Novel Palace
Chapter 218
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pounding on the door jolted Estrella awake just as she had closed her eyes for the
night.
“Who the hell is it?” Estrella grumbled, her irritation clear as her desire for sleep battled with the persistent knocking.
No sooner had her voice faded than the knocking resumed with renewed vigor. Estrella sighed, pushed herself out of bed, and without even bothering with shoes, went to answer the door. The moment Estrella swung the door open and locked eyes with Jason, any trace of drowsiness evaporated, replaced by a cool, distant facade.
Before she could get a word out, Jason cut to the chase, “You got Serene to drug me? You want to set me up with that cheating scandal?”
Originally filled with anger, he wanted to lash out at her, question her, but seeing her standing in front of him like this, thinking about the fall she took three years ago, and realizing that he and she could never go back, Jason suddenly couldn’t muster the He just calmly sought confirmation from her.
anger.
Estrella met his gaze, and with a dismissive tone, she said, “Yeah, that happened.”
Her blunt admission sent a stab of pain through Jason’s heart. He had clung to a sliver of hope that perhaps Serene was meddling, but Estrella’s acknowledgment dashed it all.
Jason, hands still casually in his pockets, stared at Estrella for a long moment, turned away in silence, and then faced her again.
Unlike in the past when he would vent his anger on her, argue about right and wrong, or blame her for going too far, Jason just looked at her and said, “I promise you, when we go back, I’ll go through the formalities with you.
Whether it was out of spite or sheer exhaustion, Jason was tired of holding on. Even when he had discovered Estrella was pregnant, he hadn’t thought of giving up. He’d always made excuses for her in his mind, telling himself she was just being obstinate because she was angry with him for past neglects, just like that fire seven years ago.
But Jason couldn’t stomach the thought of her pushing him into the arms of another woman, and he couldn’t accept that she had Serene drug him.
In that moment, he felt a chill of disillusionment and an acute sense of loss, realizing how much Estrella despised him, and how desperately she wanted to be free of their relationship.
Estrella, he knew, was beyond his reach. She always told him to let her go, and this time. he would.
08-04
Estrella was momentarily taken aback, then offered him a smile and a casual “Thanks.”
“Estrella,”
himself son called out her name. She looked at him, expecting more, but he found
himself at a loss for words and simply added, Have a good night.”
“You too,” she replied.
lason lingered for a moment, then turned and silently made his way toward the elevator.
Watching his retreating figure, Estrella felt a sudden pang of empathy for his seeming solitude and desolation. As Jason rounded the corner and vanished from sight, she closed her door and leaned against it, exhaling deeply. She gazed out the suite’s floor-to-ceiling windows, her thoughts drifting to the phone call she had received from Serene just days before.
On Monday, Serene had called her and said, “Estrella, are you sure you want to divorce Jason? Do you really want me to help you?”
Estrella had replied, “If you can help, I won’t mind.”
“Okay, I’ll help you,” Serene had said, then added, “If you really want a divorce, when Jason comes to have any compassion left, don’t want to be falsely accused, and don’t want to disappoint Jason, you can deny everything. I’ll take the fall.”
e you, just admit to whatever he asks. But if you w
“But Estrella, if you deny it, then never bring up divorce again. Stay with Jason, live your lives together, because deep down you still love him, and you don’t want to be
misunderstood.”
And so, she had agreed to Serene’s proposal.
Now, with a chuckle, Estrella acknowledged that she hadn’t misjudged Serene. She wa indeed the cleverest, most adept at manipulation, and it had taken just one move to shatter Jason’s resolve and
anger.
Estrella couldn’t deny that Serene had also given her a chance to choose again. She cou have denied everything when confronted by Jason, possibly leading to a different outcome. But in that moment, seeing Jason, she had chosen not to forgive. She had chosen to persist with the divorce. NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
She couldn’t forget the past, couldn’t bear the thought of him with someone else, and most crucially, she had long since stopped liking Jason.
It was over. Everything was finally over.
Meanwhile, Jason didn’t return to his own suite. Instead, he found himself on the hotel rooftop, alone with his thoughts and a cigarette.
was
The wind was fierce, tousling his hair, but his demeanor eerily calm, as if he were a
08:04
man without a soul.
He and Estrella were finally to part ways.
He once thought that as long as they obtained the marriage certificate, whether they loved or fought with each other, they would never be apart in this lifetime.
As the last drag of his cigarette burnt his fingers, Jason flinched, then snuffed out the butt
beside him.
Three days later, as life resumed in the city center after the meeting, a call from Drew came through.
“Ms. Estrella, Mr. Jason is already at the registry office,” Drew’s voice informed her through the phone.
Without hesitation, Estrella replied, “Tell him to wait. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
Meals could be skipped, sleep could be missed, but a divorce was not to be delayed.
Back in her office, after hanging up with Drew, Estrella nodded to Logan and dashed out to her car, speeding toward the registry office.
“Ms. Estrella,” Drew called out as she stepped out into the open air of the registry’s parking lot.
Estrella turned and saw Jason’s car parked not far off. The end of their shared story was waiting just a few steps away.
Estrella felt a twinge of gratitude that he had agreed to come to the city hall, and rea end their marriage. So, when she heard Drew’s voice, she couldn’t help but approach
“Ms Estrella.” As Estrella walked up to the sleek black Maybach, Drew hurriedly ope the passenger door for her.
Glancing inside, Estrella saw Jason, still clad in his customary suit, his nose adorned his signature gold-rimmed glasses.
“Get in,” came Jason’s cool voice, prompting Estrella to bend down and slide into the cal
Drew ge
gently closed the door behind her, and Jason reached for a thick stack of documents resting nearby.
“These shares are from my stake in Nelson International, this is a list of my fixed assets, and these agreements,” he said, motioning to the papers, “will come into effect once you sign them.”
Estrella remained silent as she looked over the documents Jason handed her.
Facing her reticence, Jason calmly assured her, “This is what you’re entitled to.” He had divided the shares and assets, giving Estrella her fair share.
Throughout their years of marriage, Jason had never been one to spend money on Estrella. Now that they had reached this juncture, he was not stingy in the least.