Chapter 8 What Divorce

Allison's voice held none of its usual warmth. Instead, it sounded cold and distant, like she was addressing someone she barely knew.

Derek, who usually kept himself detached from everything, picked up on the shift right away.

"Are you blaming me?" he asked, stepping forward with a scowl, casting a long shadow over her.

Standing this close, he could read every fleeting emotion that crossed her face.

"When you make a decision, you better be ready to accept what comes with it," he continued.

With Jane finally out of danger, Derek had returned to his familiar role-the composed and commanding head of the Evans family.

"I was not exaggerating when I said you'd be buried right alongside my grandma if you messed it up," he concluded.

Each word from him stabbed at Allison's heart.

Was this all she was to him? A convenient doctor? A stranger who simply happened to be here? Something worse? It made no difference anymore.

"How unusual," she said with a faint, bitter smile. "You actually feel like talking to me today."

Most days, if she dared to get even a little closer, he would pull away like her very presence offended him.

After hearing her remark, Derek sidestepped twice, widening the gap between them without a word.

To the Evans family, a woman like her had always been invisible-someone unworthy of a second glance.

"Jane's stable now," Allison said flatly. "Let's continue to work on the unfinished task."

Without waiting for a reply, she brushed past him, her shoulder nearly grazing his.

Out of nowhere, Derek's hand reached out and clamped around her wrist.

The sudden, burning heat of his skin startled her into an abrupt stop.

"Grandma's not completely out of the woods yet," he said, his voice low and tense.

Allison tilted her chin and met his guarded eyes. Was he really scared she would bail and leave everything behind?

The absurdity of it pulled a bright, mocking laugh from her lips.

Snatching her hand free, she wiped her wrist against her clothes like she had touched something filthy.

"The Evans family practically owns this city," she said with a biting edge. "What makes you think I could even run if I wanted to? And let's be honest-your grandma's stable. You're jinxing her by acting like she's one breath away from dying."

Her disdainful flick of the wrist caught Derek's attention. It reminded him of a time when the slightest touch from him would send her heart soaring.

Now, she shook him off like it meant nothing, wearing her indifference like a shield.

Thinking he had seen right through her act, Derek chuckled and said, "I'm not worried about that. Until Grandma's back on her feet, you're not going anywhere."

Shock flickered in Allison's eyes. "You cannot be serious."

Was there really any difference between this and outright imprisonment?

Derek's eyebrow lifted in quiet amusement. "I've never been more serious."

Without giving her another glance, he pivoted on his heel and started walking away.

"Hold on..." Allison called out, stretching out a hand toward him.

As if he had anticipated her every move, Derek spun around and snatched her wrist with a quick, firm motion.

His gaze darkened, turning sharp and cold enough to make her flinch.

The hostility in his eyes made Allison's throat tighten. All she had wanted was an answer, not this furious glare that made her feel like she had committed a crime.

The grip on her wrist tightened, making her wince before he finally let her go.

"Don't ever try grabbing me from behind," Derek said, his voice cold and final.

A breath of frustration escaped Allison's lips. "We signed the divorce agreement yesterday. It doesn't matter if the process isn't complete. We are no longer a couple. You have no right to trap me here. I can leave whenever I want."

She had already made up her mind the night before. She would walk away from the Evans family, from Derek, and never turn back.

Just as Derek opened his mouth to speak, a weak, wavering voice broke the tension from the doorway.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

They both whipped their heads toward the doorway. Glenn stood there, clutching the frame for support, his face blotchy and his body trembling as if he might collapse any second.

A ripple of discomfort ran through Allison. Just last night, she and Derek had promised to keep their divorce under wraps, at least until his grandparents were in a better state.

Yet here they were, barely a day later, and somehow Glenn had caught wind of it.

Still, it was not like she had blurted it out intentionally. It had just been an unfortunate slip during a tense conversation.

She parted her lips, ready to patch things up with some kind of explanation, but Derek beat her to it, his voice steady and unrushed. "Grandpa, you must have misunderstood. Allison and I were talking about someone else's trouble, not ours."

Lifting her eyes, Allison caught the fleeting, sharp glance Derek sent her way-a silent signal telling her to play along.

The unspoken warning landed easily. She had no intention of airing their dirty laundry to his grandparents just yet.

Putting on an easy smile, she added smoothly, "Glenn, you have been so exhausted worrying about Jane. It's no surprise if things sound a little mixed up. We weren't talking about ourselves at all."

Inside, she winced, silently promising that one day, when the time was right, she would tell him the truth herself.