Chapter 3

After waking up, I couldn't find Seraphina anywhere.

I only received a long-winded message from her on my phone.

The gist of it was that I'm a useless man, and she deeply regrets marrying me.

"If you won't go with me, I'll go by myself!"

I turned off my phone disinterestedly and started preparing my luggage and various documents for the trip to Spirit Spring Town.

From what I learned, it's an ancient site accidentally discovered by some adventurous travelers.

It's surrounded by several swamps, making the environment quite treacherous. I needed to be fully prepared.

After wrapping up my work matters, I received the divorce agreement drafted by the lawyer.

It would be best to finalize the divorce with Seraphina before heading to Spirit Spring Town.

Before I could even ask where Seraphina was,

I got a call from my stepmother.

Without any preamble, she immediately tore into me.

"Seraphina's pregnant and fainted outside, and you, her husband, are nowhere to be seen!"

"Get to the hospital right now!"

The line went dead, and my hand holding the phone was still shaking.

Seraphina's pregnant?

But we haven't slept together in ages, how could she be pregnant?Even though I didn't want to see Seraphina, my stepmother had already sent the location to my phone.

I clutched the divorce papers tightly, gritted my teeth, and drove to the hospital.

As soon as I entered, I saw Seraphina lying on the hospital bed, her face pale, but her eyes gleaming with joy.

My stepmother immediately slapped me across the face. She glared at me coldly.

"How could you let her go out alone? Do you still want the baby in her belly?"

My stepmother had always been dissatisfied with me, but she doted on and loved Seraphina, her daughter-in-law by convenience.

The taste of blood spread in my mouth, and I spat out a mouthful of blood to the side.

"The child isn't mine."

My stepmother's face stiffened, and her eyes widened instantly.

"If it's not yours, then whose is it?"

I didn't answer, but instead fixed my gaze on Seraphina.

Seraphina suddenly looked guilty. She immediately lowered her head but then spoke up defiantly.

"Mom, Luther and I had a fight, that's why he's saying this."

My stepmother's expression softened a bit, then she shot me another vicious glare.

"You should count yourself lucky to have such a wonderful darling like Seraphina, and yet you're fighting. I bet when she leaves you, you won't find anyone half as good."Face to face with my stepmother, I always felt irritated and didn't bother with niceties.

I tossed the divorce papers directly onto Seraphina's bed.

The smile instantly vanished from Seraphina's face.

She stared intently at the five big words "Petition for Divorce" on the document, then looked up at me suspiciously.

"What do you mean by this?"

I could faintly hear a tremor beneath Seraphina's voice.

"Exactly what it says. Sign it. We're getting divorced."

Perhaps it was the coldness in my gaze, but Seraphina froze for a few seconds, looking at me in bewilderment.

"You... you're serious?"

She gazed at me with a complex expression, trying to find a hint of panic or regret on my face.

But I remained perfectly calm, as if dealing with something completely foreign to me.

Seraphina angrily threw the divorce papers to the floor.

Her eyes were slightly red.

"I'm pregnant now, are you trying to send me to an early grave? Don't you have any sense of responsibility as a man?"

I didn't understand why Seraphina was throwing a tantrum.

Wasn't this divorce exactly what she wanted?

For the past week, she'd bring up divorce at least ten times a day.

Anytime I did something that displeased her even slightly, she'd threaten me with divorce.

"Is it just because of this baby?"Yes, I admit it. The child isn't yours."

"I owe Jaxon. I owe him my life! This child is compensation, and he won't be an obstacle between us. We're still husband and wife, aren't we?"

I had to admire Seraphina's audacity. She really thought I'd be her fallback guy.

As if all she had to do was bow her head, and I'd forgive everything she'd done.

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in being your backup plan, nor do I need a bastard child. If you don't want to sign the divorce papers, I'm not afraid of trouble. We can meet in court."

My tone was dead serious.

I left the hospital room under the shocked stares of my stepmother and Seraphina.

Hurried footsteps sounded behind me.

Seraphina, barefoot and panting, caught up with me.

She spread her arms to block my path, her hair disheveled from running.

"You still haven't told me why you want a divorce."

"Wasn't I clear enough?"

Seraphina's lips quivered, her eyes still full of confusion.

"You know it's not easy for me to get pregnant. I've tried so hard to conceive."

"Yes, the child isn't yours. But he can still call you daddy when he's born. Didn't you always want a child?""Jaxon is already dead. The ghost marriage and this child are what I owe him. What does this have to do with you?"

Seraphina's voice began to choke up towards the end, perhaps her pregnancy making her emotions more volatile.

I took a deep breath, my voice low and grave.

"Seraphina, what do you take me for? Do you really think I'll unconditionally accept everything you do?"

These words made her whole body tremble, nearly losing her footing.

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to look at her anymore, and turned to leave.

Seraphina called out urgently behind me, her voice tinged with pleading:

"What will it take for you to forgive me?"

I paused mid-step, not understanding what she meant.

Seeing me stop, she hurriedly said:

"I won't marry him."

I kept my face cold, not answering.

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, as if she was making a huge sacrifice, and she asked through gritted teeth.

"The baby... I won't keep the baby either."

"I'm begging you, can we not get divorced..."