Chapter 14
Winona had called Xavier half a month ago. “Honey, when will you come back?” she asked him.
“You miss me?” Xavier replied, his deep voice carrying a teasing tone.
Winona blushed, her eyes lighting up with a spark of hope. Even though Xavier couldn’t see her over the phone, her soft tone gave it away. “I want to celebrate your birthday with you. Can you make it back?” she asked.
There was keyboard clicking and chatter on Xavier’s end. She knew he was at work. Winona waited, anxiously, then he said, “I’ll make it back. Just wait for me.”
That had made Winona super happy, thinking about how to plan his birthday since it was his first birthday after they were married.
But all that waiting turned into nothing. She ended up seeing a video of Xavier celebrating his birthday with some other girl. They were hugging. ‘Was he even thinking of me waiting at home? What a birthday to remember, she thought. When Winona came to her senses, the way she looked at Xavier changed. His face used to make her blush, but now it looked somewhat hateful.
“But you said you’d come back. You told me to wait,” she reminded him.
Xavier was slightly stunned and then frowned. “So that’s why you want to get divorced?”
Winona looked at Xavier’s face. “What if I say yes?” she said.
Xavier’s expression seemed to soften a little, and then he explained in a low voice, “I came back late that day, and Ryan stopped me when I got off the plane. We used to celebrate our birthdays together, so I forgot about the time. Did you wait for me for a night?”
Winona suddenly smiled and tilted her head. “Is that so? Who were there?”
“You know, my friends. If this is why you want a divorce, it’s really silly. We drank too much that night, so we all slept in the club. They didn’t know that you were waiting for me, so they didn’t take me home,” he explained.
Winona looked straight at Xavier, not blinking. She knew his friends, but not Eliza. He wasn’t being straight with her. Then she looked away and stopped thinking about it. “Let’s not drag this on. They are about to get off work,” she said, pulling her arm away.
Xavier’s face darkened. He was not good at explaining. He tried making exceptions, both today and that night, but he didn’t guess Winona would be so set in her ways. Xavier thought, ‘Why didn’t I know she’s so stubborn before?‘
The clerk took their IDs, gave them a look, then handed them back with a smile. “I’m sorry. I can’t handle this for you. I just received a call from Mr. Gary Patterson. He told me that I can’t help you if you don’t have your marriage certificate.”
Hearing this, Winona was stunned. “Grandpa Gary?”
“Yes. Why don’t you two go back and discuss it with your families first?” the clerk said.
Now Winona knew that she couldn’t get divorced today. After all, she didn’t have the marriage certificate, so she stood up and left.
Xavier stayed cool as usual, He gave the clerk a glance, stood up, and straightened his tie and sleeves. He looked every bit the gentleman.
They stepped outside the courthouse. “Can you find a way to persuade Grandpa Gary and…” Before Winona could finish, Xavier cut in coldly, “Why should I?”
Winona looked at him in surprise. “So, it’s on me?”
Xavier faced Winona with no emotion. “The one who wants the divorce should handle it,” he said coldly. Then he stared at Winona with a complicated expression and added, “I’ll fully cooperate.”
“You…” Looking at his back, Winona gritted her teeth, lost for words.
Xavier walked a few steps, stopped, and spun around to look at Winona. Her face was gloomy, and he raised an eyebrow. “You managed to win them over before. I bet you can get the marriage certificate from Grandpa too,” he said.
Seeing Winona still looking annoyed made him feel a bit better. “Do you need me to drive you home?” he offered.
Winona stared at Xavier expressionlessly for a few seconds and then walked away.
