Love's Second Design

"I didn't push Hallie."

For the nth time, Jessica Curtis reiterated to Aaron Morley that she wasn't the one who pushed Hallie Gordon down the stairs.

But Aaron was clearly unconvinced.

"So, what're you saying? That she fell down the stairs on purpose? Jessica, just look at how high this flight of stairs is! Hallie even broke her leg! Do you really think she'd do that on purpose?!"

The more Aaron said, the colder his tone became. "This is your fault. You have to own up to your mistake and apologize to her."

"Apologize?" Jessica echoed in disbelief. Smiling bitterly, she couldn't help but ask, "Is Hallie really that good?"

Jessica and Aaron had been married for three years now.

Three years ago, she had given up on her career to stay at home to take care of Aaron. She got up early to prepare breakfast for him, and she wouldn't go to bed until she had finished cleaning the entire villa. Despite being a housewife, she was busy all day. By the time she'd finally get to lay in bed, sometimes Aaron would come home drunk, and she'd have to get up to whip up some warm soup for him.

Her mother-in-law looked down upon her, and her sister-in-law never took her seriously. The two vicious women tried every means to make things difficult for her, rendering her daily life tortuous.

Still, she endured it all-for Aaron's sake.

She devoted herself to him for three whole years.

Despite her efforts, Aaron never trusted her.

Jessica would never forget just how smug Hallie's voice was when the latter called her a few days ago.

"So what if you've been his wife for three years? He'd kick you out of your house if I asked him to. He loves me, not you. If I got the tiniest scratch, he'd feel terrible. If I fell down the stairs and told him that you pushed me, who do you think he'll believe? You or me? Jessica, you're just an ugly bitch. You're nothing compared to me! I can't wait to see him throw you to the curb like a piece of trash!"

It turned out that Hallie was right.

In Aaron's eyes, Jessica was just a piece of trash that could be discarded any time.

"Aaron, I want a divorce," Jessica said decisively.

What was the point of staying married to this cold-hearted man? Aaron didn't like her; he only agreed to marry her in the first place because of Samuel Morley, his grandfather. Three years had passed, but he refused to even give her a proper wedding. He was probably elated that she finally asked for a divorce.

"What did you just say to me?"

Aaron was shell-shocked. He couldn't believe the words that left Jessica's lips.

"Don't you dare threaten me with a divorce! Just apologize to Hallie and be done with it!"

Apologize?

Why?

After years of endless patience and endurance, Jessica finally snapped, "Aaron, I would never apologize for something I didn't do, and this is no exception."

"You are so stubborn!" Aaron looked pissed. "So, you want a divorce? Fine!"

After spitting those words, he turned around without bothering to spare her another glance, let alone asking her to stay.

Soon, the divorce became official.

Jessica felt like it was all a bad dream.

Aaron sneered, "You're the one who wanted to divorce. Don't even think about crawling back to me!"

Jessica raised her head, only to see that he was already walking away from her. Without looking back, he got in his car and drove off angrily, leaving her in the dust.

All of a sudden, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest.

She finally understood.

She couldn't keep a man who didn't love her. After three years of suffering, it was time to give up and move on.

With a relieved smile, Jessica turned around and got in a car.

"How many times did I tell you that there are so many other good men out there? Why'd you have to settle for that bastard?"

The man in the driver's seat turned around, his handsome face creased with worry. He was Jessica's second brother, Mathew Ward, also the adopted son of the Curtis family.

Jessica rubbed her temples to hide the tiredness in her eyes. "Mr. Samuel Morley has helped me a lot. He's the one who wanted me to marry Aaron... Anyway, what matters is that I don't owe the Morley family anything anymore."

Although she was very happy to marry Aaron, she was somewhat hesitant back then.

At that time, Samuel had suffered a heart attack, which led to other health complications. In a word, he was practically dying. If it weren't for this, Jessica wouldn't have agreed to the marriage so quickly.

"I still can't believe they walked all over you like that. If it weren't for your disapproval, I would've taught them a lesson..." Mathew gnashed his teeth, eyes flashing with anger. "Just wait and see."

"Please don't," Jessica sighed. "Aaron was my husband, and I owed his grandfather. Just let bygones be bygones. Now, they're only strangers to me."

Hearing his little sister call her ex-husband a stranger, Mathew cheered up a little. "Hey, don't forget your promise to Mom. You said that if you divorced, you'd have to come back to work at the company. Can't wait to welcome you back at Glamour Jewels."

Over three years ago, Jessica founded her own jewelry design company, Glamour Jewels. After marrying Aaron, she gave up her career to become a housewife, and Mathew took over the management of the company on her behalf. Susanna Curtis was so angry with Jessica's decision that she forbade Mathew from putting much effort into Glamour Jewels. Consequently, the company didn't develop well over the years, lagging behind their competitors in Acomond.

Susanna thought that doing so would teach her daughter a lesson.

Speaking of the company, Mathew pursed his lips and grumbled, "I told you, but you didn't listen to me. You turned against your mother to marry that bastard. Now look at what you've done; she hasn't talked to you ever since. Humph!"

