Blurb：
In the glittering metropolis of Seavora City, Carmoria, Joelle Jewell’s life shatters when her husband Nathan Ziegler demands a divorce to appease his college mistress Sophie. Forced to sign papers as a “show,” Joelle endures public humiliation as Nathan’s friends mock her obedience. But beneath her silent facade lies a breaking point.
When a mysterious message proposes marriage, Joelle’s simple reply—”Okay”—ignites a chain of events that upends Nathan’s cruel game. From blocked messages to a one-way ticket to Parisia, Joelle plots her escape from a toxic marriage rooted in childhood trauma. Can she trade Nathan Ziegler’s betrayal for a new beginning, or will Sophie’s manipulations destroy her last chance at happiness?
Dive into a story of revenge, resilience, and redemption where the quietest voices roar the loudest.
Content：
Seavora City, Carmoria.
Nathan Ziegler’s side chick, Sophie, was melting downagain.
He shoved the divorce papers at me. Just sign. It’s for show. Gotta keep her calm.
I clutched my dress, gave a small nod, and signed. No fuss. No scene.
As I turned to leave, one of his buddies snorted, “Joelle’s way too obedient. Bet she’d fetch the divorce decree if you asked.”
Nathan lit a cigarette, smirking. “Wanna bet?”
To them, I was still the silent pushover. The girl who’d cry in court but still do what she’s told.
Trade one paper for anothermarriage for divorce.
I stared at my phone.
The message I’d received earlier: [Why don’t you just marry me?]
I typed back: [Okay.]
Chapter 1
The reply came back almost instantly: [?]
I shut off my phone.
Inside, the laughter kept rolling.
“Alright then! If Joelle’s really that obedient, drinks are on me next month!”
“Make it three,” Nathan said.
“Deal, deal!”
More laughter.
I bolted.
The second I hit sunlight, the tears came fast.
Nathan had fallen headfirst for Sophiea college kid. Spoiled her rotten with a sky-high suite in Seavora, designer everything.
However, she wouldn’t even let him touch herno hugs, no kisses.
She floated around like a queen, decked out in five-figure outfits, nose in the air like, “I’m not some side chick.”
Nathan? Ate it up.
This was Act Three of his tragic little drama.
Act One? I was the trophy wife.
Had no clue Sophie was even real.
I clung to him like a happy idiot, snapping selfies.
He posted a grid of pics. I was glued to my screenwaiting, refreshing.
Nothing.
Turns out? Visibility: “Sophie only.”
Act Two? Picked a fight out of nowhere. Left me bawling on the curb.
Snapped a pic and texted her: [See? Can’t help it. She just can’t leave me.]
Now? Final actdivorce.
Phone buzzed.
[Seriously?]
[You serious, Joelle Jewell?]
I wiped my face, smiled, typed: [Yeah.]
***
That afternoon, Nathan actually drove me to the law firm.
He was in a freakishly good mood the whole ride. “Where should we go for our anniversary trip?”
Three years married. Childhood sweethearts.
“How about Praven? You’ve wanted to feed those dumb pigeons at Praven Square since you were, what, seven?”
He hopped out first, opened my door, even unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Tsk. Were you crying?” He frowned, brushing under my eye. “Told you, it’s just for show. That little birdI’m just waiting for her to crack.”
Then something slipped from his pocket.
A box of rubbers.
He cleared his throat. Rubbed his nose.
Didn’t bother lying.
Walked me inside like none of it mattered.
It went fast.
I had aphasiacouldn’t talk to strangersbut nodding was enough.
The lawyer asked, “Divorce by mutual consent?”
Nathan: “Yes.”
Me: nod.
“Irreconcilable differences?”
Nathan: “Yep.”
Me: nod.
Signed.
Stamped.
The lawyer said, “I’ll file it in court. You can pick up the decree there in a month.”
Nathan snatched the photocopy like a trophy.
Didn’t even wait to leave the building. Snapped a pic. Sent it.
Ding.
I received a piece of message. Of courseSophie’s.
Screenshot: the papers. His message: [Happy now? Get cleaned up for me tonight.]
I opened her profile.
Blocked.
Right after, another pingflight ticket confirmation.
Chapter 2
At the same time, a message popped up:
[Ticket’s booked. See you in Parisia in a month.]
***
That night, Nathan showed up in my dream.
Not the smug jerk he becamebut little Nathan.
“Joelle, your eyes are so pretty. Can I look at them when I talk to you?”
“Joelle, you play piano so beautifully. Can I come listen every day?”
