Dressed to Divorce

Valerie pushed the heavy blankets aside and marched straight to her wardrobe. Today was not a day for mourning; it was a day for war. She bypassed the muted tones she usually wore as Mrs. Thorne and deliberately pulled out a striking crimson off-shoulder dress. She spent the next hour meticulously curling her waist-length chestnut hair into soft waves and applying flawless makeup. The bright red lipstick matched her dress perfectly, arming her with a formidable, untouchable aura.

"Nova, I'm heading out to get a divorce," she called out to the smart home assistant, grabbing her designer handbag.

"Ms. Vance, parting ways with the wrong ones is the only path to meeting a better man," the AI's crisp, programmed voice replied.

Valerie arched an elegant brow, a genuine, albeit brief, smile touching her lips. "Thank you, Nova. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Ms. Vance."

She arrived at the Civic Hall five minutes before nine in the morning. The grand glass doors remained tightly shut. The morning air carried a slight chill, but Valerie stood tall, letting the cold bite at her exposed collarbones.

Her phone vibrated. It was Melanie.

"Val, are you at the Civic Hall yet?"

"I just arrived," Valerie answered, her eyes scanning the quiet street.

"Perfect! Consider this an early congratulation for ditching that absolute jerk and starting a brand new chapter of your life."

Just then, a sleek black Maybach glided to a smooth halt near the curb. Valerie recognized the license plate instantly. Her chest tightened, but her voice remained steady. "Dominic is here. I'll have to talk to you later."

"All right! Just a heads-up, I've prepared a massive surprise for you today. I guarantee it will let you walk away with your head held high in front of Dominic!"

Valerie frowned slightly. "I just hope your surprise doesn't turn into a complete disaster."

She ended the call and slipped the phone into her purse. Squaring her shoulders, she turned her attention to the tall, imposing figure stepping out of the Maybach. Dominic Thorne approached her with his usual measured, unhurried strides. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, his expression as unreadable and icy as ever.

Valerie forced a wry, practiced smile onto her painted lips. "Good morning, Mr. Thorne. I apologize for taking up your valuable time."

She reached into her bag, pulled out the pristine divorce agreement, and extended it toward him. "I know you don't trust me. Here. This is an exact copy of the divorce papers I handed you previously. Sign your name, and we'll finalize the procedures the second the Civic Hall opens. After today, you'll have your freedom back."

For a fraction of a second, Dominic's impenetrable poker face faltered. His dark brows knitted together as he stared at the crisp white documents. "Are you serious?"

Valerie met his gaze in silence. The morning breeze tugged at her chestnut hair. A few agonizing seconds ticked by before she broke into a wide, bright grin that did not reach her eyes. "Dominic, I've always meant everything I tell you."

It's just that you never cared enough to take me seriously.

Dominic's jaw tightened. He clearly disliked the way she was looking at him. She had never treated him with such distant, business-like indifference. Before he could formulate a response, the heavy glass doors of the building unlocked with a loud click.

"The Civic Hall is now open," he stated flatly, his voice devoid of any warmth.

If she's hoping for a divorce, I shall fulfill her wish. This will save me some trouble in the future.

At that exact moment, Valerie heard the deafening shatter of her own heart. When he questioned if she was being serious, a foolish, desperate sliver of hope had bloomed in her chest. She thought he might ask her to stay. She thought he might refuse to go through with it. Instead, he simply pointed out that the doors were open, ready to erase their three years of marriage like a minor inconvenience.

You're unbelievable, Dominic.

She hardened her expression, swallowed the bitter lump in her throat, spun on her heels, and marched through the glass doors without looking back.

The Civic Hall interior was brightly lit and sterile. Several couples sat in the waiting area, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings as they prepared to register their marriages. Valerie and Dominic were the only ones present to dissolve one so early in the morning.

Valerie's striking red dress and flawless makeup commanded attention. She looked like a woman stepping onto a red carpet, not someone walking into a divorce proceeding. The staff member behind the counter eyed them with visible perplexity as they took their seats.

"You two are filing for a divorce by mutual consent?" the clerk asked, glancing between Valerie's radiant appearance and Dominic's cold demeanor.

"That's right," Valerie said smoothly. She slid the prepared documents through the small opening under the glass divider, offering the clerk a reassuring nod.

Destroying a marriage was agonizingly faster than building one. After both parties signed the necessary pages, the official swiftly certified and stamped the documents. The heavy thud of the ink stamp echoed like a judge's gavel.

Five minutes. That was all it took to erase them.

They walked out of the Civic Hall together, but the invisible chasm between them was now an insurmountable canyon. Dominic took the lead, his long strides eating up the distance to his car. From the second the green divorce booklet was placed in his hand, he did not spare Valerie a single backward glance.

Valerie stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk. Searing anguish and raw discomfort churned violently in her stomach. She stood frozen in her red dress, her fierce pride crumbling as she watched his broad back retreat further and further away. Her final, desperate hope lay in ruins around her heels.

Before the tears could threaten her flawless makeup, the roar of an engine shattered the quiet morning. A flashy, metallic blue Maserati swerved toward the curb and screeched to a halt right in front of her. The luxurious, eye-catching vehicle was impossible to ignore. The sudden noise jolted Valerie out of her heartache, forcing her to shift her attention to the expensive car.

The driver's side door swung open. A man stepped out, a pair of dark designer sunglasses shielding his eyes.

Valerie blinked. The man looked vaguely familiar, but her grief-clouded mind struggled to place him. Before she could react, he flashed a brilliant smile and called out to her.

"Valerie."

It was Jace King. The young, breathtakingly handsome actor had skyrocketed to massive fame over the past year thanks to a starring role in a hit historical television drama. He was the reigning heartthrob of the entertainment industry.

Jace possessed a tall, athletic build and impossibly long legs. With just a few effortless strides, he closed the distance between them. "Congratulations on getting back your freedom and starting a brand new chapter of your life. Melanie told me to come pick you up."

Valerie felt a sharp ache pulsing at her temples. "Why are you playing along with Melanie's crazy plan? Didn't you just finish filming your new movie? Aren't you worried you'll end up featured in more tabloid scandals than you already are by showing up here?"

Jace chuckled, adjusting his sunglasses. "Don't be mad, Val. Melanie said that now that you've divorced Dominic, the Thorne family will definitely release an official PR statement regarding the news. We have to strike first and create a massive distraction to shift the public's attention away from their narrative. Otherwise, they'll just paint you as a pathetic, discarded divorcee from a wealthy family!"

His enthusiastic, boyish logic deeply amused Valerie, momentarily piercing through her gloom. "I suppose I should thank both of you, then."

The words had barely left her mouth when chaos erupted.

A horde of paparazzi seemingly materialized out of thin air. They sprinted down the sidewalk, cameras raised, shouting Jace's name.

Jace reacted with lightning speed. He stepped forward and shielded her from the surging crowd with his strong arms, but the sheer volume of reporters made it impossible to do a thorough job. Her face remained partially exposed to the flashing bulbs.

Suddenly, the frantic crowd surged forward. A heavy camera lens shoved into Valerie's shoulder. She lost her footing, stumbling helplessly forward.

She crashed directly into Jace's chest. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her into an intimate embrace to keep her from falling.

Jace was a famous, exceptionally gorgeous celebrity idolized by millions of teenage girls. Naturally, Valerie's heart did a strange flutter when she found herself pressed against him, his handsome face inches from hers.

In their three years of marriage, Dominic had never once hugged her with such protective intensity. The faint, unique masculine cologne radiating from Jace's body stimulated her senses, the warmth of his chest a stark contrast to the coldness she had just endured. He held her firmly, his physical presence impossible to ignore.

Valerie's cheeks flushed hot red. Panic set in. She planted her hands on his chest, attempting to push herself free, but Jace moved faster. He pressed a broad hand gently against the back of her head, tucking her face firmly into his chest to hide her identity from the blinding camera flashes.

Trapped in his arms, her world narrowed to the sound of his steady, racing heartbeat drumming against her ear. It drowned out the relentless, overlapping questions from the paparazzi and the frantic clicking of shutters. Feeling utterly dazed and disoriented, she surrendered to his grip, allowing him to navigate her through the chaotic mob.

A short distance away, inside the tinted confines of the black Maybach, Dominic Thorne sat frozen. His dark, dangerous eyes stared fixedly out the passenger window, taking in the chaotic scene unfolding on the street.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the leather armrest. He watched his ex-wife fall directly into the arms of another man. He watched Jace King wrap his arms around her waist. He watched the actor press her face into his chest in a protective, intimate embrace.

In the driver's seat, the chauffeur remained deathly still. Silas Reed, Dominic's capable secretary, sat in the front passenger seat, shifting uncomfortably under the sudden drop in temperature.

"Mr. Thorne," Silas ventured hesitantly, glancing at the rearview mirror. "Should I help Ms. Vance out?"

Dominic snapped his gaze away from the window, pinning Silas with a chilling, murderous glare. "Do you have a hobby of nosing into other people's business?"

Silas shuddered, the ice in his boss's tone sending a physical chill down his spine. "That's not it, Mr. Thorne."

Unable to offer a better excuse, Silas hastily turned to the chauffeur. "Let's go, Lenny. Drive."

The engine purred, and the Maybach began to roll forward. Silas stared straight ahead, but he could feel the oppressive, simmering rage radiating from the backseat. He didn't know if he was imagining things, but Dominic's typically composed face had darkened into a terrifying shade of wrath.

Indeed, Dominic was furious. A volatile, unfamiliar jealousy burned in his veins, threatening to consume his legendary self-control.

My ex-wife just divorced me ten minutes ago. We barely walked out of the building, yet she is already throwing herself into the arms of another man right in front of the Civic Hall. If this makes the headlines, the public will think I parted ways with her because she cheated on me.

"Stop the car!" Dominic's voice thundered through the luxurious cabin, sharp as a whip.

The Maybach jerked to a sudden halt, tires squealing against the pavement.

Dominic was not a man who tolerated disrespect. He was not a fan of being painted as a cuckold, nor did he possess a shred of patience for false rumors dragging the Thorne name through the mud. His eyes locked onto the sea of flashing cameras and the two figures tangled in the center of it all.

"Go and bring her over!" Dominic commanded, his voice dripping with venom.

Silas sat frozen in astonishment. He blinked, convinced his ears were playing a cruel trick on him. He turned around slowly. The menacing, unhinged glare blazing in Dominic's eyes left zero room for misinterpretation.

Without another word, Silas hastily scrambled out of the passenger seat. He slammed the car door shut and jogged down the street, advancing toward Valerie and Jace as they remained trapped in the blinding, chaotic sea of paparazzi.