Three years after our breakup, my ex-boyfriend, the lawyer Elias Thorne, returned with his young protégé. At the alumni gathering, someone remembered the old days and asked him with a smile: "Elias, when you left back then, you said if Chloe wasn't married in three years, you'd chase her back. Are you here to fulfill that promise today?" I was just about to explain, but Elias tightened his grip on his protégé Mia's hand and announced to everyone that they were engaged. When the invitation landed in my hand, Mia smiled until her eyes curved into crescents: "Chloe, don't overthink it. Senior came back firstly to marry me, and secondly to take on the divorce case of the richest man's only son. Once this case is over, he will become the group's chief legal counsel. I know you waited for him for three years... pity, he's mine now." My expression was a bit strange. Elias thought I hadn't given up yet and sighed: "Back then, to prevent Mia from being fired, I drugged you and stole your case. That was wrong of me. When I become the chief counsel, maybe I can let you be my assistant." "Stop waiting for me. Find someone to marry. Even if their conditions aren't as good as mine, it's fine." Everyone present looked at me, expecting me to break down. But I was only surprised: "You guys just got engaged?" I'm about to get divorced. And the case he wants to fight is the divorce lawsuit filed by me and my husband. 1 Mia took my reaction as disbelief. She crossed her arms, her tone mocking: "What, you think I'm lying to you?" "When he said three years ago he'd come back for you, he was just casually coaxing you because he was afraid you'd pester him. He gave up his domestic career to accompany me abroad, how could he not marry me?" Elias stood aside without speaking. What's there not to believe? I still remember clearly how he forced me to drink the mute medicine three years ago and watched me vomit blood. I lost my job, got scolded by clients, chased him to the airport crying and begging him, only to have him kick my phone away, disgusted by my misery. He loves Mia, there's never been a need to doubt that. I waved the invitation and smiled: "Don't get excited, I just thought you guys had registered your marriage earlier. Then, happy wedding in advance." I spoke sincerely, and the old classmates were stunned. Everyone knew that after Elias left, I was depressed for half a year, drunk all day long. No one expected me to say "Happy Wedding" so calmly. Everyone reacted and started to flatter Elias: "Lawyer Thorne is amazing, even taking on the case of the richest man's son!" "Mia is beautiful and capable, truly a match made in heaven!" Mia couldn't hide her pride, while Elias just calmly sipped his tea. He was used to hearing these words. Only I didn't join in. Mia deliberately called me out: "Chloe, back then you laughed at me for failing the bar exam. Now Senior and I are elite lawyers returning from overseas. What about you? Where are you working?" I answered plainly: "I opened my own—" Before I could finish, I was interrupted by Elias's phone ringing. Mia glanced at the screen and raised her voice: "It's the richest man's son calling!" Someone jeered: "Lawyer Thorne, let us hear how you discuss cases, yeah?" Elias smiled and pressed the speakerphone. A deep male voice came from the other end: "Lawyer Thorne, you are very good at lawsuits?" Elias was confident: "Of course. I guarantee the woman won't get a penny and will leave with nothing." "No!" The person on the other end was anxious, "I don't want her to leave with nothing, my demand is not to divorce!" 2 The surroundings went silent for a moment. Elias nodded: "Rest assured, leave it to me." He didn't notice, but I quietly clenched my fist. I didn't expect Adrian would not want a divorce. But rather than believing he loves me, I feel he's just afraid of losing face. The call ended, and the classmates who knew the law started congratulating him: "Lawyer Thorne, this case is simple! It's too easy not to divorce domestically. You're basically picking up money for free, and you've climbed up to the richest man!" I couldn't listen anymore, stood up and said I had to go first. Mia called me back and threw a business card at my feet: "If you're not doing well, come find your old classmates, don't hold on. Look at what you're wearing... at least buy a decent dress." Elias glanced at her but didn't speak. Just like before, he never intervened when she made things difficult for me. But I'm no longer the love-struck fool who defended him. I stepped on the business card and pulled the corner of my mouth: "Mia, in these three years abroad, did you only grow hair but not brains? You probably can't afford what I'm wearing." Too lazy to argue further, I turned and left. 3 Walking out of the KTV, the cold wind blew, and I lit a cigarette. I was with Elias for seven years. Before breaking up, I always felt he had a clean scent of trees, like the smell of reciting books together in our youth. But seeing him again today, that scent was long gone, leaving only Mia's cloying perfume. He really isn't special to me anymore. After finishing the cigarette, I took out my phone. Adrian's group of brothers sent a bunch of messages again, persuading me not to divorce. Before, they were the ones persuading us to break up; now, they are the ones persuading us to reconcile. I didn't even look, deleted them all. Elias was right, I'm rational like a machine. So whether it's him or Adrian, as long as they betrayed me, I don't want them. Suddenly, the cigarette in my hand was snatched away. Elias looked at me in disbelief: "Chloe, you actually smoke?" He stomped out the cigarette with a look of disgust, wrapped it up, and threw it away. "Leaving me, you became like this? Mia was excessive just now, I apologize for her—" While he went to throw away the trash, I turned and got into a Bentley by the roadside. In the rearview mirror, he stood frozen on the spot. 4 The next day, I was researching divorce cases in the library. Someone suddenly stood opposite me. I thought there wasn't enough space, so I moved my books closer to my side. But the person didn't move. I looked up and saw Elias looking at me with a complicated expression: "You're tracking me?" He hadn't changed a bit, still clean and upright. Only now he was holding Mia's hand, sharing a couple's scarf, his eyebrows a bit gentler. This spot used to be our "secret base," we came every day when we were dating. I frowned: "Coincidence." He picked up the "Marriage Law" book on my table: "Chloe, that rented Bentley yesterday cost a lot of money, right? No need to keep up appearances like this." "Thanks for helping me find the book, but it's not possible between us." I took the book back: "I need it myself; I also took on a divorce case." Elias raised an eyebrow, looking like he saw through me: "You used to only look at criminal cases, saying civil cases were a waste of time. If not for me, would you borrow these?" He still firmly believed I loved him. But after what happened, how can he still be so confident? Three years ago, for Mia's future, he drugged my drink and took my case. I knelt on the ground vomiting blood, but he only said indifferently: "Mia needs this opportunity more." "We are too alike, it's boring being together. Although she is careless, I like her talking to me." The light in his eyes when he mentioned Mia stabbed my heart like a knife. I know, he doesn't love me anymore. Coming back to my senses, I chuckled lightly: "Didn't Lawyer Thorne also say he wouldn't take civil cases? You made an exception for Mia three years ago. Now I'm taking a divorce case, what's strange?" Mia suddenly shook off his hand and swept all the books on my table to the floor! With a "bang," everyone in the library looked over. She sneered and raised her voice: "Who are you kidding? Senior just took a divorce case, and you're taking one too? Just say you want to curry favor, stop pretending!" She looked me up and down, suddenly remembered something, and showed a playful smile: "Right, Chloe... you and the wife of the richest man's son have the same name."
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