He Signed Our Divorce Without Reading Chapter 09
Returning to international real estate was easier than I expected.
During my three years at Whitmore Development, I had never stopped studying the market.
At the acquisition meeting for the old financial district, I discovered that the seller had hidden an eighty-million– dollar tax liability.
If we signed that day, the fund would become responsible for the entire debt.
I stopped the deal and reopened negotiations.
Three days later, the purchase price had been reduced by one hundred and twenty million dollars.
The board approved the new agreement unanimously.
In front of everyone, Robert said, “Welcome back, Evelyn. This position should always have been yours.’
After the meeting, I received several messages from Grant.
Vanessa has been removed as Director of Development.
Her access to the house has been deleted. She will never enter our home again.
Your office is untouched. Come back, and everything will return to the way it was.
He wrote as if he were giving me one final opportunity.
Then Vanessa sent me a long apology.
She said she had been too young to understand boundaries.
She claimed she had never meant to take my husband or my position.
A few seconds later, she accidentally sent me a voice message.
“Don’t worry. She won’t last a month in London. Once they throw her out, she’ll come back, and Grant will still take my side.”
She quickly unsent it.
Then she sent another message.
Evelyn, I truly hope you and Grant will be happy.
I saved the voice message and blocked them both.
I thought it was finally over.
One week later, Grant called me from a new number.
His face appeared on the screen.
His beard was untrimmed, and dark shadows sat beneath his eyes.
“Are you done making your point?”
His tone was the same as always.
As if I should be grateful that he had contacted me first.
“The divorce isn’t final yet. You still have time to withdraw it.”
“I’m not withdrawing anything.”
Grant fell silent.
“I know you’re angry because I never publicly acknowledged what you did for the company.’
“So I prepared a surprise.”
He turned the camera around.
He was standing inside the first apartment building Whitmore Development had completed.
The lobby was covered with the plans I had drawn years earlier.
Every credit that had been removed now carried my name again.
A new bronze plaque stood in the center.
Founded by Grant Whitmore and Evelyn Hart
Grant stood beside it and opened a ring box.
“We only signed papers at City Hall. You never had a wedding.”
“Tomorrow, I’m going to renew my vows to you here. The press, the board, and every employee will be present.”
Three years earlier, this was all I had wanted.
I had wanted people to know I was more than the CEO’s wife.
I had helped Grant build Whitmore Development.
But whenever I asked him to acknowledge that, he said public recognition didn’t matter.
It took me leaving for him to finally admit what I had done.
“Come back tomorrow, Evelyn.”
“I’ll give you back your name, your position, and the wedding you deserved.”
I looked at the plaque that had come three years too late.
I felt nothing.
“I’m not coming back.”
Grant’s smile froze.
“What did you say?”
“Cancel the ceremony. I don’t need it anymore.”
He stared at the screen.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that I had not been waiting for an apology.
A long time passed before he spoke.
“Fine. If you won’t come back, I’ll come to London.”
“It doesn’t matter where we hold the ceremony.”
“Evelyn, this time I’ll bring you home myself.”
