Tyrone glanced back at her.
“Alright. That’s fine. Better to keep yourself busy than spend all day overthinking.”
“I want to move out,” Aella said.
The step he was about to take froze in place. He turned and faced her directly. “No. That’s not happening.”
Aella said, steady but quiet, “I loved you for years, and I’ve been married to you for three. You cheated on me and betrayed me, yet you refuse to let me go. My heart hurts. I need time to breathe. I’m moving out. I need to cool off.”
Even if she couldn’t divorce him now, she had to try.
Tyrone stepped in front of her. His hands came to her shoulders and pushed her down so she sat on the edge of the bed.
He sat on the nightstand and looked into her dull, tired eyes.
“Aella,” he said, “Winter Group is a public company. My marriage is public. Everything we do affects the company’s future.”
He was calm and sharp. “As long as we aren’t divorced, you must live here.”
Aella shot back, “You claim you did everything for the company. You keep a woman on the side; aren’t you worried that your scandal will hurt the company reputation?”
Tyrone didn’t flinch. “If the company has a problem because of me, I will take full responsibility. Could you do that?”
Silence fell.
She already owed Tyrone a billion dollars before the divorce. If her actions rocked the stock price, she couldn’t bear the fallout.
Tyrone reached out. He tucked her hair behind her ear and softened his voice. “The staff from the estate made you grits. Raine will bring it over soon. Eat your breakfast and get some rest.”
He left for the office. Aella lay still like a corpse.
Her crying and hysteria did not move him. They did not win him over or make him compromise.
She felt like she might die from hopelessness.
He thought she was being dramatic and making a scene.
After all these years, she never expected Tyrone to be so cruel and heartless.
Tyrone had taken everything from her, even the right to break down.
By nine in the morning, Virginia and Raine showed up with breakfast. They sat with her for a while, trying to comfort her.
Aella never mentioned how Tyrone had pressed her about money.
Virginia had always loved her like her own, but Tyrone was still her son.
At the end of the day, she didn’t want her son to get divorced.
Raine could be trusted, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
If Aella told her Tyrone demanded billions just to agree to a divorce, Raine would make sure the whole world knew.
That was the last thing Aella wanted.
By noon, Aella drove back to her parents’ house.
When they learned she wasn’t leaving Tyrone, they didn’t smile with relief. They only looked worried.
Miriam pulled her into a bedroom and lowered her voice. “Did Tyrone give you a hard time?”
Aella swallowed her pain. She couldn’t tell her parents the truth.
She forced a smile and said, “He explained it. It was just a misunderstanding. He didn’t cheat.”
Miriam patted her chest and finally let out a long breath. “Good. As long as he didn’t cheat, that’s all that matters.”
She took Aella by the hand and walked her back out. “Yesterday, your dad and I decided. Your uncle’s family is moving out of town, and the house will be empty anyway. We’re going to move in there. And here-“
Miriam pulled a bank card from her pocket. “This card has all the money Tyrone has sent us over the years. Except for what we spent on hospital bills, the rest is untouched. Your dad found a small factory job out in the industrial park as a consultant. His paycheck is enough for us. So, take this card and return it to Tyrone.”
Warren sat across from them, head bowed, silent the whole time.
Aella’s guess was right.
She hadn’t even spoken a word, but her parents were already preparing to move out and return the money.
If they knew Tyrone was using money to pressure her, they’d be worried sick.
Warren stood up and pressed that card into his daughter’s hand. “Listen to your mom. Give it back to him. In a couple of days, your mother and I will move, and we’ll return the house too.”
Aella gripped the bank card tightly and didn’t argue.
She knew sooner or later her parents would find out what was happening between her and Tyrone.
Better to be honest now.
Besides, she was their daughter-if she wasn’t doing well, they would feel it no matter how much she tried to hide it.
I should give it back.
Even if it’s just a little money, it’s something.
She hesitated for a moment and asked, “Dad, I want to keep studying medicine. Could you introduce me to Mr. Black?”
When her parents heard she wanted to work again, they were both supportive.
Originally, Aella had loved the violin.
Her biggest dream had been to become a violinist.
But at 18, she discovered Tyrone suffered from severe insomnia. Quietly, she changed her major to medicine.
After entering medical school, she asked her parents to help her transfer into holistic medicine.
After graduation, she married Tyrone and gave up her career.
Yet, for his sake, she never abandoned her research into sleep disorders.
She had cured Tyrone’s insomnia and held master’s degrees in both psychology and holistic medicine.
But she lacked clinical experience.
If she wanted to make real progress in the field of sleep disorders, she’d have to start from the very beginning.
That afternoon, Aella followed her dad to Capital Hospital and met Samuel Black again.
Samuel was a leading expert in holistic medicine of Smeina and a world-known specialist in sleep disorders.
Even after retirement, the hospital had hired him back at a high salary.
Aella had been a housewife for three years, far removed from her medical background.
She wanted to work as Samuel’s assistant and rebuild her career.
Since her family had once helped Samuel’s son, Samuel readily agreed to take her under his wing.
Samuel told Aella to complete a full checkup and get a health certificate, then come back the following Monday.
Before she left, he even introduced her to a senior colleague who could help her learn the hospital’s system.
At first, there wouldn’t be much pay.
This field has a huge future because life is moving so fast, stress is building up, and more and more people are struggling with health problems-especially sleep.
If Aella worked hard and focused, she could make real progress.
When a person is busy chasing a goal, there’s less time for sadness and overthinking.
Aella felt her mood a little lighter.
That evening, after dinner with her parents, she returned to the villa.
To her surprise, Tyrone was home.
She slipped off her shoes, and he stood up to pour her some water. “How’s your mom doing? Is she recovering well?”
Aella took the glass he offered, then set it on the coffee table without drinking.
Tyrone was always close with her parents. He treated them as if they were his own.
He knew how to keep up appearances.
She pulled out the bank card her parents had given her and handed it to him. “This card has the money you’ve been sending them over the years. I checked the account at the bank. About 300,000 dollars is missing, but the rest is all here. My parents asked me to return it to you.”
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