Chapter 9 Are You Pregnant?
Charles obediently brought the fruit over and placed it in front of Daphne, sitting next to her.
Before he could remind Daphne about discussing the divorce, Grandpa spoke again, "Daphne, don't be so formal, as Charles's husband, he should have served you the fruit proactively."
"Am I a person you picked up?" Charles finally asked this question.
"No," Laura replied.
"Received as a credit card promotion," Hayden said.
Charles: "..."
"Parents, Grandpa," Daphne saw that the time was right and began to talk about the important matter, "Actually, the reason why we came here today is to discuss something with you."
"Are you pregnant?"
"How many months?"
"When did it happen?"
Looking at the excitement and happiness in Grandpa and Mom's eyes, although she didn't want to destroy the atmosphere, Daphne still said, "I plan to divorce Charles."
After she finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly grew colder.
Laura froze in the middle of grabbing a fruit, and the smile on Grandpa's face gradually disappeared. Even Hayden put down the newspaper.
It was evident how much this matter affected them.
"Why do you suddenly want a divorce?" Laura finally asked after a while.
"The reason lies with me," Daphne took the initiative to take responsibility, quickly concluding this matter. "I don't love him anymore."
"Well, that's good," Laura replied.
Grandpa let out a sigh of relief.
Hayden glanced at Charles with a hint of inscrutability in his eyes.
"In that case, you can kick him out," Grandpa said. "Hayden and I will teach you how to manage the company, and then you can take on the role of CEO at the Lancelot Group."
In the eyes of everyone present, falling out of love was a small matter.
Emotions could be cultivated, as long as it wasn't a matter of principle, they could keep Daphne.
"We are not joking," Charles, who always had no position, finally spoke. "The divorce process is already underway. We will submit the divorce application on Monday, and once the waiting period is over, we will register the divorce."
"Did I allow you to speak?" Laura became angry.
Charles made his attitude clear, saying, "I came back this time just to inform all of you."
"So, it's you who wants to divorce, not Daphne?" Grandpa quickly grasped the key point. "You were the one who had a flash marriage with her in the first place, and now you want to divorce her. Do you have any sense of responsibility as a man?"
"Why did you marry Daphne in the first place?" Laura asked.
"Don't talk to me about love at first sight," Grandpa replied.
"Are you treating Daphne as a substitute for someone else?" Hayden added.
Laura and Grandpa both looked at Hayden with seriousness in their eyes, "Substitute?"
Charles remained silent.
"I initiated the divorce," Daphne knew that saying too much would only make things worse, so she didn't mention any details. "It has nothing to do with Charles."
With a serious tone and sincere attitude, everyone understood that Daphne wasn't joking.
They wanted to mediate, but when they noticed the invisible gap between Daphne and Charles, they realized that there might have been conflicts between the two that they were unaware of.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became heavy. Daphne didn't say anything else, waiting for the elders to respond.
"Alright then," Laura spoke up, holding Daphne's hand, genuinely liking her. "Divorce is not a small matter. Let's ask your parents to come over and discuss together. If they are not available, we can go to them."
"We should talk about it. After two years of marriage, Charles should also go meet Daphne's parents," Grandpa was genuinely angry, his displeasure growing.
"This time, I have to meet and apologize to them in person before the divorce."
If he were Daphne's biological grandfather, he would've used his cane to smack Charles a long time ago!
"No need, I can handle this myself," Daphne rejected the proposal.
Laura persisted, "Daphne..."
"My relationship with my family isn't great," Daphne spoke about family matters for the first time, and it was all true. "My dad has a new wife."
Charles froze.
Looking at her seemingly unchanged expression, he felt a tightness in his chest, and with a slightly hoarse voice, he asked, "Why have you never mentioned this before?"
"Smack!"
Grandfather hit him with his cane. This time he couldn't hold back.
In his mind, he automatically imagined Daphne being in a terrible situation, with her father not caring about her after getting a new wife, and now experiencing a divorce.
How much pain had Daphne endured?
"Grandfather!" Daphne didn't expect him to suddenly get physically aggressive.
"And you dare to say such things!" Grandfather was furious. "You've been married for two whole years, have you ever cared or shown concern for Daphne? As her husband, you don't even know about her family's circumstances!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and Grandfather truly considered kicking him out.
"Daphne," Laura observed the situation and instinctively assumed that her son, Charles, hadn't cared for Daphne, leading her to lose hope in their marriage. "If you stay with Charles for another year and still insist on a divorce, then I'll be on your side."
Daphne was about to refuse, saying, "No..."
"In fact, I don't have much time left," Laura's eyes dimmed, her words carrying a weight of heaviness. "I didn't mention it before because I was afraid it would affect you."
Hayden: "..."
Daphne: "?"
Charles: "?"
"The doctor said I have stomach cancer and only have one and a half years to live," Laura's emotions were low, and she appeared listless. "Daphne, give Charles another year, just one year, okay?"
Daphne grabbed her hand, checked her pulse, and looked into her pupils.
Laura was a little puzzled by her actions.
"You might have encountered a fake doctor," Daphne phrased it differently, taking the elder's feelings into consideration. "Your pulse is calm and steady, and there are no deposits of dark substances forming a ring halfway between the edge of your iris and your pupil. Your stomach is healthy."
Laura stopped pretending to be sick, holding onto her hand with reluctance all over her face. "Daphne..."
"The divorce is a carefully considered decision between Charles and me, there's no need for you to persuade me anymore," Daphne said, comforting her. "Thank you for your care and support over these years."
Laura's eyes welled up with tears.
She truly didn't want to let her go. She had always wanted a daughter alongside her sons. It was only when Daphne came into her life that her wish was fulfilled.
"Have you really made up your mind?" Grandfather's spirit had faded, and the thinness of his face revealed an unspoken reluctance.
Daphne: "I have made up my mind."
The words on everyone's lips were swallowed back when they saw her resolute attitude. They knew that persuading her any further would be futile.
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