But at this moment, Julian felt his breathing become labored, and his heart was panicked to the extreme.

Chapter 15

But he desperately tried to reassure himself.

It couldn’t be. Elara loved him so much; she couldn’t possibly be willing to truly divorce him.

His agreement to the divorce was merely to scare Elara; it was an unspoken understanding between them. They had long since understood that they were meant to be entangled for a lifetime.

Julian kept comforting himself, brainwashing himself, until he calmed down just a little.

He got into his car, pressed the accelerator to the floor, and sped away.

Every word in those files kept floating through his mind.

Just thinking about how he had helped Chloe bully and hurt Elara so much made him loathe himself.

He had become the executioner who hurt the person he loved most!

If Elara had been discharged, she must have gone home. She must be waiting at home for his apology, waiting for his realization.

Just like countless times before.

Filled with guilt and remorse, Julian rushed straight back home.

As he opened the door, he shouted frantically:

"Elara! Elara! I know I was wrong, Elara! I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I..."

But the moment he opened the door, his eyes were drawn to the thin red booklet on the shoe cabinet.

Julian’s movements froze instantly; he stared blankly at the red document.

It was as if he had been struck by a paralysis spell.

After a long while, he finally reacted, reaching out with stiff movements to take the thin, yet seemingly heavy, red booklet into his hands.

"Divorce certificate... Impossible... This is fake... This must be fake!"

Julian’s hands trembled as he opened the divorce certificate.

On it, his name was displayed.

The official seal on the divorce certificate shattered his final shred of fantasy.

He and Elara were truly divorced.

Julian’s eyes were instantly stung with pain, so much so that tears welled up.

Just then, the paper underneath the divorce certificate fluttered to the floor.

Julian bent down mechanically to pick it up, but as he stood hunched over, seeing the words on it, his pupils constricted, and he lost all strength.

Consent form for an abortion procedure.

His and Elara’s child... was already gone.

Gone...

Julian collapsed to the floor, looking up with vacant eyes at this villa where he and Elara had lived for three years.

The things inside that he thought he was so familiar with had long since been thrown away by Elara during their last quarrel.

At this moment, the villa was empty, like a prison, and he, abandoned by Elara, was trapped within it.

Julian broke down completely, raising his hands to clutch his hair tightly, his back hunched, and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Ah! Elara! I was wrong! I was wrong!!!"

...

Elara had already returned to the Jiang residence.

She was wearing a white dress, pushing a simple suitcase, and walked directly into the house.

Her father, mother, and brother, Jiang Ziyan, were chatting.

Hearing the movement, they turned to look at her, their faces lighting up with surprise.

Jiang Ziyan joked:

"Oh, a rare guest. How come you’re suddenly willing to come home to see Mom, Dad, and your lonely stay-at-home brother?"

Her mother looked at the suitcase she was carrying in surprise:

"Elara, why did you bring a suitcase? Did you have a fight with Julian?"

The Jiang and Fu residences weren't far apart; it was only a two-hour drive.

Usually, Elara would occasionally come home for a meal, but she had been attached to Julian since childhood, and after marriage, Julian was even clingier to her, so she rarely moved back in.

Seeing her with a suitcase, the family couldn't help but find it strange.

Elara opened her mouth, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

The playful expression on Jiang Ziyan’s face vanished, and he frowned, stepping forward.

"What happened? Did that brat Julian bully you? I’m going to beat him up right now!"

He said this and rushed toward the door.

Elara hurriedly grabbed his hand.

Looking at the concerned faces of her family, Elara choked out:

"Dad, Mom, Brother, Julian and I are divorced."

Chapter 16

The Jiang family was stunned, speaking in unison:

"What?!"

Elara was led to the sofa to sit down, and the family’s expressions grew solemn.

They knew just how deep the feelings between Elara and Julian were.

Elara wasn't particularly spoiled or willful; she had grown up with Julian, and while there had been bickering, there had never been a major fight.

How could they... suddenly get divorced out of nowhere?

Elara looked at her parents’ concerned faces and didn't want them to urge her to remarry Julian.

So, she didn't hide anything and told them everything that had happened over the past six months.

Her mother cried as she listened.

By the time Elara finished, her mother was already sobbing in her father's arms.

Her hands trembled as she held Elara’s arm, carefully pulling up her sleeve to reveal the three scars on her arm.

Her mother cried: "You silly girl! You suffered so many grievances, why didn't you tell Mom, Dad, or your brother! How could you be so foolish and let yourself be bullied!"

Elara sobbed uncontrollably.

She didn't want her family to worry, and at the same time, she hadn't expected... that Julian would be so cruel to her.

She had paid the price for her own innocence after all.

Jiang Ziyan stared at the wounds on Elara’s arm, biting his teeth so hard he clenched his fists.

With bloodshot eyes, he gritted his teeth at the mention of Julian’s name, wishing he could tear him to shreds.

Her father was usually quite restrained, but seeing his wronged daughter, his eyes also turned red.

After a moment of calm, he picked up his phone and notified his secretary:

"Make the announcement. From today on, the Jiang Corporation and the Fu Corporation are at odds!"

"The Jiang family and the Fu family will fight to the death!"

Elara was stunned, looking at her father with worry:

"Dad..."

Her father raised his hand to stop Elara:

"Daughter, Mom and Dad have worked hard all our lives just to make sure our son and daughter could live comfortably."

"If my daughter is bullied to this extent and we still have to hesitate, hiding and enduring it, then what is the purpose of our efforts?"

Her mother immediately nodded:

"Exactly! No matter how things were with the Fu family before, the way they treated you is absolutely unacceptable!"

Jiang Ziyan also nodded immediately:

"That's right! I support Dad's decision!"

Elara wept, unable to hold it in any longer, and threw herself into her parents' arms, wailing.

Her mother often had someone tidy and clean Elara’s room, so it was always kept clean.

Exhausted, Elara handed her suitcase to the maid and went back to her room to rest.

Finally back with her family, her heart finally settled, and she could finally have a peaceful sleep.

And on the very night Elara returned home.

Julian’s mother came to the door in person.

The news of the Jiang and Fu families falling out was already causing a stir online.

However, Julian’s mother had always been very fond of Elara and her brother. Although Elara’s parents were angry, they saw that Julian’s mother’s attitude was very polite, and her first words were concern for Elara’s health.

They let her in.

After hesitating for a while, Elara went downstairs.

Seeing Elara, Julian’s mother’s eyes reddened: "You’ve lost weight."

During this period, Elara had not only been psychologically wounded, but her body had also suffered immensely. Her already slender frame had become even thinner.

Those two simple words made Elara’s parents’ eyes redden as well, their hearts aching for her.

Julian’s mother sighed, then stated her position.

"Elara, I didn't come here to urge you to make up with Julian. Years ago, I divorced Julian’s father because he cheated with his secretary. I never imagined that he would end up walking the same path as his father."

"I’ve already investigated Chloe’s background. She was kept by others back in university, and later hooked up with Fu Shuyang. It was Fu Shuyang who sent her to get close to Julian."

Chapter 17

Back then, when Julian’s mother discovered his father’s affair, she was heartbroken and divorced him immediately, especially since his illegitimate son was only a year younger than Julian.

Out of guilt, Julian’s father had left most of his assets to Julian and his mother.

But she never expected that now, they would be targeted by the illegitimate son of the mistress.

Elara felt a sense of lament.

Julian’s mother then produced another document.

"Regardless of the reason, it is a fact that he has failed you. As his mother, this is the compensation I am giving you."

Elara opened the document and discovered it contained equity in the Fu Corporation, accounting for more than half of Julian’s mother’s personal wealth.