Kelsey didn't say a word to Rhett until they finished getting their divorce papers.
Elise was waiting outside and approached Rhett, taking his arm. "Did everything go smoothly?" she asked.
Rhett, as usual, was brief in his response, only giving a grunt. But he seemed to have more patience when dealing with Elise.
Elise took a few steps before stopping and looking back at Kelsey. "Miss Irwin, did you take a taxi here? If you don't mind, Rhett and I can give you a ride."
Kelsey refused without hesitation. "No need, taking a taxi is convenient enough."
With that, she walked away without looking back.
Elise raised an eyebrow at Kelsey's retreating figure, as if she wanted to say something. Rhett, however, redirected her attention. "Elise, don't do anything unnecessary."
His voice was low and carried a warning in his eyes.
Elise's smile faded. "Are you upset?"
She felt the man beside her suddenly become tense. When she turned to face him, she met his deep, dark eyes, devoid of any warmth.
Elise's heart skipped a beat as she forced a smile. "I was just joking. You're not going to hold a grudge over something so small, are you?"
Rhett remained silent, fiddling with the buttons on his collar.
It was unclear whether it was his usual brooding demeanor or if he was upset about something that had just happened.
Down the steps, Kelsey walked to the curb to hail a taxi. She checked her phone, waiting for a ride, eager to leave the area.
She felt the gaze of the two behind her, making her uneasy, even though they may not have been paying attention to her.
A taxi pulled up, but it didn't stop, speeding past and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Kelsey coughed, covering her mouth and waving her hand to fan away the dust.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her, and she turned to the nearby trash can, retching a few times.
Elise was about to get into the car when she heard the sound and turned to look. "What's wrong with her?" she asked.
Rhett seemed to ignore her and opened the car door. "Get in."
But Elise hesitated, staring at him intently. "You really don't care about her at all?" she asked.
The man furrowed his brow and looked at her calmly. "Elise, there's a limit to emotional outbursts."
Elise held back her frustration and smiled sarcastically. "I'm carrying your child, and I don't even have the right to be a little bit selfish?"
Rhett let go of her hand, suppressing his impatience. "You do."
He looked down at her and asked, "How do you want to be selfish?"
Elise suddenly felt bored and glanced in Kelsey's direction. "Let's get in the car."
She got in directly, and Rhett habitually held up the car roof for her before sitting down beside her.
After closing the door, Elise kept looking at the man's profile.
Seeing that he really didn't care about Kelsey at all, she leaned on his shoulder contentedly. "Rhett, I'm not the childish little girl I used to be. I also know that a relationship needs mutual understanding to maintain. I will try to restrain my emotions in the future."
Rhett rubbed his forehead and responded with a faint "Hmm."
Elise had already lifted her face, planning to give him a kiss, but seeing his indifferent look, she was slightly annoyed.
But in the end, she didn't say anything and suppressed her temper.
---
This time, it was a formal divorce.
When Kelsey arrived at the hospital, she let out a sigh of relief.
Although she felt a little melancholy, she also felt inexplicably relieved.
She went straight to Dexter's ward, but this time, she didn't run into Kingston, nor did she want to meet anyone related to Rhett.
Dexter looked much better than before, and when he saw her, he immediately smiled. "Sis, you're here!"
Kelsey's mood instantly lifted.
She sat down by Dexter's bed and gently patted his hand. "Feeling better?"
"Mm. Don't worry, sis. I'll definitely cooperate with the treatment," he said seriously.
He knew how much Kelsey had done for him. Right now, the most important thing he could do was focus on getting better and not let her down.
After speaking, his eyes flickered and he looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Kelsey already knew what he meant and gave him a small smile. "I've already divorced him. I won't have anything to do with Rhett ever again, so just pretend you never knew that man."
Dexter's Adam's apple moved slightly, and after a long pause, he finally nodded. "I understand."
He glanced at Kelsey's belly, looking a little spaced out. "Sis, once I'm out of the hospital, I'll work hard to earn money so I can take care of you and your baby!"
Kelsey reached out and rubbed his hair, smiling gently. "Just focus on getting better first."
After a second, she added, "Don't worry too much about money. Rhett has more than enough. He never treated me unfairly. You just need to rest and recover."
Dexter's lips tightened and his expression darkened.
After a while, he reached out to hug Kelsey and whispered, "Sis, you've been through so much."
Kelsey smiled lightly. "What are you talking about? He gave me a large sum of money. It was a fair exchange. I didn't suffer."
Dexter didn't say anything else. He just sighed quietly.
---
Casual Art Training Center
When Quiana first opened her training center, she couldn't decide on a name, so she just picked something random. It actually matched her personality really well.
Maybe it was because of Kelsey's ex-husband's cheating that made Quiana naturally feel closer to her. She was obviously more attached to Kelsey now and treated her like a real friend.
Kelsey had a few peaceful days.
Sometimes, she would think of Rhett, and her chest would ache just a little. But once she got busy, she didn't have time to think about anything anymore.
This baby was the secret between her and Rhett, and she wouldn't tell anyone. But as the baby grew, eventually it would become harder to hide. The first person who'd find out would probably be Quiana.
She didn't know if she should tell her the truth or just make something up…
---
One day, after coming back from a prenatal checkup, Kelsey felt like someone was following her. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but after walking a few more steps, she could hear the footsteps behind her getting closer.
A cold shiver ran down her spine. She suddenly remembered all those creepy news stories she'd read. Her pace quickened, but whoever was behind her sped up too.
She tried to run, but the person suddenly grabbed her shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"
A rough male voice sounded right by her ear, and his breath felt hot and shaky.
Kelsey screamed and turned around, panicked—but just then, a white cloth was shoved over her mouth.
Right before she blacked out, she barely caught a glimpse of the man's face, and then a strange chemical smell hit her nose. Her mind went blank and everything went dark.
---
She was dizzy and couldn't wake up.
Kelsey tried to regain consciousness over and over, but her body was weak and she couldn't even open her eyes.
But her hearing slowly came back.
She still couldn't move, but she could hear loud, messy voices all around her.
Since she couldn't see, her sense of hearing became even sharper. Heavy footsteps came closer, and then that same rough male voice spoke close to her ear:
"The drug's probably wearing off. Hurry up!"
And then she suddenly felt a cold chill all over her body!