Chapter 351: Raymond, You Did It on Purpose
Raymond's heart grew increasingly bitter.
So she really didn't remember.
Only he was still stuck in the past, only he still remembered.
The drive to the Municipal Office took just over ten minutes.
No one spoke.
The silence was suffocating.
Margaret closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, to avoid any further arguments that might affect their impending divorce.
Raymond knew she was faking it, knew she was deliberately avoiding him.
But he chose not to call her out on it.
It was about to end; he didn't want to shatter the fragile peace.
The car stopped in front of the Municipal Office.
Alvin got out first, then respectfully opened the door for them.
Margaret tried to get out, but Raymond pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Margaret frowned, her tone impatient.
Her reaction was like needles piercing his heart.
It hurt, it hurt a lot.
"Nothing, I just want to hold you one last time."
"No need. If you want to hold a woman, go find Sarah. She'd be happy to let you." Margaret pushed against his chest, defensive.
Raymond's cold laugh was filled with anger. Margaret really knew how to provoke him.
Nothing she said was what he wanted to hear.
Margaret hated dragging things out, especially when they had already decided to part ways.
Dragging it out only led to awkwardness and discomfort.
"Let go," Margaret pushed him impatiently.
He didn't budge, his eyes darkened. "Margaret, I told you, if you want a divorce, don't provoke me."
"What do you mean?" Margaret laughed angrily.
"I mean I want to hold you."
She ended up in his arms.
Dominant, unyielding, forceful.
Margaret didn't resist anymore; she didn't want to waste time on these trivial matters. As long as they could get divorced, she would endure it.
He was just as he had always been, doing things his way, never considering her feelings or thoughts.
Margaret's nose tingled with sadness.
Snowflakes fell on her cheeks.
Cold, icy.
Just like her current mood.
Raymond quickened his pace, afraid she would catch a cold, and hurried into the Municipal Office lobby.
The lobby was warm.
Margaret asked Raymond to put her down.
He placed her at the service window.
The staff saw them and was momentarily stunned, then pointed to the next window. "This is the divorce window; marriage is next door."
"No, we're here for a divorce," Margaret explained.
Margaret looked at Raymond. "Do you have the documents? You didn't forget them, did you?"
So that's how she saw him, so despicable.
Needing to withhold documents to keep her?
Raymond didn't respond, instead looking at Alvin.
Alvin quickly opened his black briefcase. "Got them, got them. All the documents are here. Not missing a single one."
He took out the documents from the briefcase.
"I've been handling divorces for years, and this is the first time I've seen such a harmonious couple," the staff remarked.
Margaret gave a bitter smile. Harmonious?
Not at all.
This divorce was the result of her stopping medication and going on a hunger strike.
She almost lost her life.
Raymond asked, "Do we need any other documents?"
"Yes, you need to take two photos."
"Alright."
At the photo studio.
The photographer saw Raymond and Margaret come in and smiled. "Are you here for wedding photos? We have a special promotion."
"No, we're here for divorce photos," Margaret quickly explained.
Seeing her rush to clarify, Raymond's face grew even colder. She was so eager to sever ties with him.
"Alright. Divorce photos, two for fifty dollars. Is that okay?"
"That's fine."
"Who wants to go first?" The photographer asked, looking between Margaret and Raymond.
Margaret looked at Raymond. "You first?"
"You go first," Raymond said. She was the one who wanted the divorce; he wasn't in a hurry.
Margaret didn't argue, sitting on a stool in front of a red backdrop.
The photographer crouched, holding his camera, and started taking pictures.
Raymond watched her expressionlessly. She had put on makeup today, just a light touch, but she looked beautiful.
Her long hair fell over her shoulders.
Her eyes held a smile, a smile of relief, of happiness.
It was the same smile Raymond had seen when they took their wedding photos.
But now, Margaret's smile was tired, exhausted.
The fortress of marriage was about to be completely opened.
She was finally going to be free.
Margaret had good features, even though she was ill, she still looked good on camera.
In less than two minutes, the photographer was done, joking, "Okay, this lady is very photogenic, every shot looks great."
"She's always been beautiful," Raymond said quietly.
Margaret got up from the stool and walked over.
The photographer raised his camera. "Do you want to see? If you're not satisfied, we can retake them."
"No need. Hurry up and take his. We're in a rush," Margaret said, uninterested.
Divorce wasn't something to celebrate; she didn't want to look.
She remembered how excited she was when they took their wedding photos, checking every shot, striving for perfection.
It had exhausted Raymond and the photographer.
The photographer shrugged and had Raymond sit for his photos.
Margaret waited on the side.
She deliberately avoided looking at Raymond.
Because she was afraid that if she looked, she wouldn't be able to let go.
After all, he was the man she had loved for so many years. It was a lie to say she wasn't sad.
The photographer kept taking pictures.
Margaret checked her watch; half an hour had passed.
"Is it done yet? How much longer?" Margaret urged, her long hair falling from her ear. She tucked it back behind her ear.
The photographer checked his camera. "I think we're good."
Then he showed the photos to Raymond.
"You look pretty handsome. How about we go with these?"
"What do you mean go with these? These photos make me look bad. Retake them," Raymond said, his face dark.
Margaret heard this and quickly walked over. "Let me see."
The photographer handed the camera to Margaret.
Margaret glanced at the photos and objectively commented, "They look fine. What's wrong with them?"
"I think they look bad."
"Please retake his photos quickly. We're in a hurry," Margaret said to the photographer, ignoring Raymond.
The photographer nodded and crouched down to retake Raymond's photos.
After about ten more shots, Raymond was still dissatisfied.
Margaret got angry. "Raymond, are you doing this on purpose? It's just divorce photos, why are you making such a fuss?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