“Joelle, I like you the most! When we grow up, I’m gonna marry you!”
And I liked him too.
We sat together in class, played after school.
Even the day my parents died, I was in his family’s car, goofing around.
We were midCrock-paper-scissors when the truck came out of nowhere.
Boom
My parents. My brother. Even my dog. Gone.
The cars were impossibly closeI watched helplessly as my entire family perished.
After that, I couldn’t speak.
Couldn’t sleep unless Nathan was there.
He used to be differentgentle, patient.
Helped me learn to talk again. Told me stories when the nightmares got bad.
Anyone called me “dumb,” he’d deck them. No hesitation.
Marrying him? Back then, it just felt right.
The day after I graduated college, he leaned over my bed at dawn.
“Joelle, let’s get married.”
So we did. Just like that.
In the dream, roses were everywhereblood red, flooding the bed we used to share.
He knelt on it, kissed me.
“Joelle, we’ll be this happy forever.”
Then I woke up.
Pitch black.
I fumbled for my phone.
New messagefrom Sophie.
A photo.
Their bed.
Trashed.
Red smears across the sheets.
My stomach twisted.
I ran for the bathroom, dry heaving over the sink.
Nothing came upjust tears.
I slid to the floor, hugging my knees, freezing tile under me.
At some point, my hand must’ve hit something on the screen.
Then
A deep voice.
“Joelle?”
My heart stuttered.
I grabbed the phone. “WiCWilliam?”
***
William Windsor was just another name on the patient list. One of us.
Three years deep into therapy and yeah, aphasia still flared up now and then, but I could talk again. Mostly.
Unless I was spiraling.
In the early days of my marriage, I was doing alright. Life felt… breathable. So I joined a support group. Got paired with a check-in buddy.
That buddy? William.
For almost two years, I thought he was a girl.
His profile pic? A pink bunny.
Username? “Angel.”
In the beginning, “she” barely acknowledged my existence.
But I got it.
We didn’t stay quiet because we wanted to. Sometimes life just sucker-punched the words out of us.
We might not say much. It didn’t mean we didn’t need someone.
So I kept texting.
Tiny slices of my life.
Voice notes. Stupid pics. Random videos.
Eventually, it felt like we’d been besties forever.
Then came our first calland bam. System error.
He was a guy.
***
“S-Sorry,” I whispered, clutching my phone. “I… didn’t mean to bother you…”
“You didn’t,” he said. “It’s 9 p.m. here.”
His speech was so smooth now.
And that was only our second call.
Ever since I found out he wasn’t a girl, I’d kept my distancehadn’t texted or talked to him for almost a month.
This time was a total accident.
Last time, Nathan handed me the divorce papers.
William just happened to text and ask what I was doing.
My brain just short-circuited the second I saw the divorce papers.
Chapter 3
I only replied: [Getting divorced.]
After signing the papers, I ducked outside Nathan’s office, shaking.
[William, I think I’m about to lose my home.]
No dad. No mom. No brother. Not even the dog I loved more than most people.
And now? No Nathan.
What was even left?
Didn’t expect his reply:
[Why don’t you just marry me?]
Inside, the circus rolled on.
“Yeah right, like Joelle’s actually pulling off a divorce. The second she dumps Nathan, she’ll forget how to speak.”
“If she ends up in court, she’ll totally lose it. Full meltdown.”
“Really?” Nathan let out a laugh.
Tossed his lighter on the table. “Even if she’s bawling in court, she’ll come crawling back and do whatever I say.”
I stared through the door crack at the guy who used to be my everythingand now looked like a complete stranger.
And I texted William:
[Okay.]
***
William sent me a checklist.
Stuff to get done in a month:
Visa? Yep. Legal papers? Obviously.
But then came his real prioritylike twenty places I just had to eat at before leaving the country.
He messaged: [Carmorian food abroad tastes terrible. Trust me.]
I laughed and took it seriously.
Started checking off restaurants like it was my new job.
Living alone suddenly didn’t suck so much.
I ate, shopped, packed like a pro.
Then the day I finally ditched Nathan’s place, he texted:
[Not gonna call me? Don’t you miss me?]
Seriously? He was out vacationing with Sophie, doing the whole “let me show you the world” act.
Then came another text: [Bad girl.]
And a photo:
[Nice place. Should I bring you here for our anniversary too?]
Block him? I wanted to. The way I blocked Sophie without blinking.
But I still had to show up in court to collect the official papers, so I bit my tongue.
The next two weeks were a blur.
Sold off my jewelry, a couple bags.
