Chapter 321 I Won't Divorce!
Stella froze, feeling a chill run through her. She bit her lip and turned to Jasper with a forced smile, taking his arm and pretending not to know what was going on.
"Jasper, what are you talking about? I don't get it."
Jasper smirked coldly and pulled an old phone from his pocket, placing it in front of her.
"Do you get it now?"
Stella's smile faltered. She looked at the phone, her face going pale.
It was just like the one she had thrown into the lake! Jasper saw her toss it. Worried he might retrieve it, she had someone fish it out that night.
She remembered them succeeding. Later, she personally destroyed the phone with acid, turning it to mush before throwing it away. This couldn't be her phone.
Panic hit her, but she quickly composed herself, forcing a laugh. "Jasper, this phone looks like the one I threw away. Did you see me toss it and decide to get me a new one?" She snuggled closer, trying to sound playful. "You're so sweet."
"Sweet?" Jasper scoffed. "I had Ryan find an identical phone, retrieve your phone from the lake, and put the identical one back."
Stella's face lost all color. She felt like ice was running through her veins.
Jasper gently removed her hand from his arm and picked up the phone, pressing the power button. "Restoring this took some effort," he said flatly.
The phone came to life, showing chat logs meticulously recovered. Messages from "Stella" to Ava detailed how she had manipulated Ava, leading her to the Quinn family's doorstep.
Jasper scrolled through the damning evidence, each message a nail in the coffin of Stella's carefully constructed facade. With each swipe, her face grew paler until she slumped against the sofa, utterly defeated. Her foolproof plan had crumbled.
"Stella," Jasper said, his voice cold as he set the phone down. His eyes, sharp as ice, bored into her. "Did you really think your schemes would stay hidden from me?"
Stella gripped the sofa armrest, her knuckles white as she struggled to speak.
"I considered you family, Stella. And you... you took me for a fool." Jasper's voice was low and dangerous. "We've been married for years. You know how much I despise Evelyn."
Stella's grip tightened, her nails digging into the fabric. She bit her lip hard, the pain a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil.
Jasper leaned back on the sofa, a humorless smile on his lips. "Jason suspected your involvement from the moment the Quinn family made movements in Radiance Springs. We both wanted to believe it was Evelyn. I even thought Adeline might be Evelyn in disguise." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Never did I suspect you were behind it all."
He turned to look at Stella's pale face. "I waited until Ava's situation was resolved before confronting you. I wanted to give you a chance to redeem yourself."
He had hoped she would stop her schemes with Morgana and Diana before the press conference. If she had, he would have let it slide, just like he had so many times before. He felt he owed her that much for the six years she spent lost and alone. He understood her fear and insecurity about Adeline.
But even his patience had limits. He could forgive her once, twice, even more. But this was a pattern of deceit. If she had truly changed, if she was no longer the Adeline Collins he knew and loved, could he keep justifying his tolerance?
"Jasper," Stella whispered, sliding off the sofa to collapse at his feet. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched his sleeve. "I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I was just... insecure. Seeing you with Adeline, so close... it terrified me."
"At first, I resisted. It was Morgana and Diana who came up with this plan. I wanted to refuse, but then I saw you, always rushing to Adeline's side. You spent more time with her than you ever did with me." Her voice cracked. "I was jealous, Jasper. We'd been apart for so long, and the thought of losing you... I couldn't bear it. So I agreed."
She wiped her tears, her body shaking with sobs. "Please, Jasper, forgive me."
Jasper looked down at Stella, his heart heavy. This was the woman he had loved most, kneeling at his feet, begging for forgiveness.
Yet, the web of lies she had spun made it hard to see her as the gentle, loving Adeline he once knew.
Did he still love her? Maybe. Adeline was a part of him, impossible to forget. But deep down, he knew the woman he loved was the Adeline from six years ago, not the one before him now.
"Stella," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Let's get a divorce."
Maybe, he thought, if they separated, she could break free from jealousy and find the kind, loving woman she once was.
The word "divorce" hit Stella like a punch. No, she couldn't get a divorce! It would make all her sacrifices, the years of surgery and planning, meaningless. Everything she had done to become the Adeline Collins he couldn't forget would be for nothing.
"No!" she cried, clinging to his leg, her fingers digging into his trousers. "I won't sign it! I won't divorce you!"
"Jasper, you're the only one I care about. My life would be meaningless without you!"
Her tears soaked through his trousers, the warmth contrasting with the icy despair in his heart. He closed his eyes, torn between his lingering feelings and the truth of her betrayal.
"Stella," he said, his voice weary. "I gave you chances. Multiple chances."
"Then give me one more! Just one more chance," she pleaded, her voice desperate. "I swear, I won't make any more mistakes. I'll do anything you ask, just please, don't leave me. I've loved you for so many years, please don't give up on me."
He looked down at her tear-stained face, his heart aching. This was Adeline, the woman who had held his heart for so long. And she was begging him for another chance.
Taking a deep breath, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a document, placing it on the table before her. Stella's eyes widened in horror as she saw the words "Divorce Agreement" at the top.
"No!" she screamed, recoiling from the document as if it were a snake.
"I won't sign it! I won't get a divorce!"
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