Chapter 282:
Gerard’s heart skipped a beat as he realized what he had just implied. His brain whirred, his body tensing up. Good heavens! What had he just blurted out? Why did he suddenly blurt out such words?
“I’m to blame?” Kristian’s voice was icy, slicing through the tension like a knife.
Internally, Gerard was in turmoil, scrambling to regain his composure. How could he extricate himself from this predicament? Silently, he begged for a way out.
“Is it really my fault that I suggested we shouldn’t get a divorce?” Kristian’s voice trembled slightly, the air around him crackling with tension.
Gerard blinked in astonishment. Kristian actually didn’t want the divorce—was that it? His eyes widened in disbelief, and he stammered, “You mean you’re not separating from Ms. Briggs?”
“She’s the one pushing for it,” Kristian responded, his tone cold and distant.
The memory of their last bitter exchange, where she had coldly told him to leave, reignited his fury.
Gerard, digesting this revelation, began to understand the complex dynamics at play. It seemed Kristian found Ashley’s character questionable and didn’t wish to end his marriage with Freya. However, Freya, fiercely independent, wasn’t about to let anyone dictate her choices.
Reflecting on this, Gerard offered cautiously, “It makes sense why Ms. Briggs would feel that way.”
Kristian’s expression clouded over, his sense of betrayal palpable. “Gerard!” he exclaimed sharply.
Did it make sense? How could he not see the whole picture?
“If you try seeing things from her angle, her stance might not seem wrong,” Gerard suggested gently, assuming the role of a mediator. Kristian’s anger bubbled to the surface once more. How was it possible that it wasn’t wrong?
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Gerard, reading Kristian’s turbulent thoughts, provided a pointed illustration. “Imagine if she had sought a divorce driven by her feelings for Mr. Seymour, but at the last possible moment, she discovered he wasn’t the honorable man she believed him to be. If she then came to you, retracting her wish for a divorce, how would that sit with you?”
“How would I feel?” Kristian deflected, choosing not to answer directly. Internally, he was already boiling with indignation from the hypothetical, his aura icy.
“Wouldn’t you feel manipulated, as if she could simply decide to divorce at her whim and change her mind just as recklessly?” Gerard ventured a guess at his thoughts. “Wouldn’t you feel utterly betrayed, perhaps even consider it unforgivable?”
Kristian kept his silence, yet his reaction was loud and clear.
Gerard wrapped up his point. “Yet what you are doing now mirrors the scenario I just laid out, only the roles—you and Ms. Briggs—are switched. She isn’t one of your employees, nor someone whose loyalty you can secure with money.”
Gerard, noting Kristian’s expression turning even more frigid, continued, “Emotions aren’t commodities that can be priced, Mr. Shaw.”
Hearing these words, Kristian halted, his eyebrows knitting together instinctively. Gerard’s remarks touched a nerve. He had always held the belief that as long as he provided for Freya, cared for her, and kept his promises, she would remain at his side indefinitely. She never had to fret over finances or mundane household tasks; she was free to pursue whatever brought her joy. Yet, she had declined.
“So, what should I do then?” Kristian interjected abruptly, appearing puzzled.
“Consider this—if a woman desires a life unburdened by worries, as long as she’s not betrayed and receives both freedom and ample funds, she might remain,” Gerard remarked. “However, Ms. Briggs isn’t in want of these things. What she seeks is genuine, reciprocal love.”
While Gerard wasn’t fully aware of Freya’s familial wealth, his suspicions grew during their first shopping trip together; he deduced she was well-off. The mall they frequented boasted price tags starting in the tens of thousands, featuring only the finest luxury brands. A newcomer to such extravagance might hesitate, even if they weren’t footing the bill, showing some restraint. But Freya? She shopped with ease, choosing items as though browsing through her own wardrobe, utterly serene throughout.
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