Chapter 114
Blake’s POV
I stood frozen outside the courthouse. Audrey had already gone through the doors, walking with confidence I rarely saw in her. This divorce was just temporary a strategic move to protect Parker Group and keep Laurel from being called a homewrecker.
So why couldn’t I move?
“Blake darling, I won’t come in with you,” Laurel said, her hand touching my arm. “Go handle the divorce yourself. She smiled. “I’ll wait right here!”
I nodded, finally snapping out of it. Divorce was my plan to fix things. But now that I was here, I felt unsettled. Audrey seemed more decisive than me.
Just now, I wanted to ask if she understood this was temporary, with remarriage later. Or was she taking this literally?
But I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I’d been CEO too long to show uncertainty. If I revealed doubt now, it would look like weakness – like I cared too much.
A strange regret spread through me. If I let go now, I might never get her back.
I pushed the thought away. This would hurt Audrey more than me. She had more to lose. Even if I didn’t mention remarriage, she’d eventually come crawling back. She always did.
“I’ll be back soon,” I told Laurel before walking through the doors.
Inside, the courthouse buzzed with activity. People noticed us immediately, stepping aside to clear a path as I walked across the marble floor toward Audrey at the counter.
A clerk rushed over. “Mr. Parker, we can process you right away.”
They led us to a private room with paperwork ready. The clerk glanced between us nervously.
“We have your documents ready, but there seems to be some confusion about which version to use.”
I hadn’t planned on being here today, and Michael’s carefully drafted agreement was nowhere to be seen.
Audrey pulled papers from her purse. “Use this version.”
I looked at her draft – simple and ridiculously generous to me. She’d walk away with nothing but her clothes and that white cat. No property, no shares, nothing from three years of marriage.
The clerk frowned. “Miss Sinclair, are you certain you don’t want anything else? By law, you’re entitled to half of Mr.
Parker’s marital assets.”
Audrey’s lips curved slightly. “Money I didn’t earn doesn’t belong to me.”
“If she doesn’t want it, don’t worry about it, I told the clerk coldly.
Audrey signed her name on the divorce form without hesitation. I watched her signature finalize our marriage’s end before
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Chapter 114
adding mine.
Minutes later, the clerk handed us each a divorce certificate. Our marriage certificates were marked vold.
Audrey took a deep breath looking at her certificate, like someone who’d finally put down a heavy load.
I ignored the odd feeling that thought gave me. She must be walking away with nothing because she knew we’d remarry. After everything was fixed, she’d be Mrs. Parker again, making today’s asset division meaningless.
She put the certificate in her purse like it was precious and headed for the exit.
I followed her. Before she could leave, I stepped closer, keeping my voice low.
“Take care of yourself. About remarriage, once I handle everything…”
Audrey turned with a look of surprise. “Remarriage?”
Her tone knocked me off balance.
“Blake Parker, who said I would remarry you?”
“Didn’t we agree – ” I started.
“I don’t recall agreeing to remarry,” she cut in, her eyes suddenly cold. “I said we’d discuss it after the divorce.”
She stepped back. “Now that we’re divorced, I’ll be clear: I won’t remarry you.”
My eyes widened. “What?” Anger surged through me. I grabbed her wrist hard.
Pain flashed across her face as she said, “Don’t act like I deceived you. I was vague about remarriage because I didn’t want problems. You mentioned it, but I never agreed.”
She met my eyes despite her pain. “Even if I had told you I wouldn’t remarry you, would that have stopped you from divorcing me? You needed to help Laurel save face and keep her from being labeled a homewrecker. Did you have a better plan?”
Something in her gaze – maybe the total absence of love that once lived there – made me loosen my grip.
She pulled away, creating distance between us. Seeing her defensive stance, I smiled bitterly.
“If you don’t want to remarry, why walk away with nothing?” I asked.
Hadn’t she always valued my money? Wasn’t that why she married me?
“I told you,” she said simply, “money I didn’t earn isn’t mine. I won’t take it.”
She straightened her shoulders. “Mr. Parker, we have no connection anymore, May our paths never cross again.”
With that, she walked quickly toward the exit.
I stood still, holding my divorce certificate. Her steps seemed lighter now, like she’d been freed. My chest felt hollow, like I’d lost something important.
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Chapter 114
Audrey’s POV
Reporters swarmed me the moment I stepped outside. Cameras flashed as microphones pushed toward my face.
“Miss Sinclair, why didn’t Mr. Parker come out with you?”
“Did you really get divorced? Can we see the certificate?”
“How many Parker Group shares did you receive?”
“What are your plans now?”
I glanced at the reporters. There were more than at the hospital earlier, but the ones asking cutting questions were the
same few with ties to Laurel.
I held up my divorce certificate. “My marriage to Blake Parker has ended. No further comment.”
I headed toward Felix’s car across the street.
The reporters followed, shouting questions, but I felt strangely calm. For the first time in years, I was just Audrey Sinclair again. Not defined by Blake or the Parkers.
Just me with three months to live, but free.
I stopped suddenly and turned around. “As of today, I’m no longer Mrs. Parker. Don’t trouble an ordinary person with your
gossip.”
“About your online defamation, I’ll be filing lawsuits,” I announced. “Those who orchestrated it behind the scenes won’t
escape either.”
I looked directly at Laurel standing at the back of the crowd. She stared back with contempt, practically mocking me.
I met her gaze briefly before walking away toward Felix, who waited by his car.
He quickly moved to open the passenger door. The normally flamboyant Thompson heir seemed more like my assistant
today.
“I’m in a good mood,” I said as I approached.
“I can see that,” he replied.
I eyed his car. “Trust me with your car?”
Felix paused, then smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Without hesitation, he handed me his keys and took the passenger seat.
I tied my hair into a ponytail and settled behind the wheel. The engine growled to life as I pulled away with a perfect turn, accelerating quickly
–
leaving behind Blake, Laurel, and three years of a marriage that never really existed.
For the first time in years, I felt free.
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Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO
Chapter 115
