Chapter 5 Apologize to Belle Finished Estella counted the days . There were still about twenty left in the divorce cooling - off period . " More than twenty days to go . You know , my divorce isn't final yet . " Selene asked with concern . Your ex - husband isn't going to cling to you, is he ? " After all , back in college , Estella had been the department beauty . No man would let go of such a stunning woman so easily . Estella gave a self - deprecating smile . " He won't . He can't wait to be rid of me . " Nathaniel had eyes only for Isabelle now . He wouldn't even care about her . "That's good , then ." Selene was a cautious person . She handed Estella a business card . " Of course , if you do run into trouble , don't worry . I have a friend at the top law firm in Javerton . She's an expert in divorce cases . With her on your side , you'll get out of this unscathed . " Estella didn't think she would need it , but she still accepted the card with a smile . " Thank you , Selene ." By the time Estella got home , it was already dark . A pair of high heels sat by the entrance . A woman's clothes and handbag were on the couch . She paused for a moment before hearing Isabelle's voice upstairs , then remembered that Isabelle had moved in earlier . So. Isabelle had been discharged from the hospital . She headed upstairs and realized the voice was coming from the master bedroom . A flicker of displeasure rose within her . Even though she was preparing for a divorce , the master bedroom was still hers . Isabelle barging in like this was simply too much . She pushed open the door and saw Isabelle sitting on her bed , wrapped in a bath towel . Nathaniel was crouched beside her , applying ointment to her ankle . The sight stung Estella's eyes . She held back the urge to curse . Isabelle quickly explained upon seeing her . " Estella , I slipped in the bathroom just now , and Nate helped me over to apply medicine . You don't mind , do you ? " Estella asked coldly , " Then why are you in my room ? " Isabelle seemed startled by her tone , her eyes turning red as she spoke pitifully . " The shower in my room suddenly broke , so I came here to borrow Nate's . If you mind , I'll leave right away . " Saying that , she immediately stood up . But because of her injured ankle , she lost her balance and almost fell . Nathaniel instinctively caught her by the waist . Isabelle clung to him , eyes full of panic . Nathaniel soothed her gently . " Don't worry , it's nothing . Estella won't mind ." Then he looked at Estella , his expression turning stern . " You were out of line just now . Apologize to Belle . " Estella found it laughable . Isabelle was sitting on her bed , barely dressed , still wrapped around her lawful husband , and yet she was the one who needed 1/4 318 PM P P Chapter 5 Apologize to Belle to apologize . She didn't bother to argue and turned to go downstairs . " Estella ! " Nathaniel's tone was displeased as he called after her . Estella turned back , her gaze colder than his . " And what if I don't ? " Nathaniel's expression darkened , his voice carrying a trace of anger . " That wasn't a request . It was an order . " For three years , he had always spoken to her like this . Before , she endured it . Now , she wouldn't . She was divorcing him anyway . There was nothing to be afraid of . Finished Estella lifted her chin and mocked , " Sure , I'll apologize . I'm terribly sorry for walking in on your little affair . After all , a proper Mrs. Hartwell should turn a blind eye to her husband's cheating ." Mrs. " Estella ! " Nathaniel's breath hitched , clearly furious . " What nonsense are you spouting ? " Estella's gaze dropped to his arm . " Am I wrong , Mr. Hartwell ? Where are your hands right now ? " Only then did Nathaniel realize he was still holding Isabelle's waist . Tears welled up in Isabelle's eyes as she whimpered , " It's all my fault . Estella , don't misunderstand Nate , and don't fight with him because of me . I'll move out tonight ." After speaking , she limped out hurriedly . Nathaniel was about to continue scolding Estella when he suddenly heard Isabelle's startled cry . Estella turned back and saw Isabelle tumbling down the stairs . Nathaniel immediately shoved Estella aside in a panic and rushed out . Caught off guard , Estella fell hard onto the ground . The wound on her arm began to throb faintly again . " Belle , are you okay ? " Nathaniel's anxious voice rang out . Then came the sound of the front door opening and closing . Estella let out a mocking laugh . It seemed that tonight , Nathaniel would be spending another night at the hospital with Isabelle . She stripped off the bedsheets and threw them into the trash . She found anything a where had used disgusting . Once she finished tidying up , Nathaniel sent her a message on WhatsApp . " Go to Belle's room and bring two sets of clean clothes ." Estella acted like she never saw it , ignored him completely , and turned off her phone . After washing up , she lay down on the fresh sheets , pushing thoughts of Nathaniel and Isabelle out of her mind . Before long , she drifted into sleep . The next morning , Nathaniel's assistant arrived , speaking cautiously , " Mrs. Hartwell , Mr. Hartwell asked me to pick up two sets of Ms. Isabelle's clothes . " Estella pointed to a room upstairs . " That's Ms. Isabelle's room . " 2/4 315 PM P P Chapter 5 Apologize to Belle Finished The assistant quickly grabbed the clothes and hesitated before adding , " Mr. Hartwell also asked me to bring you to the hospital ... to take care of Ms. Isabelle . " She sounded uneasy . Estella calmly ate her scrambled egg and cheese toast , ignoring her etely . Feeling a bit wronged but powerless against Estella's indifference , the assistant remained silent . Estella used to do anything for Nathaniel . Now , she seemed unwilling to even acknowledge him . Even the assistant found it absurd that Nathaniel expected his wife to care for his mistress . She said nothing more and quickly excused herself . After finishing breakfast , Estella went online and ordered some household essentials to be delivered to her new home . Just as she completed the purchase , Nathaniel's WhatsApp call came through . She picked up , and his scolding voice immediately erupted , " Estella , don't be so unreasonable ! You caused Belle's injury , so you should come to the hospital , apologize , and take care of her ! " Estella sneered . " She fell on her own . What does that have to do with me ? And what if I don't go ? " Nathaniel grew even angrier . Estella had always obeyed him in the past . She had never defied him like this before . Gritting his teeth , he spat , " Estella , don't forget who has been supporting you ! You'll do whatever I tell you to do ! " Estella's temper flared . She had done so much for him , even helping him rebuild his life , yet now he used those very words to insult her . She didn't want to talk to him anymore . She hung up and blocked him on WhatsApp . In the past , when Nathaniel blocked her number , it left her feeling suffocated , unable to sleep for nights . Now , blocking Nathaniel gave her a sense of relief . A while later , Nathaniel's assistant called her again . Estella blocked the number and shut off her phone . Finally , the world was quiet . Thinking about work , she decided she needed some proper outfits and shoes . So , she went to the mall . Nathaniel gave her a monthly allowance of 4,000 dollars for living expenses and 700 dollars for personal spending , based on her requests . If she needed to attend important events with him , she had to apply separately for funds to buy outfits . All the designer bags and jewelry in her closet were for her use , but they were never truly hers . After groceries and necessities , she always had a little left over . Over the past three years , she had saved up more than 70,000 dollars . Every cent he spent on her was carefully calculated . Not even a fraction of what he would casually spend on a bag for Isabelle . 3/4 p p Chapter 5 Apologize to Belle Every time she had to request money from him , she felt humiliated . But he never cared about her feelings . His actions constantly reminded her that he never loved her . Send Gifts