Jessica smiled bitterly.

Her brother wasn't wrong. She deserved it.

If she wanted Susanna to forgive her, she had to turn things around at Glamour Jewels and prove herself to her mother.

"Three years of suffering is more than enough. I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'll forget about that jerk and concentrate on my career. I'm going to become the successful businesswoman I always wanted to be!"

Although her voice was cold, it was exceptionally firm.

"That's great!" Mathew's eyes lit up. He looked even more excited than Jessica. "Whatever you want to do, just do it with your head held high. I'll always have your back!"

Jessica nodded with a smile, her weary heart filled with gratitude.

Although Mathew was just an adopted son of the Curtis family, he treated her very well.

After dropping her off at Breeze Villa, Mathew wanted to spend more time with her, but he had an important meeting, so he couldn't stay. Before leaving, he threw a bank card at her.

The money in that account consisted of her accumulated scholarships and bonuses from numerous design competitions, totaling to several million dollars. After getting married, Jessica never spent a penny of the Curtis family's money. So, this card had been kept by her family in the past three years.

She accepted it and went to a nearby supermarket. As she was perusing the aisles, she was stopped by a girl.

It was Aaron's sister, Eunice Morley.

Jessica glanced at her coldly. "What do you want?"

Eunice looked Jessica up and down and sneered. The loose track suit Jessica was wearing was far from flattering, and it made Eunice roll her eyes in disdain.

"I know you're from the countryside, but you married into our family years ago. Haven't you learned how to dress up yet? You're humiliating our family, wearing an outfit like that! I don't know why my brother would marry such a woman with no class!"

Jessica replied indifferently, "Yes, yes, I have no class. You, on the other hand, are the most fashionable woman in the whole world. Are you satisfied now?"

The girls next to Eunice couldn't help but cover their mouths and giggle.

Eunice nearly choked on her own saliva. Did Jessica wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?

Usually, Jessica was so timid around her. Even when she scolded and bullied Jessica, the latter didn't dare to fight back. So, how dare Jessica embarrass her in front of her friends?!

She had to teach Jessica a lesson!

Eunice crossed her arms over her chest and said sarcastically, "This is a supermarket of imported goods. Just a bag of chips here costs over a hundred dollars, and I'm willing to bet a bumpkin like you has never even tasted a cup of milk tea worth ten dollars. I doubt you can afford anything here, so you should just leave. Otherwise, the security guards might mistake you for a thief. Aren't I so kind? I didn't have to warn you, yet here I am, going out of my way to give you advice."

"Yes, you're so 'kind' to me."

Jessica nodded seriously.

"It's true that I couldn't even afford milk tea before, because you stole my credit card and bought clothes and jewelry for yourself. Then you accused me of stealing your things and forced me to apologize to you. If I didn't obey, you'd kick me out of the house and order your dog to bite me. You pushed me into the pond on purpose and held my head under the water. I almost drowned back then, and you almost killed me."

At first, the girls stayed and watched the farce for fun, but the more they heard, the more flustered they became. They exchanged nervous glances and quickly excused themselves, eager to distance themselves from the scene.

Eunice didn't expect that Jessica would dare to humiliate her further. Her face turned purple with anger. She grabbed at Jessica's tracksuit and hissed, "Jessica, do you want to die?"

Jessica swatted Eunice's hands away and, in disgust, dusted off the spot they had touched.

"Look, I won't hold a grudge against you for all the things you did to me before, but if you dare provoke me again, I'll make you regret it."

Jessica used to be such a timid and gentle woman, but now, she looked so fierce and unwavering.

Even a girl as stubborn as Eunice nearly faltered, but she managed to muster the courage to talk Jessica down.

"Don't make me laugh, Jessica. You're just a dog to my family. No, you're worse than a dog-you're an ant. Piss me off and my brother would kick you out of the house in a heartbeat. You'd be nothing but a dirty beggar, looking for food in the garbage dump."

Jessica chuckled. "Do you really think your brother could kick me out of the house? Go ahead and ask him. You silly girl, I dumped your brother. We're divorced."

Was this some kind of joke?

Despite years of being bullied by Aaron's family, Jessica still cried and begged to stay with him. How could she be willing to divorce him? She even claimed that she was the one who dumped Aaron. It was ridiculous!

Eunice narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously.

"Oh, please," she sneered, rolling her eyes at Jessica in disbelief. "Have you already forgotten how you got on your knees and begged me to let you into the house at the family gathering last month?"

Jessica's smile widened. "Since Samuel's passing, the Morley residence houses nothing but crazy people. I would never step into it again."

Then, without waiting for a response, she turned around and left.

Seething with rage, Eunice stomped her feet and called Aaron immediately.

"Aaron, did you and Jessica get a divorce?"

Aaron replied nonchalantly, "Yes."

"You should've done it a long time ago." Eunice was so happy that she jumped up and down in the middle of the supermarket aisle. "Hallie's a much better match for you. She's gentle, kind and beautiful. Your crazy ex-wife, on the other hand, humiliated me in front of my friends! I wish she would be wiped off the face of the earth!"