Phoenix Of Ruin: My Second Life Comes With A Better Man

"Kind? You're calling her kind?"

A short, sharp laugh escaped Ashley, full of disbelief.

She stepped forward without hesitation and ripped the blanket off Caroline in one swift motion.

What lay underneath wasn't just a whole makeup kit, but also an open box of pastries, half of it already eaten.

"Nicolas, take a good look for once."

Her hand shot out, pointing straight at the pastries as her voice rose. "This is the person you said was on the verge of dying? The same one you were ready to take my kidney for? Her life is worth everything, but mine doesn't even matter? You can just throw mine away whenever it suits you?"

Nicolas's gaze landed on the pastries, and his expression shifted again and again, embarrassment and irritation flickering across his face.

Sensing the situation slipping out of control, Caroline grabbed his sleeve and started crying. "Nicolas, I didn't know... I really didn't understand why the doctor made it sound so serious. Maybe the test results were wrong. Or maybe someone paid the doctor to set me up, just to make you think I was lying..."

Anyone with a bit of sense could tell how forced her act was.

Even so, Nicolas only paused briefly before deciding to believe her.

He looked at Ashley, his brows drawn together. "If it was just a misunderstanding, then the surgery won't happen. Let's leave it at that."

"Leave it at that?" Ashley let out a disbelieving laugh. "Nicolas, if I hadn't gotten away in time, they would've taken my kidney already. And you think that's something we can just forget?"

"But nothing actually happened to you, right? It was just a misunderstanding. Why are you still making such a big deal out of it?"

His expression tightened further, and the irritation in his eyes became more obvious.

"You're dragging this out because you want compensation, aren't you? Fine. I'll transfer the villa on the outskirts to your name and give you fifty million on top of that. That should be enough."

A faint, cold laugh slipped from Ashley. "You think that settles everything?"

The moment she said that, Nicolas felt a surge of annoyance. In his mind, she was clearly asking for more.

"Then say it. What do you actually want?"

Her voice cut through the room without hesitation. "What I want is simple. I want a divorce. Right now."

"A divorce?"

Nicolas stared at her as if she had said something absurd.

Throughout their three years of marriage, everyone around him knew one thing. Ashley had always been deeply attached to him.

That was why he believed her hostility toward Caroline came from jealousy after she returned.

So how could she suddenly want to leave him?

Then a thought crossed his mind, and his gaze turned mocking.

"Ashley, some pathetic way to draw my attention, huh? Aren't you tired of this? Ever since Caroline came back, you've been stirring up trouble. Now you're bringing up divorce too? It's ridiculous. I'll give you one last chance. Take those words back, and I'll let everything slide."

Ashley looked at him, at the confidence in his eyes that she would never walk away, and felt a wave of disgust.

"Nicolas, do you really not understand what I'm saying?"

She straightened her posture and met his gaze directly.

Each word came out sharp and clear. "I want a divorce."

Her response only made his expression darken. "And what's your reason for this?"

"Reason?" Ashley's tone dropped even further. "Because you refuse to see the truth. Because you'd rather sacrifice your own wife just to protect a woman who has no shame. A man like you has no right to be my husband. I can't stand you."