'm not leaving tonight. I want to stay a few more days and eat your cooking."

That evening, Justin returned home. A servant set out dinner—with only one place setting.

Justin looked surprised. "Joanna's not here?"

Before coming home, he'd notified the staff to prepare his meal.

Technically, he'd been notifying the staff. In reality, he'd been notifying Joanna.

He rarely ate dinner at home with her. Usually, at times like this, Joanna would treasure the rare opportunity for a meal together. She'd cook herself, set two place settings, and wait for him.

"Mr. Lawson, Mrs. Lawson left yesterday and hasn't come back."

Staying out overnight?

She didn't have many close friends. Her relationship with the Sterling family was strained. She'd probably gone to her grandparents' house.

Justin assumed Joanna was throwing a tantrum. So he decided not to call and ask when she'd be back.

Once she'd had her little rebellion and faced reality, she'd come home on her own.

Justin sat down to eat. His eyes fell on the steamed fish in front of him. Out of habit, he took a piece.

Joanna's steamed fish was always excellent. He usually ate quite a bit of it.

The moment the fish touched his tongue, he snapped back to attention. His brow furrowed.

This was nowhere near as good as Joanna's cooking.

His appetite vanished. He set down his chopsticks.

The servant stood nearby, nervous. "Mr. Lawson, is something wrong?"

"Why is this fish so fishy? And the texture's all wrong."

"That can't be—" The servant caught herself. "Perhaps... you're just used to Mrs. Lawson's cooking. The sauce she makes—I don't know how to replicate it."

Still, her own skills weren't bad enough to make something inedible, were they?

The servant figured Justin was in a foul mood because Joanna hadn't come home, and he was taking it out on her. She felt a flicker of resentment toward her employer's wife.

A married woman who doesn't stay home where she belongs, out all night instead. How indecent.

"If you can't make it, learn. If you can't learn, you're fired."

Justin had lost his appetite. He stood and headed to his room.

That night, alone in the master bedroom, he had trouble sleeping—an unusual occurrence.

Justin told himself Joanna couldn't stay at her grandparents' house for long. Her grandfather would get suspicious. In a few days, she'd definitely come back.

Five days later, she still hadn't returned. Instead, he got a call from Elizabeth.

"The servants tell me Joanna's been at her father's house for days and hasn't been taking the herbal medicine I gave her. How is she supposed to get pregnant at this rate? Tell her to come home immediately."

Justin sat in his office, rubbing his temples as he listened. He'd barely slept for days. His mood was foul. He forced himself to be patient. "Her grandfather's health isn't good. It's normal for her to help take care of him for a few days. She can take the medicine when she gets back."

"If her grandfather needs care that badly, they can hire a nurse. I don't care—she needs to come home today."

Elizabeth's tone left no room for argument. "Also, Hazel's been craving that chicken soup she makes. Tell her to come back tomorrow. I'll have the ingredients ready and waiting."

Calling Joanna home would be like extending an olive branch. The next time, she'd probably threaten divorce again.

He couldn't encourage this kind of tantrum.

"If Hazel wants something to eat, tell the servants to make it. She's never shown Joanna any respect, but she's certainly quick to order her around. Grandma, I need to get back to work. We'll talk in a few days."

He hung up.

His assistant knocked and entered, carrying his lunch. She opened the containers one by one and arranged them on his desk.

Justin's lips pressed into a thin line.

Before, Joanna had brought him lunch almost every day. The presentation was elegant. The food was perfectly prepared.

If he was too busy to eat, he'd have his assistant throw it away.

But these past few days, he'd managed to eat lunch on time—only it was all food his assistant had ordered.

Justin stared at the meal in front of him, his expression dark. He didn't pick up his chopsticks.

His assistant watched his face nervously, confused.

"Mr. Lawson, is it not to your taste?"

That didn't make sense. These were all dishes he usually enjoyed.

Justin came back to himself. "No. You can go."

After the assistant left, Justin picked up his utensils and ate slowly, methodically. Something felt missing, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Joanna spent a week at her grandparents' house. Her mood improved considerably—until she suddenly felt dizzy in the bedroom and nearly collapsed. Fortunately, her grandparents didn't notice.

Not wanting to worry them, Joanna made an excuse to leave.

Considering she was a married woman now, it wasn't appropriate to stay too long anyway. Her grandparents didn't try to stop her.

After leaving, Joanna went straight to the hospital for a checkup.

Last time, the doctor had told her to bring a family member to discuss treatment options. She hadn't been able to reach Justin.

She needed to see the doctor again.

Walking into the hospital lobby, she waited for the elevator. In that brief moment, she noticed three familiar figures.

Her gaze locked in place.