Forbidden Passion
Chapter 610 After the Divorce, Let's Not Meet Again

Theodore's face was throbbing, and he felt like a total idiot, but seeing those silver streaks in Taylor's hair kept him from saying anything.

Taylor's slap had landed square on his cheek, but the real pain was in her heart. Seeing the red marks on Theodore's usually confident face, Taylor felt she might've gone too far. Feeling both guilty and pissed, Taylor grabbed his wrist and yanked him away from the second floor.

At the stairs, Taylor let go and shot him a fierce glare, "Riley told me you were starving yourself with Phoebe?"

Theodore's lips were pressed tight.

Taylor almost lost it, "Can't you see? She's done with you. No matter what you do, she won't care."

Theodore shot back, "But I can't just watch her starve."

Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose, "Theodore, out of my three children, you're the smartest and most sensible one. You've never made me worry. Why are you so clueless now?" Theodore stayed quiet.

"Phoebe is set on leaving. If you keep pushing her, she might really starve herself to death. What then?" Taylor asked, fuming.

"Then I'll die with her," Theodore replied.

Taylor slapped him again, and his cheeks were on fire. She was shaking with anger.

"Do you think there's anything noble about dying? You're almost thirty. Can you act a bit more mature?" Taylor was livid.

"Right now, Phoebe's resentment hasn't cooled off. What's the point of butting heads with her? It's better to take a step back, agree to the divorce, and make plans once she's healthy again," Taylor advised.

Theodore closed his eyes in pain, saying, "If I agree to the divorce, she'll definitely leave me."

"Can't you chase after her if she leaves? Theodore, listen to me. If you really love her, stop pushing her. Let her go," Taylor said earnestly.

Theodore stared blankly into space. For the past two days, he had watched Phoebe wither before him, and he had to admit that Phoebe was determined to leave.

He had starved himself with Phoebe, hoping to soften her with his determination.

Theodore thought that if Phoebe still loved him, she wouldn't bear to see him starve with her. But reality gave him a harsh slap.

Phoebe didn't care about her own life, so why would she care if he starved to death?

Honestly, Theodore felt a deep pang of heartache. He couldn't bear to watch Phoebe continue to starve herself. He didn't want to push her to death.

After a long silence, Theodore finally gave in, "Fine, I agree to the divorce!"

Taylor's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief, "I'll have Jack make some porridge. You talk to her."

Theodore clenched his fists. From the moment he said, "I agree to the divorce," it felt like a part of his heart had been ripped out.

Theodore didn't know how he walked back to the master bedroom. He sat by the bed and looked at Phoebe with a bitter smile, "Phoebe, you've won. I agree to the divorce."

Phoebe suddenly opened her eyes, and the undisguised joy on her face at that moment stung Theodore's eyes. He awkwardly looked away.

"Get up and eat something. Once you're healthy, we'll get divorced," Theodore said.

Phoebe struggled to sit up, supporting herself on the mattress. She was injured, had lost a lot of blood, and had been fasting for three days. This simple action made her vision go black. Theodore reached out to help Phoebe but hesitated, fearing that if he touched her, he wouldn't be able to let go. He stiffly withdrew his hand.

Phoebe's weak voice cut through the silence, "You really agreed, no take-backs?"

Theodore bit down hard on his lip, his voice low and full of sorrow, "I don't love you anymore. I'll let you go, don't worry."

Saying those words felt like ripping his own heart out, but compared to watching Phoebe destroy herself, nothing else mattered.

"Stay here and get better. Once you're back on your feet, I'll come to take you to get divorced," Theodore said, then got up and left. He didn't look back, didn't dare to.

He knew if he looked back, he'd want to take it all back.

Phoebe sat on the bed, quietly watching Theodore's figure disappear behind the door. She still couldn't quite believe that Theodore was really planning to let go.

For the next half month, Phoebe stayed in the villa to recover. After three days of starving herself, she was pretty much running on empty, and Riley changed up the menu daily to cook for her.

By the time Phoebe went back to the hospital for a check-up, she was almost fully recovered.

The whip marks on her back had scabbed over, and the new flesh that had grown was ugly and terrifying. The doctor said that once she was fully healed, she could get scar removal treatment, and then she wouldn't have to worry about wearing strap dresses.

Phoebe shook her head.

She didn't plan to get the scars removed. She wanted to keep them as a constant reminder not to make the same mistakes again.

Since the day Theodore agreed to the divorce, he hadn't shown up in front of Phoebe again. Now that she was healed, the divorce couldn't be put off any longer.

Phoebe stood at the hospital entrance, took out her phone, and dialed Theodore's number. The phone rang three times before Theodore hung up. When she called again, the line indicated that it was busy.

Phoebe frowned, feeling a sense of dread. Could Theodore have changed his mind? Did he trick her into getting better but not intend to keep his promise? How could he do that? Phoebe returned to the villa and saw a Maybach parked in the driveway. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly walked into the villa. A man was sitting on the sofa. Theodore was wearing a white shirt and black suit, his tie meticulously tied around his neck, looking as elegant and restrained as when they first met.

It had been a long time since they last saw each other; seeing him again felt like an eternity had passed.

Their gazes briefly met for a fleeting second before Theodore looked away, hiding the pain in his eyes. Without him by her side, Phoebe indeed seemed to be doing well.

Theodore elegantly crossed his legs and gestured for Phoebe to sit, like a boss meeting a subordinate. Behind him, Lawton and a few movers were carrying things down from upstairs. Phoebe glanced at them; they were all Theodore's personal belongings. Her expression stiffened slightly as she slowly walked to the single sofa opposite Theodore and sat down. Theodore leaned forward slightly and pushed a document bag on the coffee table towards her, saying, "Tomorrow morning at 9:30, we'll get divorced."

Phoebe looked puzzled and opened the bag. Inside were a Warranty Deed, car keys, and a bank card.

She looked up at him.

Theodore's face was calm, his tone indifferent, "We were married once. I don't want people to say I treated you unfairly. Consider these things as compensation. Phoebe, after the divorce, let's not see each other again."