Chapter 214 We’re divorced now

Chapter 214: Chapter 214 We’re divorced now

Alessio glanced at the documents and then toward Cedric. The lawyer was waiting patiently and Daisy had already placed her pen down after signing. Her signature was there, neat and final, the ink already drying on the page.

Alessio noticed Cedric had been staring at her signature for far too long. His eyes were fixed on the paper, unmoving, as if he was hoping the words would somehow change or disappear.

Alessio leaned back slightly and spoke in a calm, almost polite voice.

"It’s your turn to sign the divorce papers."

Cedric slowly lifted his head. His eyes were already red with anger and frustration. His jaw was tight and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

He stared directly at Alessio.

"I am signing. You don’t need to remind me!"

His voice came out much sharper than necessary, making the room fall silent for a moment. The lawyer paused, his pen hovering above his notes. Margaret glanced up, her eyes wide.

Alessio blinked. He hadn’t expected such a reaction. His expression remained calm but there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"I was only reminding you," he said calmly.

"I don’t need your reminder!" Cedric’s jaw clenched even tighter. His voice rose, sharp and angry. "You’re sitting there acting like this is some kind of celebration."

Alessio’s eyebrows lifted slightly. "I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to." Cedric glared at him, his eyes burning with anger. "I can see that expression on your face."

Alessio remained silent for a moment. Then the faintest smile returned to his lips.

"Then perhaps you should stop looking at me."

Cedric’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Alessio."

"Cedric."

The two men stared at each other. Neither of them blinked or looked away.

James immediately sighed from the couch. His voice was tired but firm.

"Can both of you stop behaving like children for five minutes?"

Cedric looked away with an irritated expression. His jaw was still tight, and his hands were still clenched.

Alessio simply shrugged, his expression unreadable.

The lawyer cleared his throat. "Mr. Cedric, whenever you’re ready."

Cedric looked down at the document. His expression slowly changed. His fingers tightened around the pen.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the blank space where his signature belonged.

His name was typed at the bottom, waiting for him to make it official.

Some foolish part of him was waiting. Waiting for something...Anything.

He glanced toward Daisy. She was sitting quietly beside Alessio, her hands resting in her lap. She wasn’t looking at him anymore. She wasn’t nervous. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t even trying to stop him.

Cedric’s chest tightened.

Say something.

His eyes remained on her.

Come on, Daisy.

He didn’t know what he wanted her to say. Maybe he wanted her to tell Grandpa James that she had changed her mind. Maybe he wanted her to reach for his hand and stop him before the pen touched the paper. Maybe he simply wanted her to look at him with the same affection she once had.

Anything would have been enough.

He glanced at her again.

Nothing. Daisy was completely silent.

Cedric swallowed.

You’re really going to let me sign this?

His fingers tightened around the pen. He had expected her to hesitate or look sad. He had expected at least some small sign that ending their marriage hurt her. But she looked strangely calm.

And that calmness hurt him more than anger would have.

The lawyer waited patiently. "Mr. Cedric?"

Cedric didn’t answer. His gaze shifted toward Daisy one last time and he lowered his eyes to the paper again.

For one last moment, he waited. Maybe Daisy would stop him. Maybe Grandpa James would say something. Maybe some unexpected problem would arise and the divorce would be delayed. Maybe something would happen.

But nothing did.

The room remained painfully silent.

Cedric finally understood. No one was going to stop him.

And perhaps the worst part was that Daisy wasn’t trying to stop him either.

His expression slowly hardened.

"Fine."

He lowered the pen. The tip touched the paper. And with a hand that felt much heavier than it should have, Cedric began writing his signature.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Finally.

Alessio felt a rush of relief the moment Cedric’s signature was completed. The pen left the paper and the sound of it being set down echoed through the quiet room.

Alessio’s shoulders, which had been tense for the past hour, finally relaxed. He quickly controlled his expression, schooling his features into something neutral but the faint curve at the corner of his lips still remained.

Finally.

After everything, Daisy was finally free from that marriage. Free from Cedric. Free from the cold mansion and the cruel mother-in-law and the husband who had never appreciated her.

He glanced toward her.

But Daisy’s face had suddenly gone blank. She was staring at the divorce papers in front of her, her expression unreadable, as though she was still processing the fact that something that had been part of her life for three years had just ended with a few signatures. Her hands were still in her lap, and her eyes were fixed on the documents.

Cedric slowly placed the pen down. His fingers remained on the table for a moment before he pulled his hand back. He looked at Daisy.

"We’re divorced now."

His voice was strangely quiet. It lacked the anger from earlier, lacked the coldness he usually wore. It was just... quiet. Almost hollow.

Daisy slowly lifted her eyes toward him. Their gazes met.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Cedric stared at her face, almost as though he was waiting for some reaction. Anything. Sadness, relief, regret.

But Daisy only looked at him silently. Her expression was calm, her eyes unreadable. There was no anger in her gaze, no pain, no longing. Just quiet acceptance.

Something inside his chest sank.

It was official. She wasn’t his wife anymore.

And somehow, hearing himself say those words made the reality much more painful than signing the document had been. The paper was just paper. But saying it out loud, acknowledging it, made it real.

"We’re divorced now," he repeated, almost as though he needed to convince himself.

Daisy’s fingers slowly tightened together in her lap. She lowered her eyes again, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks.