Chapter 227 Getting the Divorce Certificate

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Getting the Divorce Certificate

Sophie Winslow’s throat ached slightly, but that didn’t stop her from biting back.

Julian Sterling was merely mocking her for being so "undiscerning," willing to associate with anyone. What he thought of her was entirely irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was securing the divorce certificate. For that, she was willing to pay any price.

With Lydia’s custody on the line, there was nothing she wouldn’t risk.

Perhaps her prickly, unapologetic defiance was just too obvious. Julian watched her quietly, taking in her sheer obsession with the divorce certificate—a desperate urgency to obtain it at all costs.

His expression remained flat as he slowly stood up. "Get some rest."

He had no intention of arguing with her.

Sophie wasn’t surprised. Just like in the past, they could never quite manage to have a real fight. Whenever her emotions were pushed to the absolute limit and she bared her fangs, desperate for catharsis, Julian always managed to effortlessly extinguish the sparks. His apparent "magnanimity" stifled their conflicts time and time again. But it wasn’t magnanimity; it was pure indifference. It was the silent treatment.

Sophie ignored him and closed her eyes to rest.

It was nearly ten o’clock at night.

Madam Sterling rushed over after receiving the news. Julian stood in the corridor, looking utterly unbothered.

The elderly woman was gasping for air in anger. "This isn’t like you at all! Why on earth did you get physical with him?"

She knew Julian’s temperament well. He was aloof to a fault. He had never truly cared about anyone or anything, so how did it escalate to the point where he beat someone half to death? Moreover, Julian had never harbored any real affection for Sophie over all these years. Why go to such extremes?

"If the Thorne family wants to pursue this, they can come talk to me," Julian said, his tone tepid as he gently crushed out his cigarette.

"Did a matter between adults really need to blow up like this?" Madam Sterling demanded.

He glanced at her. "Whatever Sophie chooses to do is her own business, but when something happens against her will right in front of my eyes, do you honestly expect me to just stand by and watch it like some absurd joke?"

Madam Sterling was stunned.

Julian continued, "This isn’t about her. This is about the Sterling family’s dignity. When you served her up as a favor, you should have realized that, to the outside world, Sophie is still tied to the Sterling family."

His words were too brutally realistic, leaving no room to hide. Madam Sterling’s face turned ugly. She knew it. Julian hadn’t beaten the man to a pulp out of love for Sophie; he had done it solely to protect the family name. The reprimands she had prepared suddenly caught in her throat like a fishbone.

Julian tossed the cigarette butt away, stretched the back of his blood-crusted hand, and turned to leave. "What’s done is done. You’d better honor the promise you made her. Sophie suffered a massive indignity today. If you don’t appease her, things will get ugly if she decides to drag everyone down with her. The Thorne family likely can’t withstand a public scandal, either."

Leaving those words hanging in the air, he walked right past Madam Sterling.

Madam Sterling’s expression was incredibly grim. After an ordeal like this, a rift had undoubtedly formed between her and her old friends in the Thorne family. She had originally intended to withhold the divorce certificate as a way to punish Sophie, but Julian’s words gave her pause.

Julian never came back.

Sophie didn’t care whether he did or not. She didn’t hide the incident from Ivy Hawthorne. Early the next morning, Ivy took the day off work and came storming into the hospital.

Seeing the bruises on Sophie’s neck, tears of sheer fury spilled from Ivy’s eyes. "That absolute bastard!"

Sophie shook her head. "I’m fine. I didn’t suffer any actual harm."

"What happened to that guy from the Thorne family?" Ivy asked hatefully, clearly hoping he was dead.

"I don’t know. Julian hit him pretty hard. He must be seriously injured."

"Did Julian suddenly find his conscience? Does he still have some feelings for you?" Ivy was genuinely surprised.

Sophie let out a soft chuckle. "It’s not about feelings, and he doesn’t care. After all, no man would allow his ex-wife to be forced right in front of him. To him, it’s a stain on his reputation and a personal humiliation."

