Chapter 3 Vivian Gets the Divorce Agreement
Whether Vivian was trying to provoke her or joking around, Queenie didn’t feel like responding. She pulled out a divorce agreement and handed it to Vivian.
Vivian was caught off guard. “What’s this?”
“It’s my divorce agreement with Vincent,” Queenie said.
Vivian was even more surprised as she looked Queenie up and down. ‘Queenie loves Vincent so much, but now she wants a divorce?’ she thought, not fully convinced. She picked up the agreement and glanced at it. ‘Wow, she’s really serious about this,’ she thought.
“Why are you giving this to me?” Vivian asked.
“I showed it to Vincent last night, but he refused to sign,” Queenie replied plainly.
Vivian tossed the agreement back onto the table and laughed. “He won’t sign, so why hand it to me? Are you trying to show off that Vincent still cares about you?”
“I have better things to do. I’m giving it to you so you can get him to sign it,” Queenie said coolly. They weren’t really close friends anymore, to be honest.
Vivian looked Queenie up and down with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. “Seriously? Just because Vincent and I took a photo together yesterday, you’re ready to divorce him?
“You know I’ve always thought marrying him was a mistake. I’ve always said he wasn’t right for you.”
“Were you really negative about him back then?” Queenie chuckled softly.
Queenie and Vivian had been best friends since high school, sticking together through college. Queenie met Vincent right after graduation, when StarVision Media had just started.
When Queenie announced her engagement to Vincent, Vivian was completely against it and tried hard to stop her. But Queenie was set on her decision.
On Queenie’s wedding day, Vivian left for Fremania to continue her studies. She came back two years ago and signed with StarVision Media, becoming one of Vincent’s artists.
Back then, Queenie never understood why Vivian was so against her getting married. But now, it all made sense.
Vivian was briefly speechless as her eyes fell on the divorce agreement on the table. “How can you be so sure I can get Vincent to sign this?”
“Vivian, I didn’t know your tricks before, but I get it now,” Queenie said, a contemptuous smile crossing her face.
She thought, ‘In just two years, Vivian has made my husband, my son, my mother-in-law, and even my sister-in-law obsessed with her. Isn’t she good at pulling tricks?’
“Call me after he signs,” Queenie said as she stood up to leave. Now that she was set on divorcing, she didn’t want to waste time. Honestly, she believed Vivian was the only one who could handle this.
Vivian watched Queenie walk out of the café and then turned to look at the divorce agreement. A satisfied smirk appeared on her face. She put on her sunglasses and mask, grabbed the agreement, and headed out of the café.
As soon as Queenie stepped outside, her phone rang. It was Linda.
“Does it really take this long to drop off the child? Why aren’t you back yet? When are you going to make lunch?” Linda demanded.
“I have things to do. I won’t be home for lunch. Others can cook. Why wait for me?” Queenie replied coldly, ending the call before Linda could say anything else.
Queenie could easily picture Linda freaking out right now, probably already calling Vincent to vent. Back in the day, Queenie would go out of her way to keep everyone happy. But now, she didn’t care whether they were satisfied or not.
*****
Queenie put her phone away and took a cab to the N&Q Institute of Medicine, the largest research center in Ravesdale. Then she knocked on the professor’s office door.
“Come in,” a voice said from inside.
Queenie took a deep breath, opened the door, and softly said, “Nathan.”
Nathan Emerson looked up, clearly surprised to see her. His expression quickly turned serious. “It’s not time to pick up Linda’s meds yet. What are you doing here?” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
He thought, ‘She could’ve stayed the Emerson family’s heiress, living a life of privilege, but instead, she chose to marry Vincent and ended up living beneath her worth. She even cut herself off from our family.
‘To help her difficult mother-in-law, Linda, with her migraines, she created a special medicine herself. She only visited me once a month for the meds and hardly contacted us otherwise, worried that revealing her background would make Vincent insecure.
‘And Vincent? Ever since their wedding day, he has never made her identity public. For the past two years, scandals and rumors about him have persisted, yet Queenie keeps covering for him.’
Just thinking about all the foolish things his sister had done filled Nathan with sadness.
“Nathan, I’m not here for the meds today. You can stop making that special medicine. I won’t need it anymore,” Queenie said calmly.
Nathan froze in shock and rushed over, worry etched on his face. “What’s wrong? Did Vincent hurt you again?”
“Vincent and I are getting divorced. I’m waiting for him to sign the papers,” Queenie answered calmly, without a trace of sadness in her voice.
But her calm demeanor only made Nathan more anxious. “What did he do to you?” he pressed. He feared Vincent must have crossed a serious line for Queenie to talk about divorce.
“If that jerk laid a finger on you, I’ll make him pay,” Nathan growled, ready to confront Vincent.
Queenie quickly grabbed his arm. “Nathan, seriously, he didn’t do anything to me. I realize that if he doesn’t love me, there’s no point in staying in a loveless marriage. Getting divorced will free both of us.”
Nathan looked at her, feeling heartbroken. He had seen Queenie’s pain over the years as her brother.
“Nathan, I came here because I want to return to the institute,” Queenie finally admitted. She needed to be herself again.
Since her marriage, Queenie had poured all her energy into caring for Vincent and his family.
For seven years, she had been a stay-at-home wife, ending up feeling like just another maid in the house. She had exhausted herself and lost sight of who she was. Ironically, the more she tried to win Vincent’s affection, the more he pulled away.
Nathan felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Queenie, you’ve always belonged at this institute. Whenever you want to come back, the doors will be open for you.”
“Great, I’ll start tomorrow,” Queenie replied. Just then, her phone rang. It was Linda again.
