Chapter 9
Two days later, in Jymara, Gregory sat in the art studio, looking down as he watched that moment when Katherine had accepted the intern’s
interview.
The intern had curiously asked, “Do you still love Mr. Chapman?”
Katherine smiled and answered, “Not anymore.”
Those simple words made him feel an inexplicable heaviness.
He had replayed that clip countless times, trying to read something in Katherine’s eyes.
In the end, he found nothing.
Frustrated, he opened the chat window with Katherine.
But when he opened it, he realized the last message was the one where he reminded her about picking up the divorce certificate at the courthouse at 9 AM. She had replied with a simple okay and then nothing else.
Before, Katherine had always clung to him. No matter how big or small, she would share everything with him, and he would respond promptly.
He scrolled back through the messages.
Later, more often than not, it was just Katherine talking to herself.
Occasionally, he would find time to reply with a simple “Okay” or “I know.”
Work at the company had been overwhelming.
Alice, struggling with depression after Harold’s death, had attempted suicide multiple times.
He could hardly keep up.
Suddenly, a message from Arthur popped up.
11:49 AM
<
[Katherine is going to marry Edward.]
Gregory jumped up so suddenly that he knocked over an easel. The landscape painting fell to the ground, and when he rushed to pick it up, a medical report was pressed under the board.
He froze for two seconds, and when he finished reading it, his fingers trembled slightly.
[The patient experiences severe emotional fluctuations, recurring suicidal thoughts, and serious sleep disturbances. After evaluation, the patient shows signs of moderate depression.]
The date at the bottom was the same day he had suggested the idea of a fake divorce to Katherine.
“Gregory, what’s going on?” Alice rushed into the studio from the master bedroom after hearing the noise.
When she saw the diagnosis report in Gregory’s hand, a calculating glint crossed her eyes.
“Can I take a look at this?” Alice asked softly.
Gregory said nothing, only feeling a dull pain in his chest.
She casually took the report, flipped through a few pages, and then sighed as if relieved. She patted Gregory’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.
“Gregory, don’t worry.
“Did you forget, Gregory? I’m also a depression patient. You’ve seen how I was when I had an episode.
“When I saw Katherine that day, she looked so healthy, not sick at all.
“Katherine might have just been angry and used a fake report to trick you!”
Alice glanced at Gregory.
Before she could say more, Gregory took the report from her hands, suppressing his emotions.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and said to her.
“Don’t stay in the master bedroom from tomorrow on.
“Katherine will make a scene if she finds out.”
Alice stood frozen, stunned by his words.
By the time she came to her senses and tried to catch up with him, she called out, “Gregory…”
But Gregory had already gone downstairs, so hurried that he hadn’t even grabbed his coat.
Whether the report was real or not, or whether Katherine really was going to marry Edward, it didn’t matter now.
All that mattered to him was seeing Katherine and bringing her home.
