Love Can Build A Bridge

"Vanessa, what are you up to? Are you trying to run away from home?"

Just as Vanessa James was about to go downstairs with her suitcase, she heard her sister-in-law, Ella Bates, talking to her.

Instead of giving any responses, Vanessa spared her an indifferent glance and continued to go down the steps. When Vanessa reached downstairs, she happened to bump into her mother-in-law, Julia Bates, who always looked down upon her.

"Where are you going with a suitcase at this hour?" Julia asked with disdain laced in her gaze.

After getting married into the Bates family for three years, Vanessa knew that Julia was about to make things difficult for her.

If it was in the past, she would apologize and coax Julia carefully. However, things were different now. Since she no longer wanted to be with her husband, Killian Bates, how could she possibly put up with this bad-tempered woman anymore?

"Wherever. Don't worry, Mrs. Bates. I won't come back here again." Her voice was cold, and she was no longer as humble as before.

When Julia saw the sudden change in her attitude, her face darkened at once. "Vanessa, is this how you treat the elders?"

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "I'm just treating you the same way you treat me."

Hearing that, Julia was bent out of shape. "Do you even still see me as your mother-in-law?"

Looking at Julia with a smile, Vanessa replied, "Sorry, you won't be my mother-in-law soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, a car honked from outside the villa.

"I'm leaving now. You can do whatever you want with the things I left in the room. I don't want them anymore. All that I ask is for you not to contact me again from now on." Dragging her suitcase with her slowly, she added, "The Bates are so disgusting."

Julia had yet to understand what Vanessa meant by saying that she would no longer be her daughter-in-law soon when she heard her calling the Bates disgusting. She flew into a rage at once. "Vanessa, are you crazy? I'm going to tell Killian that you-"

"Mom, did you see Vanessa? She was carrying her suitcase just now. Could it be that she wanted me to make her stay by walking past me on purpose?" As Ella descended the stairs, she saw Julia standing still at the front door, so she sauntered over, tugged at her mother's sleeve and asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Julia had a complicated expression on her face. If it was in the past, Vanessa would always yield to her whenever she mentioned Killian. However, today, Vanessa left decisively without looking back.

The sports car outside sped away. Julia walked out and only caught sight of its taillights.

"She... She left?" Ella followed suit and quirked her lips. "Whatever. Louise is back now. Even if Vanessa doesn't leave now, Killian will still drive her out sooner or later!"

Julia felt that her words made sense. Now that Louise Keillor was back, it was smart of Vanessa to leave on her own.

Sitting in the Porsche, Vanessa flipped through the divorce agreement. After reading the terms, she dropped her signature without any hesitation.

At the sight of that, her friend, Nicole Clarke, clicked her tongue. "That's it?" she asked while driving.

Vanessa snapped the cap on her pen. "Or what?"

Killian's first love was back. There was nothing else Vanessa could do.

Three years were neither too long nor too short. Vanessa used to think that she could warm up Killian's heart no matter how cold it was.

However, she was wrong. Louise was the only one he loved.

Vanessa felt that she was indeed shameless. Back then, she had forced Killian to marry her by using repaying her favor as the reason. For three years, she had trapped herself in a loveless marriage. Now that Louise was back, Vanessa would naturally have to give up her position as Killian's wife.

After all, Killian had been keeping his virginity for the sake of Louise.

Yes, throughout the three years, Killian had never made love to Vanessa, not even once. No outsiders knew about this, or else she would end up as a laughingstock. Anyway, three years of hopeless marriage was enough to quell her seven years of infatuation.

Vanessa covered her eyes with her hand. She didn't want Nicole to see her tears.

No matter how free and easy one could be, anyone would still feel sad when their ten years of love didn't receive a good ending.

Soon, the red sports car pulled up outside the company building. Raising her sunglasses, Nicole said, "We are here. Vanessa, go ahead and do whatever you want. I've got your back!" Then, Nicole blew a kiss to her.

Vanessa smiled, "All right. I'm entering now."

