Chapter 6 Let's Get A Divorce

"Let's go, Jessica."

With a quiet breath, Lexi slid an arm around Jessica's shoulders, steering her toward the car in a protective gesture.

Jessica turned slightly and lifted her hands toward Lexi, signing, "Thank you, Lexi."

After all these years, it was the first time anyone had stepped between her and Eleanor's cruelty, shielding her from the worst of it.

The realization settled in her chest, gratitude stirring as she felt lucky that she had Lexi by her side.

Lexi knew that Jessica was still not in a good mood and, for a moment, considered taking her straight home.

But the memory of the dog still curled in the back seat changed her mind, forcing a detour back to the pet shop so the animal could be treated.

Understanding her intentions, Jessica signed with steady hands, "I'm alright. The dog's well-being matters more."

Lexi brushed her fingers over Jessica's face and exhaled quietly. "You always put yourself last, Jessica."

Once the sheepdog with the stomach trouble had been settled at the pet shop, Jessica turned her thoughts toward going home.

She flagged down a taxi, and with the evening traffic choking the roads, it took an extra twenty minutes before she finally returned to the Iris Mansion.

When she and Adrian had just gotten married, they had lived at the Buckley Estate.

Later, Cheryl would always find faults with her during meals, and Adrian, fed up with it, moved to the Iris Mansion with her.

Shaking her thoughts away, Jessica pressed her lips together, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

The living room was well-lit.

Adrian had already returned before she did.

He occupied the center of the living room, stretched back against a plush leather sofa, long legs crossed with lazy composure as the bright lights traced an elegant yet distant line along his profile.

As Jessica entered, he turned slightly, his low voice edged with coldness. "Why were you at Glamour today?"

Jessica halted, then lifted her hands and signed slowly, "I was out with a friend. We wandered around and ended up there."

This was the first time she had lied to Adrian, and the unease that followed settled deep in her stomach.

Adrian caught the way her eyes avoided his and let out a short, humorless sound. "Wandering, and you just happened to stop at Glamour's entrance? And you coincidentally ran into your sister as well?"

Jessica's anxiety tightened, her fingers moving as she signed, "It was really a coincidence."

Whether Adrian accepted her explanation or not was impossible to tell.

Noticing her just standing there, Adrian strode toward her, his gaze locking onto her with glacial intensity. "How dare you cause trouble for Eleanor? And you did it with some shameless woman!"

Faced with his looming presence, Jessica instinctively retreated a half-step, her shoulders curling inward as her fingers shook. "I didn't cause trouble for her. She insulted me first. And my friend... she is not shameless."

Adrian reached out and seized her wrist, yanking her back without warning.

Jessica's forehead collided with his solid chest, the impact sending a sharp ache through her.

She blinked rapidly as his frigid voice descended from above. "Then explain how Eleanor ended up with injuries on her face. Do not assume that being my wife gives you free rein. Listen carefully. If you ever lay a hand on Eleanor again, you can forget about holding onto that title."

Jessica's heart plunged as if dropped into freezing water, battered by a hammer again and again until nothing remained but a raw, hollow ache.

Whenever Eleanor was involved, Adrian never spared a thought for truth or fairness, choosing her side without the slightest hesitation.

And Jessica, his so-called wife, was never the one he believed.

Mistaking her silence for resistance, Adrian let his voice sharpen further. "From now on, stay away from that shameless friend of yours."

At that, Jessica lifted her head, her hands moving in quick motions. "Lexi is not shameless! She is a good friend!"

Emotion surged through her, color blooming faintly against her pallor as her reddened eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Only then did Adrian register just how much that friend mattered to her.

The realization soured his expression even more, his features hardening as anger gathered in his eyes.

He caught Jessica's chin between his fingers, forcing her face up. "If I say she is, then she is. You will not see her again."

Defiance flared across Jessica's face, and for the first time, she met his gaze head-on. She signed, "I won't do as you say."

She was actually going against him for an outsider.

Fury roared up Adrian's chest, his words forced out through tightly clenched teeth. "Jessica, do I need to spell it out for you? You are my wife, and that means you must obey me!"

Jessica's breathing hitched as tears spilled without warning, streaking down her cheeks.

It felt as though a hole had been torn open in her chest, each breath scraping painfully through it.

When she stopped signing, Adrian assumed her silence meant surrender. He released her and turned away, ready to leave.

But after wiping her tears, Jessica hurried after him and raised her hands again.

"Adrian, let's get a divorce."

She signed each word slowly, like she was afraid that he might not understand her.

For a moment, Adrian thought he had read her hands wrong.

When Jessica repeated the signs with unwavering seriousness, the truth finally landed on him heavily. Jessica was really asking for a divorce.