Pampering The Ex-Wife Beyond Limits

At Stonehaven City Courthouse.

"Hurry up and sign, what are you spacing out for?"

The deep, hoarse voice, laced with anger, snapped Catherine out of her daze. Looking at the divorce papers in front of her, she couldn't help but feel bitter about her situation.

"Don't pretend. Didn't we already discuss this at home? Are you trying to back out now?"

The man, growing impatient, urged her. As he spoke, he gave her a shove, causing her frail, sickly body to wobble, nearly falling over.

Catherine bit her lip, determined not to let herself cry, and finally picked up the pen to sign her part. It's over.

Her three-year marriage had ended.

She touched her stomach, where it remained silent, much like her emotions in that moment.

Once the divorce procedure was completed, the man turned to her again and said, "In consideration of the three years we lived together, and the fact that you can't have children, I'll give you a villa in District X to live out your days. But remember, from now on, don't ever show your face around me or Juliet, or I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in poverty."

"Haha, Gabriel Sterling, so you're not even bothering to hide it anymore, are you? Who was it that said there was nothing between you and Juliet? And now, as soon as we're divorced, you're warning me not to go near her?"

Catherine laughed bitterly. The man standing in front of her was her ex-husband, and the woman he mentioned was the adopted younger sister she had rescued from human traffickers three years ago.

The old saying was true: rescue an animal and it will repay you, rescue a human and they will betray you. Even a dog knows loyalty, but saving an ungrateful person like Juliet had cost her even her husband.

Gabriel's patience wore thinner, his voice growing harsher. "Don't embarrass me here. If you can't have children, someone else will. Giving you a villa is already more than enough."

Catherine wiped her tears, her expression resolute as she replied, "I don't need your charity."

Gabriel sneered, "Still pretending to be noble at a time like this? Are you planning to refuse the house so you can cause trouble for me later? Cartherine, don't think I won't do something to you!"

Catherine felt a sharp pain in her heart at his cruel words, but she remained outwardly strong, replying firmly, "Don't worry. From now on, I'll disappear from your life forever."

Gabriel looked at her disheveled appearance with disgust before leaving her with two words, "Suit yourself," and turning away, walking out of the city court.

Catherine remained standing at the courthouse gate, unmoving. Her entire body felt cold, her heart even colder, and her lips turned pale from the biting wind. In the end, her tears flowed uncontrollably, like a river breaking its banks.

In her hand was the divorce paper, and with it, all the feelings of the past years were severed.

She wandered down an empty street, the fatigue spreading through her entire being. How had it all come to this?

The man who once swore to love her for a lifetime, it turned out, his "lifetime" lasted only three years. In the first two years, they had been inseparable, clinging to each other in happiness. But in the last year, every meeting led to an argument, with even the smallest of things plunging them into silent cold wars. And finally, she had endured until the moment he uttered the words, "divorce."

The saddest part was that as soon as she agreed, he dragged her to the courthouse to finalize the divorce, showing just how tired he had become of the wife he once claimed to love every day.

In Gabriel's eyes, Catherine had transformed from a gentle, understanding flower into a shrewish woman who couldn't tell right from wrong, but was that really true when he was the one who had an affair?

Was she truly the sharp-tongued, cunning one, while Juliet was innocent and obedient? Ridiculous! Since when has a husband-snatcher ever been innocent? It was simply that he had changed and didn't want to admit it.

Back when she and Gabriel were still deeply in love, Juliet always showed up at just the right time, finding excuses to separate them. How foolish she had been, even blaming him for being petty towards her. Now, looking back, the real fool was herself.

In reality, Catherine knew that even without Juliet, Gabriel would still have divorced her. His family would never have allowed him to remain childless when she couldn't conceive, right?

But was that her fault? Clearly, she was injured shielding him from a bullet, and now he was using that as an excuse to abandon her.

