Chapter 81 Raymond Strode towards Margaret
Alvin replied, "Mrs. Howard didn't say squat."
After Alvin finished, he held the umbrella and chatted with Margaret on the phone, "Mrs. Howard, you there? Mr. Howard's chillin' at the Family Court entrance."
Margaret replied, "I see you. I'm here too."
Raymond and Alvin weren't far apart, and Raymond caught her calm vibe.
He lifted an eyebrow.
The Family Court was just across the street.
Margaret was standing on the steps at the entrance, looking all dramatic in red against the lifeless white backdrop of leaves and steps.
Raymond crossed the street, striding towards her with his long legs.
His sharp eyes locked onto her face.
Her makeup was on point, and her hair was up.
He hadn't seen her dolled up like this in ages 'cause he once said he didn't dig her dressing too flashy.
During their time together, she always played it safe and skipped the makeup.
The red down jacket she was rocking was the same one from her freshman year in college.
Back then, she was the center of attention, even for him.
Raymond frowned, his face tightening for her to look this good, even with makeup on when they got divorced.
Margaret smirked and spoke first, "Thought you weren't gonna show."
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Raymond noticed her slender fingers were bare; no wedding ring he bought her.
His eyes turned icy, and he mocked, "You look like you're here to get hitched."
"Isn't divorce a fresh start? For me, it's almost like getting married. Raymond, let's get this over with." Margaret shot back, then turned and strutted into the Family Court lobby with her black handbag.
He thought she had bailed, but she had been waiting since morning till almost closing time.
Margaret's phone suddenly buzzed.
It was an unknown number.
She frowned, feeling a bit jittery about unknown numbers. Could it be Sarah again?
Margaret decisively hung up.
The Family Court staff, realizing they were there for a divorce, sighed but handed them some forms to fill out at a nearby table.
Raymond sat on one side, while Margaret pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.
Margaret took out her documents and carefully filled out the forms, double-checking the info.
Raymond sneered. He found it amusing.
Margaret's phone on the table buzzed again.
Raymond lifted an eyebrow and glanced at the screen.
Someone was calling her via voice call.
The avatar was unfamiliar; he didn't recognize it.
Margaret picked up the phone, feeling the avatar looked familiar but couldn't place it. She answered the call, and before she could speak, a clear and strong male voice came through. "Ms. Hughes, it's me."
Margaret recognized the voice and was a bit surprised. "Mr. Taylor."
Daniel asked politely, "I just called you, but you hung up, so I had to voice call you. Ms. Hughes, are you free now? I have something very important to tell you."
Raymond's lips curled into a cold smile, a sinister grin. What important matter other than hooking up could these two have?
Margaret pursed her lips. She thought there might be some news on the mute boy's case, but when she caught Raymond's sneer, she said softly, "Mr. Taylor, I'm kinda tied up right now. Can I hit you back later?"
"Sure thing. Talk to you later," Daniel replied and ended the call.
Raymond's eyes were cold and mocking. "Margaret, you'd do anything for this cop, huh?"
Margaret shot back, "Cut it out. Just fill out the forms before the court closes."
She gripped the pen and quickly started filling out the forms.
Alvin stood next to Raymond, feeling the chill and displeasure radiating from him.
Raymond glanced at Alvin, "You fill it out for me. I'm stepping out for a smoke."
Alvin was taken aback. "Me?"
Raymond said coldly, "If we don't wrap this up before closing, it's on you."
Raymond stood up and walked out of the Family Court.
He stood on the steps.
The sky was dark and gloomy, no light at all.
The snow had turned into a heavy fall, swirling in the cold wind and covering the road.
As cars passed by, the snow was instantly turned into slushy puddles.
The road became wet and slippery.
Raymond held a cigarette between his fingers, taking a deep drag.
It had snowed like this when the freshmen arrived that year.
Just like today, a sudden snowfall with no warning.
Her passionate love was all a sham, just a game to conquer.
But he had taken it seriously.
Raymond thought of the raging fire, where he was hidden under the bed by Sandra.
Sandra had been stabbed multiple times by a man in black, her body full of bloody holes.
She lay on the ground, shaking her head at him, coughing up blood, begging him not to make a sound, not even to cry.
The man, wearing black leather shoes, paced back and forth in the room.
Eventually, Sandra lay on the ground with her eyes open, blood continuously flowing from her mouth.
The man in black kicked her and chuckled, "When you get to hell, don't come looking for me. If you must, look for Marlon. He's the one who sent me to kill your whole family. Don't get the wrong guy."
That was the first time Raymond heard the name Marlon.
That night, there was thunder and lightning, but no rain, not a single drop.
After the man in black left, he crawled out from under the bed, holding Sandra's gradually cooling body, and cried out in despair, "Mom... Mom."
"Revenge, revenge." Sandra's eyes were filled with hatred, struggling to repeat the name she had just heard. "Marlon..."
Thinking of the past, Raymond's expression turned icy. He tossed the still-burning cigarette and crushed it with his shoe before heading back into the Family Court. This had to end.
Raymond strode into the Family Court lobby.
There were few people handling business, just Raymond and Margaret.
Margaret handed the relevant documents to the person sitting in front of the computer.
Alvin also handed over Raymond's documents.
The staff looked at Margaret and sighed. "I thought you had left. Didn't expect you were still here."
Margaret said, "We're here specifically to get divorced today. Please process it for us."
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