Chapter 445
Outside the courthouse, Isabella stared at the divorce papers in her hand, feeling a bit dazed. They had finally reached this point.
From today on, she and Michael would have nothing to do with each other.
Thinking about how eager Michael had been to finalize the divorce in court, Isabella couldn't help but feel it was unfair to herself.
She knew Michael didn't like her, but she never expected him to be so desperate to get rid of her.
But maybe this was for the best.
Only this way, she wouldn't have any more expectations of him.
Michael came out a moment later and saw Isabella standing on the steps, not moving.
He hesitated, feeling an urge to approach her. Perhaps this was his last chance to speak with her.
"Isabella, I-"
Before he could finish, Isabella turned around and cut him off, waving the divorce papers in her hand with a smile on her face.
"Michael, congrats on being single again. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Goodbye."
If she could, she hoped never to see him again!
Her tone was polite yet distant, as if she were speaking to a stranger.
Though she was smiling, Michael felt the distance between them growing.
His heart felt like it was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe.
Thomas came out last, seeing Isabella and Michael standing together, talking about who knew what.
Thomas despised Michael for how he treated his niece and wished he would stay far away from her.
Seeing them together, even if they were just talking, made Thomas furious. He strode over and pulled Isabella to his side.
"Isabella, let's go. You're divorced now, why waste time talking to him?"
"Atticus and Holden are waiting to celebrate with you. Let's not waste any more time here."
"Celebrate what?"
Isabella was puzzled. "Atticus and Holden must be mistaken. This is a divorce, not a wedding. What's there to celebrate?"
Thomas sneered at Michael, "Of course, we're celebrating you being single again. Now you can find any man you like, and your uncle will make sure he's perfect for you."
"After all, you're now just the heiress of the Wilson Family. You've finally escaped that hellhole, so why not throw a party to celebrate?"
With that, Thomas pulled her away, not wanting to stay in Michael's presence any longer.
Watching the love of his life disappear before his eyes, Michael couldn't help but follow her with his gaze until her car sped away.
He took out a cigarette and lit it.
He had pushed the love of his life away with his own hands.
Michael would never forget the moment Isabella, with tears in her eyes, confessed her love for him. His heart had almost leapt out of his chest with joy.
But now, thinking back, the happiness he felt then was matched by the pain he felt now.
If he hadn't misunderstood her, if he hadn't thought she had schemed to marry him, if he had realized his love for her sooner...
They could be living a happy married life now, maybe even with a child in their first year of marriage.
He would come home to see her and their child waiting for him.
How happy those days would have been.
But he realized too late. He had missed his chance with her.
Now, he just wanted to quickly deal with the Adri Family's schemes. If Isabella was still single by then, he would do everything to win her back.
He knew she must be hurting now.
But he couldn't explain the truth to her yet.
He had to wait until he had resolved everything. Then he would find her and tell her everything.
At least she had her uncles and friends to help her through this tough time.
With that thought, Michael crushed his cigarette underfoot and walked down the steps.
Just then, he received a call from Aaron overseas.
"Mr. Brown, good news. We've tracked down the courier who sent the suspicious documents."
If they could find this person, they might be able to intercept and retrieve the documents, temporarily saving the Brown Group from crisis.
Michael exhaled.
But he hadn't forgotten the call from Aiden earlier, clearly ready to hold him accountable.
That wouldn't be easy to deal with.
Meanwhile, Isabella was in a much better mood.
Throughout the ride, Thomas couldn't stop smiling.
Isabella had finally divorced Michael.
As her uncle, Thomas was happier than anyone.
Now that she was free from that bad man, she could find any man she wanted. Why should she settle for Michael?
Isabella, on the other hand, had a calm expression since leaving the courthouse. It was hard to tell if she was happy or not.
But Thomas assumed she was happy.
After all, anyone would be relieved to be free from what Michael had done.
The sooner the divorce, the sooner the relief.
Back at the Wilson Family home, Isabella made an excuse to go to her room.
Thomas couldn't wait to share the good news with Atticus and Holden.
Only Olivia noticed something was off with Isabella and quietly went upstairs to be with her.
No one knew better than Olivia how much Isabella loved Michael. He was the only man she had ever loved.
Even if he was a jerk, he was different in Isabella's heart.
They had broken up and gotten back together so many times, but Olivia could see that Isabella didn't really want to divorce Michael.
She was just waiting for him to change.
But in the end, Michael had let her down, and they had reached the point of divorce.
How could Isabella possibly be happy?
At this moment, Olivia wished Isabella would cry out loud, at least to release her pent-up emotions. It was better than silently bearing it alone.
At noon, Atticus asked Cinda to prepare more dishes. After all, Isabella's divorce was a big deal for the Wilson Family.
Thomas had just returned, so it was a good time for a family gathering.
Kian and Orion also received calls from Thomas, learning the good news of Isabella's divorce.
They were thrilled and happy for Isabella.
She was still young and deserved someone better to spend her life with.
As lunch was almost ready, Atticus received a call.
His subordinate had some news.
Michael's overseas mining project had run into big trouble. The specifics were still under investigation.