Catherine held her face, crying uncontrollably. She squatted by the roadside, silently shedding tears. Passersby saw her but didn't stop to ask if she was okay, because in this tiring world, who doesn't have their own burdens to bear?

Catherine returned to her old, dim house deep in the alley and collapsed onto the bed, having lost all appetite.

This was the house her parents had left behind before they passed away. Every month, she would return to clean it, but she never imagined she would one day live here permanently.

The next morning.

Bang bang bang!

"Catherine, open the door! If you don't open it, I'll call a locksmith to break in!"

Last night, Catherine had cried herself to sleep after returning home and had barely woken when the loud pounding on the door echoed through the house, accompanied by an all-too-familiar voice.

The person was Emily, her closest sister-like friend.

"Coming, stop banging on the door."

Catherine stepped outside, looked at Emily, and asked:

"How did you know I was here?"

She hadn't told her friends that she'd divorced Gabriel, so no one knew she had left the Sterling family home. How had Emily found her?

Emily, hands on hips, replied:

"You texted me last night, remember? Still not awake?"

Catherine was dumbfounded. She genuinely didn't remember texting Emily.

Seeing her blank face, Emily clicked her tongue and said:

"Stop babbling, let's go shopping."

"Ok, fine."

Without waiting for Catherine to respond, Emily dragged her out of the house, not caring that she hadn't even brushed her teeth or changed clothes.

At first, Catherine thought shopping might lift her spirits, but had she known she would run into Gabriel and Juliet, she would have preferred to stay locked inside, never showing her face outside again.

But in this world, when has "if" ever mattered?

Not wanting to face the two of them, Catherine quickly tugged Emily in the opposite direction. But her friend resisted, saying:

"Where are you going? There are some really nice dresses over here."

Catherine hastily replied, "There are new designs over there, let's go check them out."

Emily clicked her tongue, clearly reluctant, "New designs or not, we should be buying clothes that suit us."

While talking, Emily absentmindedly glanced around the store, and then, suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Isn't that Gabriel, your husband? Who's that girl next to him?"

Emily nudged Catherine, calling her name, but there was no response. When she looked over, she saw that Catherine was staring at the couple with teary eyes.

Gabriel was holding Juliet tightly in his arms, patiently helping her choose beautiful clothes, every gesture as tender and gentle as possible.

He used to look at her with that same deep affection, but that was a long time ago. Back then, he had said that in this lifetime, he would only be gentle to her. Yet now, everything had changed, and all the tenderness that once belonged to her was now directed toward her foster sister.

While Catherine was lost in her own sorrow, Emily beside her fiercely dragged her toward Gabriel and Juliet.

As they walked, she gritted her teeth and said, "I used to praise him as the perfect husband, but in the end, he's just a scoundrel. Come on, let's confront him."

"Wait... wait, Emily, I don't want to, I don't want to see him," Catherine tried to resist, but Emily was too strong, quickly pulling her to the nearby store.

Emily stormed up to Gabriel and shouted, "How dare you openly hold another woman when you already have a wife!"

Gabriel, who had been smiling, suddenly turned sour when he heard the insult.

At that moment, Catherine rushed over and said hastily, "My friend doesn't know about us yet. Please don't take it personally; I'll take her away immediately."

Upon seeing Catherine, the anger in Gabriel's eyes gradually faded, but Emily, unaware of the danger she was in, fearlessly continued:

"Are you even human? How can you still hold that wicked woman in front of Catherine?"

Catherine tugged at her friend's hand, signaling her to stop talking, but she ignored it and kept yelling, "Catherine, divorce him! Don't be afraid, I'll help you hire the best lawyer to sue him for adultery."

As she finished, Emily even raised her phone to take pictures for evidence, all the while cursing, "A scumbag matches perfectly with a shameless witch. You're so young yet you're stealing someone's husband. Someone like you deserves to be struck by lightning or hit by a car with no place to be buried..."

"We're already divorced."

