I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 53

The moment I mentioned Verna, Steven’s expression changed, his eyes turning sharp. "Zephyra, I warned you a long time ago. Keep her out of our problems. Do you not understand it?" His gaze was glacial, his voice laced with ice.

In my past life, I would have apologized. I couldn't bear for there to be any friction between us. But this time, I was thinking clearly. He was the one who had wronged me. Why should I protect his feelings?

I was done being patient. I glared at him. "Steven, you chose Verna. You shouldn't be wasting my time. Divorcing me is the responsible thing to do, for her, for you, and for me."

Steven’s face darkened, his lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line. "What I do, and with whom, is none of your business."

The fire in my chest roared to life. I took two steps forward until I was right in front of him, my eyes blazing. "I came here for a divorce. Since you keep dragging your feet, then give me my money!"

Steven’s eyes narrowed, frosting over with a cold fury. "Money?"

"For the meal," I said without missing a beat. "I cooked for you so that you would agree to a divorce. Since you're not holding up your end of the bargain, you're not getting a free meal. A hundred dollars. That's the price of the spaghetti."

Steven's face instantly hardened. The atmosphere in the office became thick and cold. A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes. He pulled a stack of cash from a drawer and tossed it on the desk. "Here's a thousand. Take the money and get out."

His gaze was cold and arrogant. I ground my teeth, picked up the stack of bills, and counted it. Exactly one thousand dollars. I pulled out a single hundred-dollar bill and threw the remaining nine hundred back at Steven. "I'll take your money. The other nine hundred is a tip. For our year of marriage, that's all your performance was worth."

He stared at me, his face a mask of rage. "Zephyra!"

Seeing him angry only made me smile wider. "Steven, I'm willing to cooperate with the divorce now for a settlement of one million dollars. It's a shame you turned it down. So I'm telling you now, the next time you want a divorce, the price will be ten times higher. We'll start negotiations at ten million."

Without another word, I turned and walked out, my chin held high.

My eyes flickered. Verna's boyfriend was certainly a talker, the complete opposite of the cold and aloof Steven. "I got my results back. Everything's fine. Thank you for asking."

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, well, something's gone wrong with one of our design exhibits, and someone was in a car accident. I have to go deal with it. I'll see you later."

A sense of foreboding washed over me. "Okay, go on."

Jacob hurried away, and I entered the building, heading for the floor where Myron's office was, just as I had before.

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