Chapter 217
During the busy days leading up to Luminous Divas Fashion Week, Niamh’s mind wasn’t wholly absorbed in work–she hadn’t lost sight of her looming divorce with Jonathan.
Jonathan insisted she keep the ten percent stake in his company. She couldn’t réfuse: if she accepted, their marriage would be over, but they’d still be colleagues. If she turned it down, the divorce would once again fall through.
After much deliberation, Niamh chose to accept.
She signed her name on three copies of the divorce papers first, then waited for Jonathan’s business trip to end so he could return home.
This time, it was real. She and Jonathan were really getting divorced.
Sitting in her office, Niamh stared at the divorce agreement on her desk, a tangle of emotions swirling inside her.
She didn’t feel any longing for Jonathan, and there was nothing left in their shattered marriage for her to miss. If anything stung, it was only the decade of youth and love she had poured into him.
Her phone chimed–a text from Jonathan.
One word.
Alright.
Cold and concise, as if he’d measured out every letter.
Niamh exhaled slowly.
She arranged a time with Jonathan, grabbed the divorce paperwork, and drove toward city hall.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was also on the road, but Marina was in the passenger seat beside him. He had promised to drop her home first.
The industrial park was a long drive from city hall, and traffic was thick. Niamh sat behind the wheel, drumming her fingers at a red light, her nerves prickling with impatience.
Her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen, thinking Jonathan might have arrived first and was calling out of impatience.
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Chapter 217
But the display showed an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” She answered through her Bluetooth headset.
“Is this Miss Niamh Rivers?”
“Yes, speaking.”
“Hello, Miss Rivers, this is Harmony Senior Residence. We’re terribly sorry to inform you that, due to an oversight by one of our new interns, your mother managed to slip out of the facility without anyone noticing…”
“What?!”
Niamh had just cleared the intersection and nearly slammed on her brakes.
“We’re very sorry, truly. We’ve already contacted the police. You told us last time to call you first if there were any issues, rather than Mr. Thomas, so-”
Niamh barely heard the rest. Her mother was missing.
Even if her mother sometimes had lucid days, her mind wasn’t always clear–it was dangerous for her to be out alone.
Heart thundering, Niamh swung the steering wheel, sending her white BMW arcing through a sharp turn.
She wasn’t headed to city hall anymore.
Elsewhere, in Jonathan’s deep blue Bentley, Marina’s smile was radiant.
“Jonathan, is today the day you’re going to city hall for the divorce?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t hesitate for a moment. Seeing him so resolute, Marina quietly exhaled in relief.
Finally. After all her wishing and waiting, the day had come.
She could hardly contain her excitement, but she kept her composure–especially in front of Jonathan.
They were nearly at her place when Jonathan’s phone rang.
He pressed the answer button on the steering wheel.
“Hello, is this Mr. Jonathan Thomas?”
The man’s voice coming through the car speakers was unfamiliar to Marina.
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“Yes, this is Jonathan,” he replied.
“This is Metropolitan General Hospital. Your wife, Mrs. Niamh Rivers, has just been in a car accident. She was speeding while searching for her missing mother and collided with a truck. She’s been admitted to the ICU and is in critical condition. We need a family member here to sign the necessary paperwork.”
The hospital worker’s tone was brisk, all business–no trace of sympathy or regret.
The car fell silent.
Even Marina, usually composed, was stunned.
Jonathan’s face remained unreadable.
“I understand,” he said, then hung up.
“Jonathan, we have to go to the hospital–now!” Marina blurted, barely hiding the anticipation in her voice.
She wanted to see if Niamh would ever walk out of the ICU again. If she didn’t, well–problem solved.
But Jonathan remained silent, driving straight to Marina’s apartment building.
“Jonathan, you don’t want me to go to the hospital with you?” Marina turned to him before getting out, her voice tinged with wounded disappointment.
