Chapter 28 Go to the Courthouse
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Michelle, still lying in the hospital bed, spoke up, “Let’s just calm down, Caroline.”
Caroline shot her a cold look. “No one else is here. Who exactly
are you putting on a show for?” she snapped. “Let’s be real. If anyone here’s dying for this divorce to happen, it’s you. Who else could it be?”
Caleb barked, “Was yesterday not enough? Now you want to throw another fit at the hospital?”
Caroline’s tone was icy as she repeated herself. “Just go to the courthouse. Now.”
Something seemed to click in Caleb’s mind.
His jaw clenched, the muscles in his face tightening with fury.
Then, without a word, he hurled the divorce agreement to the
floor.
“You’re unbelievable, Caroline! Really something else.”
Michelle glanced at him nervously. “Caleb…”
She could feel that he wasn’t ready to let Caroline go.
That divorce agreement? Just him lashing out as Caroline
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pushed his buttons too hard.
Caroline scoffed, “What? Having second thoughts, Caleb?”
Just then, Michelle pulled out a small whistle.
Tears glistened in her eyes.
“Remember this, Caleb? You and Matthew gave me one. You said if I blew it, you’d protect me. I lost Matthew’s when he passed. Caleb, this is all I have left… and you’re all I’ve got.”
Caroline rubbed her brow, clearly out of patience.
But just then, a faint, broken whistle echoed through the room.
Michelle was sobbing as she blew into it.
“I know this isn’t fair. I know I owe Caroline an apology. But Caleb, without the title of Mrs. Martin, I honestly don’t believe you’d stay by my side for the rest of my life.”
After hearing that performance, Caroline could hardly stop herself from applauding.
A thick silence hung in the room for what felt like forever.
Then, Caleb suddenly stood up and stormed out.
Caroline knew she’d won. She followed him out, but not before
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Chapter 28 Go to the Courthouse
throwing a smirk over her shoulder at Michelle. “Thanks.”
Michelle wiped her tears and muttered, “Idiot.”
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Then, she ripped out her IV, threw on a coat, and rushed after them.
“Caleb, I know I shouldn’t have followed you. But please, let me be selfish just this once.”
Caleb sighed, shaking his head. “What am I gonna do with you?”
The courthouse wasn’t far from the hospital. They got there in
about fifteen minutes.
Caroline had made an appointment, so they didn’t have to wait long.
The clerk looked at them and then asked Caleb, “So, who are you divorcing?”
Caroline stepped up, papers in hand, smirking. “Come on, just look at how lovey–dovey those two are. Do they look like they’re splitting up?”
Hearing that, the clerk gave them a weird look.
Michelle, embarrassed, dropped Caleb’s hand and hid behind him.
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As the clerk stamped the papers, she couldn’t help but comment, “In ten years here, I’ve never seen someone bring the mistress to a divorce.”
At that, Caroline let out a sharp laugh, unable to hold it in.
Michelle, meanwhile, shrank back timidly and tightened her grip on Caleb’s hand.
Caleb shot Caroline a cold glare, retorting, “You trapped me by getting pregnant and used the baby to force me into marriage… What right do you have to laugh?”
Her wide grin disappeared in an instant, and she sneered, “And who are you to care if a stranger laughs?”
With that, she snatched the finalized papers from the clerk and walked away without looking back.
Caleb watched her leave, expressionless. Then, a cold smirk tugged at his lips.
Stranger? Martin Manor isn’t a place anyone can just stroll in
and out of.
Sooner or later, she’ll come crawling back, begging for my help.
As Caleb passed a trash can, he tossed the divorce certificate in, not even glancing at it.
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She knew the team didn’t have much funding and couldn’t afford a fancy office, but even then, she’d thought it would be a decent old building.
Staring at the run–down apartment complex, Caroline couldn’t help the swirl of emotions in her chest.
She asked, “You guys have been working out of this place all along?”
Just as she finished speaking, a rat darted past her foot.
William forced a smile, trying to play it cool.
“Yeah, I know it’s a dump, but the rent is cheap. It’s near the food street, and most importantly, it’s quiet.”
Seth yawned. “Quiet, sure, but it’s like a magnet for thieves. I’ve lost count of how many times our files have been stolen.”
“This can’t go on,” Caroline said firmly. “We’re moving offices next week.”
Seth objected, “No way. There’s a bug in the game system right now. We’re still trying to track it down and fix it. There’s no time
to move.”
Caroline replied, “William and I will handle the bug. I’ll sort out a new place in the next couple of days. You guys take a few days off next week and help the movers.”
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Everyone looked at her like they’d misheard.
Did she just say… days off?
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Seth jumped up in excitement, only to sit back down, dizzy from too many sleepless nights.
“I must be dreaming,” he murmured.
Caroline looked at them, feeling a pang in her chest.
They’ve kept Supreme Sword alive all these years while I was gone, giving it everything they had.
From now on, I’m going to take it higher than it’s ever been.
Caroline had saved up quite à bit from her time at the Martin
Group.
She used most of it to rent an office in a real commercial building.
Then, she revived their old Twitter account and started promoting the company herself.
Supreme Sword was getting some buzz after their appearance at the international expo and topping the game rankings.
But there was a downside. A new bug showed up, and users
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were not happy.
Their Twitter feed got flooded with angry complaints.
[What a trash game. Bugs pop up every other day, and they’re slow as hell to fix anything. Do they seriously think they’re that good?]
[They kinda are. Word is, both the Martin Group and the Garcia Group have made offers.]
[Yeah, right. I was actually at the international expo that day. A girl from the dev team showed up. Super arrogant. She turned down all the investors like she was hot stuff. I thought she had something up her sleeve, but this? Total letdown.]
[I mean, they’re a small–time studio that barely has a foothold. Once the user base grew, the bugs started piling up. And they’re turning down investments? Where’s that confidence coming from?]
[Any recommendations for similar mobile games, though?]
[I just got an insider scoop. Word has it that the Martin Group is developing a mobile game just like Supreme Sword. It’s gonna be their direct competitor. Give it a year, and it’ll be on the market for sure. Can’t wait!]
Caroline paused when she saw that comment.
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Just then, William called her right away, saying, “I heard the Martin Group is-”
“I saw it,” she cut in as her fingers flew over the keyboard. “There’s no official statement. Just rumors and nothing solid. Don’t stress over it.”
Even as Caroline said it, she had her doubts.
But for now, nothing mattered more than getting those bugs fixed.
In the rush to fix the bugs, she was barely sleeping, working overtime day and night. After two straight weeks of that, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest during a video call with William and collapsed. Her head hit the desk with a loud thud.
William jumped in panic. “Caroline? Caroline! What’s happening?”
Caroline barely managed to part her lips, but the words just wouldn’t come.
Her vision went dark, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
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