Emily, who was in the middle of her tirade, was suddenly silenced by Gabriel's words.

He glanced at Catherine, who was still tugging at Emily's sleeve, and asked, "You haven't told your friends and family that we're divorced yet?"

Then he moved closer, raising one hand to grip her chin tightly and whispered, "Or do you think you can still win me back, which is why you haven't said anything?"

This action cornered Catherine, making her feel incredibly trapped. She finally turned her head away from his piercing gaze without saying a word.

However, Gabriel didn't let her off, continuing to sneer, "Cartherine, even delusions have limits, don't they?"

Catherine pushed him away, trying to remain strong as she said, "You're the one who's delusional."

Gabriel didn't like what he heard, but outwardly, he smirked and said, "It's best if you stop bothering me."

Catherine stood there, suppressing the excruciating pain tearing through her heart, and finally grabbed Emily to pull her away.

"Wait."

Juliet, who had been clinging tightly to Gabriel, suddenly spoke up, calling the two back. With teary eyes and a trembling voice, she said to her:

"Your friend just insulted me like that. Aren't you going to apologize?"

Then she nestled into Gabriel's chest, her tears flowing like a river, looking utterly pitiful.

"Brother Gabriel, just now Catherine's friend called me a flirt and cursed me to have an accident. I'm so scared... Could it be that Catherine misunderstood me, which is why her friend treated me like this?"

Gabriel held the girl tightly in his arms, then looked at Catherine with anger in his eyes. He shouted:

"Apologize to Juliet right now!"

Catherine had no intention of being involved with the Sterling family anymore, but she never expected him to disregard their past like this.

She sneered, "Apologize for what? Was my friend wrong? Less than a month after our divorce, you're already all cozy with my adopted sister. If that's not shameless, then what is?"

Slap!

Gabriel raised his hand and slapped Catherine across the face. She widened her eyes in shock, unable to believe it. He hit her?

The burning sensation on her cheek reminded Catherine that the man who once swore to love her for a lifetime had now struck her for another woman.

"You despicable pair of scum!"

Slap!

Gabriel slapped her again.

"Sooner or later, you two will face karma!"

Slap!

Three powerful slaps from a man caused Catherine's face to swell and bleed. Gabriel grabbed her by the shoulder, gritting his teeth as he said, "Apologize to Juliet."

Ha, look at him standing up for his new love, willing to hurt his ex-wife. What a awful joke.

Seeing Catherine still stubbornly refusing to apologize, Gabriel raised his hand again to strike her. Emily quickly rushed forward, hugging Catherine tightly, shielding her with her body.

Looking at her friend's now swollen face, Emily's eyes welled up, and she turned back to Gabriel and said:

"This is my fault. I spoke without knowing the full story and insulted someone. I apologize to both of you. Please don't hit Catherine anymore."

Emily bowed to Gabriel and Juliet, while Juliet looked at Catherine with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

See, your friend has humiliated herself for you now.

Even so, Juliet wasn't ready to let Catherine off the hook. She sobbed, "Brother Gabriel, let's just stop here. Years ago, Catherine saved me, so I can endure her scolding."

Upon hearing that, Gabriel angrily stepped forward, grabbed Catherine by the hair, and dragged her toward Juliet, forcefully pushing her head down.

"Juliet owes you nothing. If you don't know where you've gone wrong, I'll help you figure it out."

He yanked Catherine's head up and down before Juliet. The pain in her scalp was unbearable, but she could only grit her teeth and endure it. Emily, now frantic, begged:

"Brother Gabriel, Catherine's mental state has been unstable lately, so her words may have been careless. Can I apologize on her behalf to you and your girlfriend?"

But Gabriel paid no attention to Emily and continued to torment Catherine. Desperate, she urged her friend:

"Catherine, just apologize."

Catherine bit her lip, which had already begun to bleed. Finally, she closed her eyes and whispered:

"I'm sorry."

