Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 108: Terms of Freedom

Damien held Aveline’s hand in his. He remained composed as he gently patted her hand as his expression turned to one of hurt and hesitation. "Nina, it’s time I should let you know why I lost my cool at the gala," he started.

"What are you talking about?" Aveline interrupted.

Damien gently squeezed her hand. "Listen to me. Being the largest shareholder comes at a price. On top of that, you chose Chairman Rowe, who is uptight. Most of the men still follow old beliefs. They couldn’t tolerate a woman making decisions and a woman running a company. Even your father recently accepted you for work."

Aveline: "..."

She deciphered that Damien was blaming her and the situation for the divorce while simultaneously wanting to make her feel guilty about him.

He continued, "The board is pressuring me. Many warned me. But I didn’t care. So... they are trying to... kill you." He added hesitantly.

’The Board!?’ She didn’t believe a word he uttered.

"That’s a crime, Damien." She took a step, tugging him towards the cars. "We need to go to the cops, right away."

Damien pulled her back and continued calmly with a hint of hesitation. "They are dangerous, Nina. They might not just harm you and me, but our families. We don’t know where my grandmother is. Your grandmother lives alone. Your parents are on vacation, and my parents stay away from the city. They could harm anyone."

Aveline dug her nails into her thigh to let a tear roll down her cheek. "No..." She feigned a whimper. "There is a legal system that would protect us." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I had thought about it, Nina." He sighed, his voice heavy with fabricated exhaustion. "Look at me, do you think I was resting all night after knowing you got a threatening message?"

He waited until her teary gaze noted he was unkempt. Then he continued, "We don’t have a choice, Nina."

"No." She whimpered, her voice cracking perfectly. "We haven’t..." She choked on her words, and another tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know, I know it’s hard for you to accept." He cupped her face, wiping her cheeks with gentle thumbs. His touch was tender, as if she were something precious that might break.

"It’s hard for m,e too. But let’s think of this as just a break. After signing here, go somewhere safe, anywhere you like, and rest for a while. By the time you return, I’ll solve everything and send those people behind bars. Then we could live together happily."

’Live together happily?’ Aveline sniffled, shaking her head. His lies and expectations were too excessive.

The tremor in her voice was perfectly pitched between heartbreak and desperation. "I don’t want to do this."

Damien tried to hug her, but she pushed him away. "How could you divorce me and expect me to live as if nothing happened?" she asked, her voice breaking on the last word.

Damien’s face crumpled with what appeared to be genuine pain. "We... We start from scratch. I’ll court you, we’ll go on dates, you start your own company, we’ll get to know each other, and then get married again. Separation is just on paper, we aren’t parting ways, Nina."

Aveline resisted rolling her eyes. He was trusting her way too much and trying to emotionally keep her in his hands.

Was he thinking she was in love with him?

Wiping her fake tears with a tissue, she nodded with the resignation of someone who had run out of arguments. "Okay. I’ll listen to you one last time."

Damien didn’t notice the subtle shift. The way her tears stopped so cleanly, calmness and nonchalance in her voice.

"I don’t have my marriage certificate." She said it quietly. She didn’t want to carry it and raise suspicions.

"I brought it." Charles’s voice came at the right time.

Aveline turned to her brother, who had just arrived. She had to bury her surprise and hugged him to hide her expression. "What are you doing here?" she murmured.

Charles nodded at Damien, wrapping his arm around his sister. Damien had called him and requested him to bring her marriage certificate, saying her life was in danger.

But he assumed Aveline had put on a show of danger. So there he was, with her marriage certificate.

Charles tried his best to act. "Damien is doing what’s good for you, Lina." He said aloud, patting her head, but whispered, "Stop overreacting." She wasn’t the type of sister to hug him and cry. It was always he who coaxed her.

Aveline pouted as she stepped back. She saw Mike Wilson near Charles’s car; he nodded at her, indicating he would take care of Charles.

"Go." Her soft, feeble voice almost made Charles faint. He left before he got caught for his poor act.

The clock hit nine when they entered inside, and they were out of the marriage bureau in less than fifteen minutes.

As they stepped into the daylight, Aveline let the sun touch her face. A marriage on paper had ended. But the war had just begun.

Damien turned to her, his eyes holding a mixture of pain and hope. "We’ll be together again, Nina. I promise."

She smiled faintly, almost sweetly. He still believed she would go back to him. That was his biggest mistake.

Despite watching him walk away, she didn’t feel free. Not yet. Freedom would come only when Damien Ashford had nothing left to lose.

Then her gaze shifted. Across the pavement, Alaric stood leaning against the car, arms folded, eyes calm and unreadable. He slightly lifted his chin when their eyes met.

For the first time in weeks, her shoulders loosened. Her breath came easier. A chuckle slipped out, as it slowly settled down that she wasn’t married anymore.

She reached for her phone and dialed his number.

"Yes, Ms. Laurent?" Alaric answered smoothly.

She smiled wider, "Mr. Lancaster, this calls for a celebration, don’t you think?"

There was the faintest pause. Then his voice dropped, warm and amused. "My private jet is waiting for you."

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fr(e)ewebnov𝒆l.com Only