With a calm that surprised even her, she said, “Instead of wasting time accusing me of playing games, how about we get this over with?”
Allison didn’t wait for a reply. She pulled out her documents, including the divorce papers, as she strode toward the courthouse doors, her face unreadable.
“I have no intention of dragging this out any longer, too,” Colton replied coldly.
“Allison, I get where you’re coming from. Even if you’re just lashing out, it’s fine if you’re not ready to divorce.” Melany bit her lip and continued, “I truly care for Colton. Even without a marriage license, I’m willing to stick by him. I realize my sudden reappearance might seem like a slap in the face, but love, after all, follows its own set of rules, and I crossed paths with him first.”
Today, Melany was draped in a flowing red dress, a stark contrast to her fragile, innocent demeanor. To Allison, the sight felt like a tragic play, where the heroine’s efforts only highlighted her desperation.
“If you’re willing to let him go, I’ll bend over backward for you. After all, there’s no love lost between you two. You can have the title, but Colton’s heart is what I want.” Melany was fishing for a reaction, hoping to see Allison lose her cool.
But Allison kept her composure, her face a mask of calm resolve. She raised her hand, cutting off Melany’s performance with a gesture that spoke louder than words.
“Wait a minute. I haven’t had breakfast, and it wouldn’t be pretty if I ended up hurling my breakfast. But since you’re so keen on me stepping aside, I’m guessing you know you’re on the wrong side of this, right?”
Allison’s voice was as indifferent as a winter’s frost. “How do you plan to make amends if I hand him over to you?”
Melany froze, her tongue tied. Allison pressed on, a wry smile playing at the corners of her lips.
“How about showing me some real gratitude right now? That way, you can start with my blessing, like a fresh slate.”
Her laughter was edged with razor-sharp sarcasm. “Remember when you wanted me to be at your wedding? If you’re so committed to Colton, this small gesture shouldn’t be too much to ask, should it?”
Melany’s face drained of color, clearly at a loss.
“You’re pushing it too far,” Colton growled, pulling Melany protectively behind him. “Do you think making these remarks will win me back?”
Before he could finish, Allison had already turned on her heel and made her way to the service desk.
“Just a little jest,” she said with a detachment that spoke volumes. Allison’s heart had been weathered and scarred, leaving her indifferent to his anger. “Not rushing to the divorce, Colton? Or are you having second thoughts?”
Colton was at a loss for words.
He wanted to snap, but before he could even gather his thoughts, Allison had already walked off, as if she couldn’t be bothered with the mess that remained.
Funny enough, just this morning, he had been stewing in frustration, wondering how to handle things if Allison suddenly regretted the divorce and started clinging to him. Yet, watching her now, walking away with such finality, only stirred something uglier inside him.
Inside the courthouse, the staff led Allison in. As they walked, one of the staff members asked, “Where’s your husband? Has he arrived?”
Allison’s eyes drifted across the room to where Colton and Melany stood, practically fused at the hip.
The staff, following her line of sight, blinked in surprise. It wasn’t every day you saw someone flaunting their new flame when they hadn’t officially divorced. Sympathy flickered across the staff’s face.
Finally, after going through all the divorce procedures, their marriage was officially over.
As they turned to leave, the staff hesitated for a beat, then looked toward Allison and said softly, “I hope you find happiness.” Melany, standing just a few steps away, froze.
She could feel the heat of judgmental eyes all around her. But she managed to plaster on a smile, even as her fingernails bit into her palms, a deep resentment simmering beneath her calm facade.
If Allison hadn’t been in the way, she’d have been Mrs. Stevens already!
“Colton…” Melany’s voice turned sweet, and as soon as they stepped outside, she clung to his arm like ivy to a tree. Lowering her gaze demurely, she said, “We were supposed to be together from the start, but I was sent abroad. And these last three years with you and Allison barely hanging on-all because of me. But now that you two are divorced, maybe you can still be friends? You should comfort her. I’m sure she’s devastated.” Allison barely registered the words.