It had nothing to do with love. It was just male ego and pride deeply ingrained in his bones.

Ivy found that reasonable. She hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes. "Should I let my brother know? I’m worried the Thorne family will try to retaliate."

Sophie stopped her. "There’s no need. Mr. Hawthorne is tied up with his own affairs abroad. Besides, this is my business. Julian is the one who threw the punches, so he’ll handle the fallout."

Of that, she was certain. Julian wasn’t the type to just leave a mess unattended.

Ivy knew Sophie had many reservations, but she had already investigated Tristan Thorne before coming over. "This Tristan guy grew up abroad, and he’s completely out of control. He’s dabbled in all sorts of illegal activities and has absolutely no bottom line. He just puts on a respectable front. The Thorne family spoils him rotten. It’s highly likely he’s even involved with illegal drugs overseas."

Sophie hadn’t expected Tristan to be quite that bad.

"Of course, no one dares to expose any of this," Ivy continued. "He only came back to the country to find someone to marry so he could fight for the inheritance. The Thorne family is about to divide their assets, and he needs to get married as quickly as possible to secure a larger share. You were used."

To put it bluntly, people in their social circle would inevitably dig up dirt on a man like Tristan. No respectable socialite would ever agree to marry him.

Sudden realization dawned on Sophie. She had been traded away as a favor?

Did Madam Sterling know about Tristan’s background? Or rather, did she know Tristan would try something like that with her? Regardless of whether Madam Sterling knew the exact details, she definitely knew what kind of person Tristan was. Yet, she had still treated Sophie as a bargaining chip to curry favor with the Thorne family, tossing her straight into the lion’s den.

Sophie couldn’t help but scoff. How ruthless could human hearts truly be? Madam Sterling knew she desperately wanted the divorce certificate and had seized the opportunity to squeeze every last drop of value out of her.

Sophie didn’t stay long at the hospital. She was discharged that same morning.

She needed to make a trip to the Sterling family’s ancestral estate. The incident had happened, but she was going to get what was rightfully hers. Ivy wanted to tag along to back her up and raise hell, but Sophie refused to let her wade into this muddy water. She headed straight for the estate alone.

As soon as she walked through the door, Madam Sterling was already waiting in the living room, her face frosty.

Upon seeing Sophie, she snapped, "You’ve ruined everything. Both families are in an incredibly awkward position now. Tristan is severely injured. How do you expect anyone to explain this?"

Sophie caught the heavy blame in her tone. She walked over slowly and asked calmly, "And if I had actually been assaulted, who would have given me an explanation? You, the one who orchestrated this whole thing?"

"You..." Madam Sterling looked at her in astonishment, then flared up in anger. "What’s done is done. There is no need to involve the police. A scandal like that would only plunge both families into an even worse situation. Besides, you weren’t actually harmed, were you? Just let the matter rest."

Sophie knew this all too well. She was weak and lacked influence; turning to the law to defend herself wouldn’t actually bring her much benefit. It would only provoke more vicious retaliation from the Thorne family. The Sterling family would immediately sever all ties with her, leaving her with no one to watch her back.

But hearing Madam Sterling demand it like this was simply sickening.

Sophie had no desire to cling to the issue at this juncture. She stated bluntly, "Give me the divorce certificate, and we can call it even."

This was her singular, most important goal. Once she had it, she could handle Lydia’s custody, and everything would finally be settled!

Madam Sterling’s expression soured. However, she also knew that if she refused, Sophie would escalate the situation, and both families would lose all face.

She waved her hand.

The old butler stepped forward and placed a dark red booklet in front of Sophie.

This was the first time Sophie had ever laid eyes on her and Julian’s divorce certificate. In that moment, her blood began to boil, and her heart rate spiked wildly.

Without a second of hesitation, she snatched it up and gripped it tightly in her hand. "In that case, I won’t intrude any longer."