It was going to be difficult to toss the divorce agreement at Killian in a way that was both domineering and graceful at the same time.

With the agreement in her hand, Vanessa pushed open the door and got out of the car. It wasn't her first time coming to his company, Grandwalk Company, nor was it the first time she was treated perfunctorily by the receptionist. "Miss James, you can't enter without an appointment. Mr. Bates is very busy. If everyone can meet him without an appointment, what's the point of me as a receptionist?"

Even a receptionist had the guts to be disrespectful to her. In the past three years, she had never been called Mrs. Bates in his company. Clear enough, Killian had never taken her seriously.

Vanessa looked down, letting out a soft chuckle. "The staff training here is pretty bad. Why do I have to make an appointment to see Killian when I am his wife? It seems like being his wife is pretty boring."

She cast a cold glance at the receptionist before walking to the elevator.

It was the first time the receptionist had seen Vanessa behaving like this. After being stunned for a moment, she let out a snort. Nevertheless, she was worried that something would happen, so she immediately called to inform Killian's secretary about it.

Hence, Killian was aware of Vanessa's arrival.

"I'm not seeing her," he frowned.

There was a meeting that he needed to attend in another five minutes.

His secretary, Gavin Harris, hummed in acknowledgment and left. As soon as Gavin walked out of the office, he saw Vanessa coming over.

She had dressed herself well today, which made her look gentle and dignified. Gavin felt that she was somewhat different today.

"Gavin," Vanessa greeted him. Before Gavin could say anything, she directly entered Killian's office and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Bates. I need you to sign an agreement." She strode toward the man at the desk and put the divorce agreement in front of him. "Sign it."

Killian didn't say anything. The atmosphere in the office was so oppressive that it was hard to even breathe properly.

After a moment of stalemate, Vanessa shrugged and said, "Fine, I won't disturb you, then. See you at the courthouse at nine on Monday morning." Then, she tucked her strands of hair behind her ear. "Congratulations, Killian. You're free now. You've finally gotten rid of me, the shameless woman."

Looking at him, Vanessa let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"What trick are you playing this time?" Killian finally parted his lips, but his words were as hurtful as ever.

"Don't worry. I'm serious this time. It's the only chance for you to get rid of me, so you'd better not waste it."

Tears were slowly misting over her eyes. She didn't want to lose her dignity by crying in front of him. Hence, she turned around and left in her heels.

It wasn't until she had completely disappeared from his sight that Killian reached for the divorce agreement prepared by Vanessa's lawyer. It was stated that she wouldn't take any property from him.

He wasn't surprised that Vanessa wanted a divorce. After all, he hadn't taken her as his wife in the past three years. However, it had never occurred to him that she would part ways with him without asking anything from him.

Vanessa was a greedy woman. When the Bates family asked her what she wanted in return for saving his mother back then, she boldly said that she wanted to marry him.

Nevertheless, little did the woman know that he had already carried out the property notarization before their marriage. He thought of driving her away without involving property dispute when he couldn't stand her anymore.

Killian felt that Vanessa was playing another trick on him this time. With a sneer, he tossed the divorce agreement aside, not taking it seriously.

When Vanessa stepped out of the building, Nicole's flashy sports car was there.

As soon as she walked over, Nicole opened the front passenger door and asked, "How was it? Did he sign it?"

She got in and replied, "No."

"That's weird. Louise is back now. Shouldn't he be in a hurry to get a divorce?"

After buckling up, Vanessa shot her a glare. "Are you doing this on purpose, Nicole?"

If it wasn't for the sake of their twenty-year friendship, Vanessa would have beaten her up for saying that.

Touching the tip of her nose guiltily, Nicole said, "Well, it's my first time seeing someone divorcing with such high spirits. I just want to know if you have really given up on him or if you're just angry with him."

"Zip it, Nicole!"

Vanessa didn't want to talk to her friend anymore, she closed her eyes, shutting herself off from this world.