“Her?” Colton scoffed, an irritation rising in him for reasons he couldn’t quite place. Allison didn’t look remotely shaken.
“Isn’t it always the same?” Melany’s voice was honeyed, but her words carried thorns. “No matter how tough a woman seems, nothing means more to her than her husband. Even the strongest woman falls apart after a divorce.”
Her eyes slid toward Allison with a certain gleam, and she added, “Poor thing must’ve been so heartbroken she couldn’t sleep last night. Look at those dark circles… and, oh, she’s even got a few mosquito bites! Colton, you really should comfort her-it’s my…”
“Your fault, after all.” Colton paused mid-step. His brow furrowed as his gaze moved toward Allison, catching the faint marks visible just beneath her collar. There, on her collarbone, were unmistakable red marks. But not mosquito bites!
Everyone here was an adult, and there was no mistaking what those marks signaled.
“Last night,” Melany continued, her voice syrupy sweet. “She was such a mess on the yacht. She didn’t even come out of her room. I’m sure she just wanted to be left alone.” Her words dripped with malice now, a thinly veiled attempt to sever any remaining ties between Allison and Colton.
Colton’s face hardened as he walked straight toward Allison. “What’s with the marks on your collarbone? Who were you fooling around with last night?”
“I was with someone, sure. But, you know, that’s none of your business!” Allison said straightforwardly, her eyes locking onto his.
“He had a body that’d turn heads, and as for the rest, well, let’s just say he knew his way around the sheets. Things got a little… intense, hence the marks.”
“You…” Colton choked on his fury, words slipping from his grasp as if they’d turned to ash in his mouth. Her casual tone, paired with that complete lack of shame, only threw gasoline on his anger.
“And you know what? He was worth it-easily one of the best. Probably the best I’ve come across!” Allison said with a calm, almost thoughtful air, then let a smile curl her lips as she watched his face twist in rage. “But don’t lose sleep over it. We’re divorced, remember? You don’t need to care so much about your ex-wife.”
Colton clenched his teeth, seething with a rage he couldn’t fully express. He couldn’t lash out, because deep down, he knew that he was the one who had brought Melany into their home, pushed for the divorce-and cut the last string between them. He had no right to feel this way, and yet it gnawed at him, like an itch beneath the skin he couldn’t scratch.
“You’ve got some nerve, Allison!” he finally spat, bitterness dripping from every syllable. “You had me fooled for three years, parading around like some perfect, proper woman. And all the while, you’re just a two-timing cheat!”
It stung him more than he cared to admit.
“At least I waited until we decided to divorce,” Allison shot back, coldness in her tone. “Unlike you, I didn’t bring someone into our home while we were still married!” The hypocrisy in his accusations was almost laughable. He had cheated while they were still bound by vows, and now dared to point fingers because she moved on afterward? It was like watching someone try to patch a sinking ship with holes in their logic.
But she was always vocal about her suffering, never choosing to endure it silently.
“But looking at you now, you’ve got the heart of a womanizer, but none of the skill to cash in on it. Must be rough!”
“You…” Colton had never felt this level of fury, boiling to the point of no return.
He couldn’t wrap his head around how he had never noticed how sharp-tongued she could be.
Melany, ever the opportunist, was by his side, her hand gently rubbing his back, though her soft words were anything but soothing.
“Don’t be too angry, Colton,” she murmured. “Poor Allison… try to see things from her perspective. With her parents gone and now the divorce, she’s got no one to lean on. Without money or connections, what else can she do but find a new benefactor? We should…”
Before Melany’s words could fully land, a sharp crack filled the air.
Smack!
Allison didn’t hold back.
The slap rang out like thunder on a quiet night, and in its wake, Melany stood frozen, her cheek already swelling and blood beading at the corner of her mouth. Shock painted her face-she couldn’t believe Allison had struck her, and right in front of Colton.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.