The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 9
‘…Right, it might be hard to believe that a wife who was obsessed with stalking him suddenly wants a divorce.’
He might think it’s some kind of joke.
Believing her husband’s sharp reaction stemmed from suspicion, Nina spoke in a calm voice to ease his wariness.
“If you don’t believe me, I can write a formal agreement right now…”
“I took the time to hear what you had to say, and this time you’ve come up with a clever scheme.”
“A clever scheme, what do you mean…?”
Ash interrupted, speaking in a suppressed voice while gripping his knees tightly.
“Wife, I’ve been a bit busy lately looking into the adoption process.”
“Adoption…?”
“To adopt my nephew, I need to maintain the marriage for at least three years. What do you think I’d assume if you suddenly demand a divorce at this point?”
“…But isn’t it possible to adopt a relative regardless of the marriage duration?”
“If that were possible, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place.”
He could have just adopted the nephew without the need for a legal battle to become his guardian.
“Ah…”
So that’s why he endured for three years in the previous life?
To adopt his nephew?
Nina hurriedly tried to explain.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I really don’t have any ulterior motives. After what happened a few days ago…!”
“Enough.”
Her husband’s frown deepened, and his gray eyes became even more menacing.
The blue veins writhing on the back of his large hand, covering his solid knee, were a clear sign that he was barely suppressing his anger.
“This has been a pointless waste of time.”
He stood up, as if he had nothing more to see.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Nina, frozen by the intense disdain and anger he displayed, hurriedly got up.
“Honey, please, just listen to me for a moment…”
She wanted to explain that she thought getting a divorce would benefit both of them, and that she had no intention of interfering with his plans…
But his contemptuous gaze stabbed her like a dagger, and her outstretched hand recoiled as if she had touched a nerve.
“Ah…”
Unable to continue speaking under his oppressive demeanor, he coldly turned away and left the study.
By the time she came to her senses and followed him out, he was already too far to catch.
***
Ash had recently begun looking into the adoption process due to his wretched relatives.
He had learned that his uncle was preparing to file a guardianship change, putting forward his newly married eldest son as the new petitioner.
The guardianship change petition was likely to be dismissed as it lacked merit, but with his wife’s grandfather being a Supreme Court Justice, there was always a chance of unexpected developments.
After enduring two years of a hellish marriage, he decided to hold out for one more year to adopt his nephew and had recently consulted a family law specialist.
He didn’t want to take his late half-brother’s place as the Duke or his father’s position because of his birth mother, but…
The only way he could atone was by protecting Ian.
‘…Anyway, everything is going exactly as I expected.’
He scoffed sharply.
It wasn’t the first time she persistently pried into his affairs.
He had anticipated that once she found out about his plans, she would try to leverage a divorce to manipulate him, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Had he overlooked a spy?
He thought about the people Nina had under her control.
‘It seems it’s time to start weeding them out.’
The reason he had tolerated her lackeys so far was because it was better to control the flow of information himself.
It was disheartening to have to engage in an information war against his own wife, but she was unusually tenacious and ruthless.
Who would have thought that the proud Duchess from the Taylor family would use something as lowly as usury to manipulate her servants?
It was unfortunate that such a deranged paranoid had a Supreme Court Justice for a grandfather.
If it weren’t for the necessity of securing guardianship of his nephew, he would have divorced her without hesitation…
While preparing to depose the Justice for a smoother divorce, he had let his wife’s faults accumulate, and her actions were indeed appalling.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I really don’t have any ulterior motives. After what happened a few days ago…!”
No ulterior motives?
He didn’t believe a single word she spouted.
Unable to seduce him with her body, she now seemed to be using divorce as a card to gain the upper hand in their relationship…
Ash, who was about to leave, climbed into his carriage and ordered Jeffrey, who was standing outside.
“It seems my recent activities have reached my wife’s ears. Find out where the information leaked from.”
“Yes, understood.”
Turning his gaze forward, his gray eyes darkened like a deep abyss.
