Chapter 104

The room fell into stunned silence. All eyes locked onto the small crimson booklet lying on the floor.

"Damn it!"

Vivian immediately dropped to her knees, scrambling to conceal the evidence. But it was too late. The bold black letters spelling "DIVORCE CERTIFICATE" glared up at everyone.

The unspoken truth echoed louder than any words. Ethan and Vivian were no longer married.

"You...you two..." Alfred Blackwood clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain.

"Grandfather!"

Both Ethan and Vivian rushed forward simultaneously.

Alfred violently shook off Ethan's helping hand. "Don't call me that," he spat coldly. "You've made your choice clear. Grown man who won't listen to his elders. How dare you divorce Vivian behind my back? Trying to send me to an early grave?!"

"Since that's how you feel..." Alfred yanked open his desk drawer and pulled out an antique revolver. His voice trembled with emotion. "This gun saved my life during the war. Arthur Lockhart gifted it to me. Now I'll use it to apologize to him in the afterlife!"

Before anyone could react, he pressed the barrel against his temple, finger hovering over the trigger.

"Grandfather, stop!"

Vivian and Winston turned deathly pale, frozen in terror.

Ethan remained eerily calm. "Enough theatrics," he said flatly. "I made a mistake. Punish me however you want, but don't play these childish games. Grandmother's dramatics work on me. You? Not so much."

Having been raised by his grandparents, Ethan knew their manipulation tactics intimately.

"Childish games?" Alfred enunciated each word with military precision. "You have three days. First, end things with that woman and her bastard child. Second, remarry Vivian."

"Fail to comply, and you'll discover exactly how serious I can be."

This was no empty threat. A soldier's honor bound him to fulfill promises made to his sworn brother Arthur.

Four years ago, he'd vowed the Blackwoods would protect Vivian forever. Now Ethan had broken that sacred oath. The only fitting atonement was death.

"I refuse!"

Vivian spoke before Ethan could respond. "I initiated the divorce. Remarriage is out of the question."

"Stop protecting him, child." Alfred's voice softened. "I know how deeply you loved him. That scheming witch must have manipulated him into this. Don't worry - I'll make this right."

"Grandfather, the truth is..." Vivian clenched her fists, forcing steadiness into her voice. "Our marriage was never real. We're both pursuing happiness with others now. Please...just bless our separation."

Alfred reeled back as if struck. This devoted girl who'd adored Ethan since childhood - how could she have changed so completely? The betrayal cut deeper than any blade.

"Fine. Perhaps it's for the best." Alfred grasped Vivian's hands tenderly. "You'll always be my granddaughter. Visit whenever you wish. My home remains yours."

His expression hardened as he turned to Ethan. "As for you - three days kneeling in the ancestral hall. Reflect on your failures."

"Yes, Grandfather." Ethan accepted the punishment without protest. Yet an inexplicable bitterness coiled in his chest, sharp and unfamiliar.