Half an hour later, the sports car came to a stop. Unfastening her seat belt, Vanessa said, "Thanks."

She got out of the car and went to the trunk to get her suitcase.

Sitting in the car, Nicole sent her two flying kisses. "Don't cry secretly, Vanny. Love you a lot!"

Then, the red sports car drove off.

Vanessa was rendered speechless as she thought about what a bad friend Nicole was.

The cleaner had cleaned up her villa in advance. "Nica, open the door," Vanessa called. Soon, the sandalwood door in front of her opened automatically as a robotic voice came through. "Welcome home, master."

"Nica, turn on the air conditioner."

Vanessa carried her suitcase to the master bedroom on the second floor. After unpacking her luggage, she poured herself a glass of warm water and drank half of it.

Vanessa was in a daze when tears coursed down her face. Thinking of what Nicole said earlier, she couldn't help despising herself a little.

Now that she was on her own, she couldn't stifle her emotions anymore and broke down in tears at the table. She had loved Killian for ten years. However, in the end, other than a humiliating and torturous three-year marriage, what else did she get?

She was not reconciled. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done. Killian didn't even love her in the first place.

After leaving the Bates residence, Vanessa spent the next two days in misery. She kept sleeping, but she couldn't sleep well and had a lot of strange dreams.

Vanessa dreamed of the year she was fifteen. She naively thought that the old woman needed help, but little did she expect that she was just prey in that woman's eyes. When those people tried to drag her into the car, she was terror-stricken. However, such tragedies often happened in that narrow and dark alley.

No one would save her, nor would anyone dare to do so.

Just as she gave up on struggling, the boy kicked the kidnappers away and grabbed her hand, fleeing the dangerous place.

Vanessa didn't know how long they ran, and her feet only came to a stop after the boy did the same. When they were running, she had no time to take a clear look at his looks. It wasn't until they stopped that she realized how handsome the boy was.

His eyes were as black as ink, and they looked extremely charming. All it took was a glance for her to fall for him.

After a narrow escape, she asked expectantly amidst her nervousness, "What's your name?"

"Killian Bates."

His voice was as alluring as his eyes. It was the first time that Vanessa found her heart beating so fast. "Thank you for saving me."

"You're safe now. Bye, I'm leaving." He loosened his grip and turned around to leave.

She caught up with him subconsciously. "Killian, can I..."

However, the next second, the boy transformed into an adult all of a sudden and looked at her frostily. "What trick are you playing this time, Vanessa?"

Vanessa jerked awake. The alarm clock on the side kept ringing. Frowning, she touched the corners of her eyes that were wet. "Nica, turn off the alarm clock."

Right after the clock stopped ringing, the room returned to silence. Vanessa took her phone and saw a cheering message from Nicole that had been sent half an hour ago.

Yes, today was Monday-the day when she was supposed to get a divorce from Killian.

Vanessa picked out a beautiful red dress from the wardrobe and curled her long chestnut hair, which was loosely hung down her neck. In order to exude a strong aura, she spent an hour making up; the red lipstick on her was the same shade as her dress.

"Nica, I'm going to divorce now."

"Master, only by saying goodbye to the wrong one will you meet a better man."

Raising her brows, she said, "Thanks, Nica. Bye."

"Goodbye, master."

When Vanessa reached the gate of the courthouse, it was only eight fifty-five. The place was not open yet.

Shortly after, Nicole gave her a buzz. "Vanny, you there yet?"

"I just arrived."

"I see. Then I congratulate you in advance for getting rid of that jerk and embracing a whole new life!"

Right then, Vanessa caught sight of a familiar black car not far away. "Killian is here. Talk to you later."

"Okay! I have prepared a big surprise for you today. I promise you can be proud in front of Killian!"

"Well, I hope it's not going to be a shock."

After hanging up the phone, Vanessa watched Killian walk over in her direction and gave him a cold smile. "Morning, Mr. Bates. I'm sorry to have occupied your time." Handing the divorce agreement to him, she continued, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Here, this is the same as what I gave you last time. Sign it. When the courthouse opens later, we will go through the formalities. Then we will have nothing to do with each other anymore."

