Chapter 21

"This is just an excuse for you two to mess with me. You could've just pretended we weren't divorced after we actually split. Can't you even keep that small thing under wraps?"

"You!"

Frederick felt like he was suffocating, like a heavy weight was crushing his chest.

Charlotte seemed like a stranger to him now, and this change left him totally lost.

Every word she said felt like a thorn, stabbing him over and over.

She was nothing like she used to be.

"Do you really want to divorce me that badly? What are you after? Do you think divorcing me will do you any good?" Frederick was baffled.

"No, it won't benefit me, but I just want to be free, Frederick. Aren't you tired of juggling and lying to two women?"

"What have I lied to you about?"

"You're still not willing to tell the truth?"

Charlotte felt like she never really knew Frederick. She was getting exhausted.

"Since you don't want to keep even a shred of decency, I'll be blunt.The reason I agreed to the divorce is that I don't want to keep getting tangled up with you. You don't need to drag out the divorce while planning a wedding with Serena. Why can't you do these things after we're completely done? At least then I wouldn't misunderstand your intentions and get hurt by it."

Charlotte was really bothered by Frederick's two-faced behavior.

They used to be so close, and there were so many moments when Charlotte felt deeply loved.

But when Serena showed up, everything she believed in turned out to be a lie.

Even so, she hoped they could divorce wvith some dignity.

Instead of being provoked by a mistress, as the legal wife, she even had to back down, which made Charlotte feel disgusted.

Charlotte turned her head slightly and discreetly wiped away the tears from her eyes as she reached to touch the stray hair by her temple.

She stilI didn't want Frederick to see her vulnerability.

Even in divorce, she hoped they could stand on the same level.

"When did I ever discuss wedding plans with Serena?"

Frederick's eyebrows furrowed, and his deep eyes darkened.

"There's no point in continuing this conversation." He said, "I think there's a misunderstanding between us. I have no reason to lie to you. If I had done this, I would admit it. Your baseless accusations only make me think you're trying to change the subject." Frederick irritably tapped the table with his fingers. The desire in his eyes had completely faded, replaced by a chilling coldness.

He exuded a low-pressure aura and serutinized Charlotte with a piercing gaze.

"Starting this out of nowhere, I really have to question your motives. Who exactly are you running to after leaving me? Charlotte, have I not satisfied you in bed?"

Frederick's words were undeniably harsh. Each one struck Charlotte's heart with precision.

Charlotte was so angry that she could hardly breathe.

She said incredulously, "Do you think everyone is like you? Don't use your malicious thoughts to judge me. Serena told me you two were discussing wedding plans. When I went back to the villa last time to find you, I opened our bedroom door and saw Serena wearing my nightgown. She said you were in the bathroom at that time, but rest assured, I won't tell Grandma about this."

Even though Charlotte had a lot of regrets about this marriage,she wasn't about to complain to Anouk.

As for what Anouk had mentioned before, even if she didn't divorce Frederick, Anouk wouldn't let Serena marry into the Percy Family.

Whatever had happened between them was out of Charlotte's hands. Before, she hadn't seen Frederick's true colors. Now that she did, she had no desire to save this marriage. She had already lost so much and didn't want to lose her last bit of dignity.

After digesting Charlotte's words, Frederick finally got what she meant.

He said helplessly, "Serena wasn't feeling well and wanted to sleep wherever she wanted. I didn't interfere. As for her wearing your clothes.that was an accident. But where did the wedding plans come from?I never said anything like that."

"You never said those things, so am I making it up? Serena is upstairs right now. Do we need to confront her?"

He replied, "I'm not saying you're lying. Don't twist my words."

"But that's exactly what you're implying. You didn't say those things,but Serena clearly did. You believe her. but not me, so the only one lying must be me."

The more Charlotte spoke, the more upset shefelt.

Her hand, hidden under the table, clenched into a tight fist, her nails digging into her flesh.

She still held back her tears, refusing to cry in front of Frederick.

Frederick's expression grew even colder.

He couldn't understand why Charlotte had become so unreasonable. He stared deeply at Charlotte. "Are you trying to provoke me? If so,you can leave." His cold words pierced Charlotte like a sword, making her body tremble slightly. She couldn't understand why she and Frederick had come to this point.

Thesuffocating silence between them made it hard for her to breathe.

She had originally wanted to ask Frederick for help, but now she couldn't bring herself to sayit.

She disliked Frederick's arrogance, as if he was above everyone else.

Without a word, Charlotte picked up her bag and turned to leave.

As she turned, a single tear fell to the floor.

After Charlotte left,Frederick remained in the same position, unmoving for a longtime.

His gaze was fixed on the tear on the floor.

He knew Charlotte was always a strong woman. Except for being bullied into tears in bed, she never used tears to soften his heart.

But now,Charlotte had cried.

So,had he really misunderstood Charlotte?

But he had never said those things or discussed marriage with Serena.

So the only truth was that Serena had lied. This realization was hard for Frederick to accept. He was torn.He didn't want to believe Serena had lied, but his rational mind told him what Charlotte said was true. Frederick rubbed his temples in frustration. If he were dealing with two companies right now, he might not find it as troublesome. Business matters were never as vexing as dealing with emotions.