Chapter 127

Hannah bit down hard enough to draw blood, but Vincent's grip refused to loosen. She eventually eased the tension from her teeth.

Felix advanced to her side. "Mr. Jones, your marriage is over. Stop holding on. She doesn't want this."

Vincent tossed him an icy, sardonic glare. "Don't pretend you understand her. This is a matter between my wife and me. What gives you the right to speak?"

Just recalling the moment Felix kissed Hannah ignited fury within Vincent. She belonged with him. How could she let someone else near her?

Hannah scowled. "I'm telling you, Felix said the truth.I never-"

Defending again. For Felix. Before she got to the end, Vincent abruptly seized her neck and crushed his mouth to hers, all while glaring at Felix like staking a claim.

Hannah's eyes widened in terror, thrashing against him with everything she had.

Felix went rigid, face morphing from stunned to seething. He was just about to act when Hannah suddenly made an unexpected move.

Smack! The sound of her slap on Vincent's cheek rang loud in the hallway.

Vincent barely flinched, just swiped his tongue across his lips and stared blankly at her.

Hannah inhaled deeply,steadying her breath."Do you even realize what you're doing? We're divorced!"

"We haven't secured the divorce decree!" he shot back. "That's still binding."

Silence settled between them.

Hannah had no desire to argue. She made a move to walk past Vincent, but his voice cut through again."I forgive you."

She whirled, stunned. "Forgive me? For what, exactly?"

Vincent's voice was low as he pointed at Felix. "For being with him. I've chosen to forgive."

Felix looked toward her, puzzled.

Vincent continued, voice flat, "As long as you keep your distance from Felix, we can choose not to go through the divorce. We can go back to how things were." The thought of her touching someone else drove him insane. It haunted him.

Hannah let out a sharp, frosty laugh."What makes you think I'd ever want to continue to live with you?"

Vincent shot up one eyebrow. "You regret this, don't you?" She had gone five whole days without urging him to finalize the divorce. That silence screamed hesitation.

Hannah's gaze sharpened. "You're absolutely right-I do regret it."

Hope sparked in Vincent's eyes. He moved closer, a faint smile on his lips. He knew it. She still couldn't let go.

Her palm rose, halting him from getting any closer. She retreated several steps. "I regret not arriving sooner to submit the divorce files. Had I not been late, we could've retrieved the missing pages and submitted them -everything would've been finalized that same day."

It felt like concrete had dropped onto Vincent's chest, crushing the air from his lungs. She must be saying so just to wound him.

Hannah gave him a steady look. "And just so we're clear-I don't forgive you." A direct counter to his earlier declaration.

A sharp,twisting pain spread through Vincent's chest. He couldn't get a single word out.

After the barrage of words, Hannah felt nothing but drained. She faced Felix. "Let's leave."

"Alright."

But as she moved forward, Vincent's hand caught her wrist again. He asked, "That day at the courthouse- did you show up late on purpose? Were you stalling?"

Facing away, Hannah's reply was detached. "You're reading too much into it. I barely got any sleep because of the injuries. I woke up late. And how I got hurt... Isn't that something you already know?"

Vincent stood frozen, eyes locked on her fading silhouette. He wanted to chase-but his feet wouldn't budge. All that echoed in his mind was the coldness on Hannah's face, and it struck him anew-Hannah was truly walking away from him.