There was finally a slight change on Killian's poker face. "Are you serious about this?"

Vanessa didn't say anything for a moment. After a while, she put on a smile. "Killian, never have I played any jokes on you."

It was just that he never believed her.

Killian didn't like the way Vanessa looked at him. This was the first time she treated him like this.

"It's open," he said.

Since she wanted a divorce, he would just part ways with her, then. It saved him the trouble of doing it anyway.

At that moment, Vanessa heard her heart break into pieces. When he asked her if she was serious about divorcing him, she actually had some expectations that he would make her stay.

However, he didn't.

Vanessa stopped smiling and turned around to enter the courthouse.

Vanessa and Killian were the only ones who came for divorce at such an early hour.

However, Vanessa didn't look like she was getting a divorce. As soon as they sat down, the employee looked at them suspiciously. "Amicable divorce?"

"Yes," Vanessa said, handing the documents she prepared to the clerk.

They had come with the signed agreement. All that it needed was to be sealed.

In less than five minutes, they came out of the courthouse. Killian was in front. After receiving the divorce certificate, he didn't spare any glances at Vanessa again.

Vanessa stopped and stared at his receding figure. Her heart stung like hell. Right then, a Maserati suddenly pulled up at the roadside. It was so eye-catching that Vanessa's sadness was greatly dispelled. The next moment, a man in sunglasses got out of the car.

Vanessa found him familiar. Before she could react, she heard the man call her. "Vanessa."

It was Edmund Morgan, a handsome, young actor who rose to fame because of a TV series last year.

He walked up to her in a few strides and said, "Congratulations on regaining your freedom. Nicole asked me to pick you up."

Vanessa felt her head throb. "Nicole is mad; why are you following suit? Hasn't your next movie been unofficially exposed recently? Are you trying to create more scandals by coming here?"

"Don't get angry, Vanessa. Nicole said that you just divorced Killian. The Bates family will probably release the news soon. We have to win the public opinion first, lest you end up as an abandoned wife of a wealthy family." Edmund was filled with righteous indignation.

Vanessa was both angry and amused at the same time. "Hah, looks like I've got to thank you for that!"

As soon as she finished her words, a group of paparazzi rushed over to them.

Edmund immediately protected Vanessa in his arms. However, he did it too perfunctorily that Vanessa's face was revealed in front of the cameras.

Someone pushed Vanessa, and she fell further into Edmund's arms. Not only was Edmund a popular idol, but he was also drop-dead gorgeous. Hence, it was natural for Vanessa's heart to skip a beat for being in his hold. She hadn't had such an intimate hug in her marriage with Killian. The faint perfume lingering on Edmund's body was constantly reminding her of his close presence.

Vanessa blushed. She wanted to free herself from him, but little did she expect him to press her head directly against his chest. Listening to his steady heartbeats and the incessant questioning from the paparazzi, Vanessa was somewhat muddleheaded as Edmund dragged her forward.

Meanwhile, Killian watched the scene from inside the car for a long time.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Gavin asked hesitantly, "Should I go and help Mrs. Ba... I mean, Miss James?"

Right after he said that, Killian withdrew his gaze and spared his secretary a cold glance. "You like meddling in other people's business?"

Gavin trembled all over. "No." Not knowing how to defend himself, he told the driver to start driving. "Let's go."

Gavin wondered if it was his illusion that Killian's face seemed to have darkened.

It was true that Killian was in a bad mood. Vanessa, who had just divorced him less than ten minutes ago, was now in another man's arms. If the news spread, the public would think that he had been cheated on by his wife.

"Stop the car!" Killian didn't like to be cuckolded, let alone rumored in this aspect. "Take her here!"

Hearing that, Gavin was shocked. He thought that he had misheard. However, when he turned around and saw Killian staring at him with cold eyes, the former immediately opened the door and walked toward the two people surrounded by paparazzi.