Chapter 17 Do You Still Want to Do This?
He was wearing the same color as her.
Wearing a slightly open collared pajama, her hair slightly disheveled, she exuded a unique blend of disorder and beauty, adding a hint of rebelliousness to her usual elegance.
The chilliness that usually emanated from her had also diminished considerably.
In that moment, it felt as if they had gone back to when they first got married.
Charles noticed her absent-mindedness and saw the teardrops on her eyelashes, remnants of her crying.
Seeing this scene, his throat tightened and a slight frown appeared on his forehead as he asked, "Why are you crying?"
"Who's crying?" Daphne questioned back in confusion.
However, due to her restless night, she wasn't in the best state of mind, giving off an impression that she was concealing her emotions, putting up a facade of strength.
Thinking she was upset about the divorce, Charles said, "Since we're both awake, come sit here."
"No," Daphne just wanted to drink some water and go to sleep. She was really tired. "I'll go upstairs and sleep."
Before she could take a step, Charles grabbed her hand, took the cup from her hand, and led her towards the dining table.
Daphne asked, "?"
Charles placed the cup on the table in front of her. His fair and slender fingers showcased distinct knuckles.
His voice was deep and carried a hint of sexiness as he asked, "Why can't you sleep?"
Daphne looked at the remaining half-cup of water and started drinking it sip by sip.
She didn't respond to his question.
"Is it because of the divorce tomorrow?" Charles asked.
Daphne paused her drinking, struggling to keep up with his pace.
"When we talked about getting married, I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with you," Charles brought up the topic himself since she remained silent.
His freshly awakened black pupils didn't possess as much distance as before. "I just didn't expect that Kayla had another reason for leaving me."
Daphne placed the empty cup on the table, her emotions sounding indifferent as she said, "Mm, I know."
Before that phone call from Kayla, Charles had truly been good to her.
If she didn't want a wedding, he wouldn't have one. If she didn't want unnecessary attention, they wouldn't announce their relationship in the media. He took care of almost everything for her.
He even worried about her feeling inferior due to the difference in their backgrounds, praising her in various small aspects of life.
Before that phone call, she had thought that she had made the right choice in her life.
Her mother could finally rest assured.
But in the end, reality turned out to be vastly different.
"Daphne," Charles called her name with the same tenderness and concern as before.
Daphne didn't argue with him either.
Perhaps it was the dream of seeing her mother earlier, or perhaps thoughts of their past, or maybe it was the effect of the late hour dulling her mind.
She simply replied to him as she used to, "Mm?"
"I'm sorry," Charles didn't know why either, but seeing the tears on her face made his heart feel pricked by needles.
Daphne sensed his expression and finally said, devoid of any fluctuation in emotion, "I accept."
A sense of emptiness washed over Charles.
Hearing her words that lacked any emotional ups and downs, he once again felt the impending loss.
"I hope that after the divorce, we can just be strangers."
She said, "Even if we meet, we would still be strangers."
She would probably have to manage the Murphy Group when she returned. Even though it was a dummy company for her dad, it was her mother's hard work.
There was always collaboration between companies, especially between the Murphy Group and the Lancelot Group, both leading domestic enterprises. She didn't want any personal emotions when the two companies discussed cooperation.
"I can agree," Charles's eyes darkened slightly, showing some concern for her, "but you have to promise me one thing."
Daphne replied, "Just tell me."
"If you later..." Charles paused, unable to bring himself to say the words 'remarry.'
Just the thought of her being with someone else, having children and smiling tenderly in someone else's embrace, it felt suffocating in his heart.
Daphne asked, "?"
She questioned, "What?"
"Afterwards, if you're with someone else, remember to sign a prenuptial agreement before getting married," Charles reminded her.
He didn't want her to be deceived, "And don't tell anyone that you have a lot of money."
In his opinion, Daphne was just an ordinary girl.
If her fortune of billions of dollars was known, she would surely be targeted, and she would be in danger.
"Don't worry, I know," Daphne said sincerely.
Charles's emotions grew even gloomier. He had been so concerned about Daphne's relationship with Evan earlier in broad daylight, and now he was calmly discussing these matters with her.
Ultimately, he blamed all his abnormalities on the tears on Daphne's face.
He also regarded his own reactions as the final tenderness before their divorce.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go upstairs to sleep," Daphne stood up, genuinely tired.
"Wait." Charles called out to her.
Daphne looked at him, her gaze filled with confusion.
Before she could think about what else he wanted to say, Charles reached out his hand. The warmth from his thumb gently wiped away the tears on her face.
His deep voice carried tenderness as he said, "Don't cry."
Daphne raised her hand and wiped the other side of her face, only then realizing that there was indeed moisture on her face.
She was momentarily stunned, recalling the events from her dream to waking up.
Then she met Charles's gaze, explaining, "I didn't cry."
"No need to pretend to be strong," Charles's gaze deepened, and he removed his hand from her face, his eyes reflecting Daphne's figure.
"I really didn't cry," Daphne wiped her face again and picked up the water glass in her hand, giving a straightforward explanation, "The tears you saw might be the water that spilled on my face when I bumped into you earlier."
"..."
Daphne looked at his drenched clothes and said, "It's a bit cold on this early autumn night, so you should change clothes before sleeping."
"..."
"I'll go upstairs first, don't wet your clothes."
"Sorry about the clothing."
"......"
Daphne placed her cup on the shelf and stomped upstairs to sleep, leaving Charles standing there in disbelief.
The pleasant atmosphere was completely shattered by her words.
Charles felt a chill creeping up on him as he realized how foolish he was for crying and comforting her just now.
Thinking about the way Daphne looked at him made him feel restless.
At that moment, Daphne felt like a fool.
After standing in the living room for a while, Charles returned to his room and sat on the couch. His mind was filled with thoughts of what had just happened, and he grew more and more restless, to the point that he couldn't sleep much for the rest of the night.
Early the next morning, he prepared the divorce documents and waited in the living room.
Neither of them mentioned what happened last night, and they quietly had breakfast together.
Exactly eight o'clock.
They got into the car with the documents and identification.
Mark sensed that there was a heavy air between his boss and Mrs. Lancelot.
He glanced at the rearview mirror before finally speaking, "Boss, are you really planning to divorce Mrs. Lancelot?"
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