Seeing that Catherine had obediently apologized, Gabriel released her hair. Her body wobbled slightly, but thanks to Emily's support, she didn't collapse in front of that heartless couple.

Catherine kept her head bowed, silent. She didn't want them to see her disheveled face; perhaps this was the last shred of dignity she could hold onto in this moment.

"Catherine, remember this well. We're divorced now, so stay out of our sight from here on out, understand?"

Stay out of sight? Ha ha... Stay out of sight!

Catherine felt a bitter, salty taste rising in her throat, realizing it was the taste of blood.

How laughable, she thought, that Gabriel's cruel words were enough to make her cough up blood.

Gabriel didn't care about Catherine's reaction. To him, she was just pretending to look pitiful to win his sympathy.

He had repaid all that he owed her, but she didn't accept it. Whatever hardship she now faced was none of his concern.

"Juliet, I think we've walked enough for today. You must be tired; let me take you home."

Gabriel's gentle, honeyed voice pierced Catherine's heart like a thousand needles.

Sensing Catherine's gaze, Juliet glanced over, giving her a triumphant smile.

"Sister, I've won."

As the two figures grew farther away, Catherine could no longer hold it in. She collapsed to the ground, covering her face and crying.

Seeing her friend like this, Emily also broke down in tears, holding Catherine and sobbing:

"I'm so sorry. It's my impulsiveness that caused you to be beaten and humiliated."

Catherine shook her head, forcing a smile to comfort her friend, though the burning pain in her cheek made her wince. The swelling alone was proof of how harshly Gabriel had hit her.

He truly wanted to vent his anger on Juliet's behalf, without any regard for how much it hurt her.

Emily noticed Catherine's expression and lifted her face to check. Sure enough, both cheeks were swollen and bleeding. The difference in strength between men and women was already vast, and Gabriel, standing at 1.9 meters with a sturdy build, had hit her with all his might three times-how could she withstand that?

"How could that scumbag hit you so hard? He's worse than an animal! Catherine, let's go to the hospital."

Catherine wanted to say no, but her face hurt too much to speak. Without further discussion, Emily quickly took her to the hospital.

The doctor treated her wounds and examined her brain, finding a mild concussion. He advised:

"Young lady, if your boyfriend is abusing you, you should report it to the police. The law will provide justice for you."

Just from her sparkling eyes, the doctor could tell that she was a beautiful girl, yet she had encountered such a terrible situation.

Catherine didn't want any more entanglements with Gabriel. Besides, even if she pressed charges, with the wealth and power of the Sterling family, not only might she lose the case, but his family might also hunt her down.

So she shook her head and said:

"No, it was just an accident. Doctor, can I go home now?"

The doctor shook his head and replied:

"Not yet, there are still a few more tests. Ah, here we go."

The medical report appeared on the computer screen, and as soon as the doctor saw it, his brow furrowed.

"Young lady, you're pregnant."

"What? I... I'm pregnant? How is that possible?"

Catherine couldn't believe her ears. Didn't the Sterling family doctor say that the bullet wound to her abdomen meant she would never be able to bear children?

Now, this doctor was telling her there was a child inside her. Could he have made a mistake?

The doctor observed Catherine's reaction, finding it strange. Her expression didn't reflect the usual fear of an unplanned pregnancy, nor did she show joy at the thought of becoming a mother. Instead, she seemed shocked, as if the idea of being pregnant was utterly absurd.

After a moment of thought, the doctor cautiously offered, "If you don't want to keep the baby, I can assist with the abortion procedure."

"No, no." Catherine quickly wrapped her arms around her belly.

Though she still couldn't believe she was pregnant, the moment someone suggested terminating the baby, her immediate instinct was to resist.

She looked at the doctor in confusion and asked, "But... but I was told that the injury to my abdomen had damaged my uterus, making it impossible for me to conceive. How could I be pregnant now, doctor?"