Went to the hospital for a full checkupjust in case. Made sure I wasn’t pregnant.
Then I started sorting through all the assets Nathan had left in my care over the years.
Night before the court date, he finally rolled back into Seavora.
Called like it was some casual catch-up.
“Joelle, you moved out?”
***
He was used to me staying quiet on the phone.
Laughed to himself. “You’re too cute. I told you, it’s all just for show.”
Then, all chipper: “Let’s make the act complete. Tomorrow, come with me to pick up the decree.”
I gripped my phone.
He started, “Joelle, relax, it’s just”
“Okay,” I cut in.
A loud cheer exploded on his end.
I hung up.
Sent him the appointment time right after.
Next morning, I got up early.
Nathan showed up late. Of course.
And yeah, Sophie left a faint bite mark on his liphe pretended it wasn’t there.
So did I.
Whole thing was over in five minutes. Even faster than last time.
“Nathan, I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow,” he said, kicking my leg.
I slid the decree into my bag.
“Nathan, you free tonight?” I asked. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
He froze.
Ever since we got married, I’d only ever called him ‘Honey.’
Then he smiled, flicked his copy of the decree. “Sure.”
***
No matter who Nathan turned into this past year, I couldn’t completely erase the version of him from before.
I was still gratefulfor the years he stuck around, for the way he used to care.
So yeah, I hadn’t planned to leave without saying goodbye.
But then the storm rolled in.
Thunder. Lightning.
I hated nights like this.
The crash had happened on a night just like this.
Chapter 4
I tried to steady myself as I waited for Nathan.
Part of meugh, dumb as it soundswas scared that when he showed up, all those old habits would kick in.
That I’d fall apart and run straight into his arms.
But he never came.
Instead, he called.
I answered.
The background was a messloud music, people yelling, laughter.
“What redemption? What a joke! She drove me crazy for years!” His voice came. “If my mom hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have touched her!
“You know why we married so fast? Because she wouldn’t even let me touch her!
“I was just curiousshe gets aphasia when she’s emotional, right? So what about in bed? Can she even make a sound? Hahaha.”
Boom
The thunder hit like it was aimed at me.
Like something inside me just ripped apart.
I wanted to vanish.
To curl up somewhere no one could see me.
But where?
It was all rain.
All thunder.
All his voice, laughing.
Then William called.
“Joelle?”
His voice was so calm, it cut through everythingthe thunder, the rain, even the echo of Nathan’s voice.
“Are you crying?”
I wanted to say no.
Really tried.
But nothing came out.
And like my silence gave him the answer, the tears just broke loose.
“Stay where you are,” he said, steady as ever. “I’m coming to get you.”
***
Nathan was single again.
A bunch of spoiled rich kids threw a “singles party” at the club, drowning in shots and laughs.
Bodies were sprawled out like crash test dummies.
Nobody knew the time until someone half-conscious grabbed their phone.
“Holy crap! Big news!”
A few heads popped up.
“That mega-loaded CEO of Windsor Corp? He’s in Seavora. Took a private jet back overnight!”
One guy waved him off. “Nah. Wasn’t he, like, MIA in another country for a decade?”
“It’s real. He’s literally blowing up right now!”
Phones flew from hand to hand.
The party went from dead to buzzing.
“Yo, it’s him! And he’s holding some girl! Rumor says he flew back just to take her outta here!”
“No PR, no nothing? That urgent?”
“Lemme see!”
“Wait… that girl looks crazy familiar…”
Someone jabbed Nathan. “Dude. Tell me that’s not Joelle in his arms.”
Nathan had been awake. Just didn’t give a damn about anything Windsor-related.
“No way that’s Joelle.” He yanked the phone, clearly over it. “She’s too chicken to leave Seavora, let alone the country…”
One lazy glance at the picthen he froze.
Rain poured at the airport.
Under a black umbrella stood a tall guy with a cold, sharp jawline, totally blocking the downpour from the girl in his arms.
Nathan didn’t need a second look.
He knew that silhouette.
That hair.
That was Joelle.
Impossible.
He slammed the phone down, heart kicking up.
How the hell would she even know someone like William Windsor?
She’d literally asked him to meet her tonight. After a month of no contact, she had to be dying to see him.
Nathan lit a cigarette, then grabbed his phone.
Scrolled to her name.
His thumb hovered.
3 a.m.
Forget itshe’s probably out cold.
Then again, Joelle never missed his calls. Ever.
He lit the screen again.
Called.
“The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
Download the GoodNovel app, Search 【 460741 】reads the whole book.
