After divorce ch 2

Chapter 2 Birthday Gift
Catherine’s eyes grew misty as she blew out the candle.
Once again, the entire villa was plunged into darkness.
At that moment, two beams of headlights pierced through the night outside. A Rolls-Royce pulled up onto the lawn—it was Reynold’s car.
Catherine’s lashes trembled. Reynold was back.
She had thought he wouldn’t come home tonight.
Soon, the villa’s door opened, and an imposing figure stepped inside, his presence carried in on the cool, damp night air. Reynold had returned.
The Parkers were Havendor’s aristocracy, and Reynold, their golden heir, had always been exceptional. At 16, he earned dual master’s degrees from Harvard University. Later, he made his mark by launching his first publicly traded company on Wall Street before returning home to take over Parker Group, solidifying his position as Havendor’s richest man.
Reynold strode in with his long legs, his deep, magnetic voice tinged with indifference. “Why are the lights off?”
Snap!
He flicked on a wall lamp, flooding the room with light.
Catherine instinctively blinked against the sudden brightness. When her vision adjusted, she turned to look at him.
Reynold was dressed in a tailored black suit, exuding elegance and authority. His sharp features, perfectly proportioned build, and natural air of aloof refinement made him the dream of countless socialites.
Catherine gazed at him and softly said, “Today is your birthday.”
Reynold’s handsome face remained emotionless. He lazily glanced at the table before dismissing her efforts. “Don’t waste your time next time. I don’t care for this sort of thing.”
Catherine curled her lips into a faint smile and countered, “Is it that you don’t care for this, or you just don’t want to spend it with me?”
Reynold’s gaze shifted to her, cool and detached. Clearly, he didn’t want to spend any more time on the conversation. “Think whatever you like.”
With that, he turned and headed upstairs.
He had always been like this with her.
No matter what she did, she could never thaw his icy heart.
Catherine rose to her feet and, watching his cold and distant back, said, “It’s your birthday today. I want to give you a gift.”
Reynold didn’t stop or look back. “I don’t need it.”
Catherine chuckled softly, a faint curve lifting her lips. “Reynold, let’s get a divorce.”
Reynold had one foot on the stairs when he suddenly froze. Slowly, he turned, his deep black eyes locking onto her.
Catherine met his gaze, her voice light but resolute as she repeated, “Let’s get a divorce. Do you like this birthday gift?”
Reynold’s expression didn’t change, but a trace of sharpness flickered in his eyes. “You’re asking for a divorce just because I didn’t celebrate your birthday with you?”
Catherine’s tone remained calm. “Evelyn’s back, isn’t she?”
The mention of Evelyn brought a faint sneer to Reynold’s lips.
He closed the distance between them with long strides, his commanding presence bearing down on her. “Are you jealous of Evelyn?”
As Havendor’s youngest business prodigy, Reynold exuded an aura of dominance born from power, wealth, and status. His approach made Catherine instinctively take a step back.
Her delicate back suddenly chilled—she had hit the wall.
In an instant, his shadow enveloped her. Reynold braced one hand against the wall beside her, boxing her in with his broad chest and the unyielding surface behind her.
Lowering his eyes, Reynold looked down at her, his lips curling into a mocking smile. “Everyone in Havendor knows Evelyn is the one I wanted to marry. When you schemed your way into becoming my wife, didn’t you know that? You didn’t mind back then, so why act all self-righteous now?”
Catherine’s face turned pale.
Reynold was right, he had always intended to marry Evelyn.
If Reynold hadn’t fallen into a coma and become a vegetative patient, Catherine would never have had the chance to marry him.
Catherine would never forget the day he woke up. The moment he opened his eyes and saw her, the undisguised disappointment and indifference in his gaze left her frozen.
From then on, they slept in separate rooms, and he never touched her—because his heart belonged to Evelyn.
She had known all of this. But still…
Catherine looked deeply at Reynold’s sharp, handsome face, and the image of the innocent, boyish version of him from years ago overlapped with the man before her. Reynold, do you not remember me?
It turned out she was the only one still stuck in the past.
These three years had been nothing more than her one-sided devotion.
Suppressing the bitterness and ache in her heart, Catherine spoke evenly. “Reynold, let’s end this empty marriage.”
Reynold raised an eyebrow in surprise. His rich, magnetic voice carried a single word, “What?”
He lifted a hand and pinched her small chin, his thumb brushing against her rosy lips in a deliberately teasing manner. “So, this is why you want a divorce? What’s the matter? You’re asking for something more intimate?”
Catherine’s delicate face flushed a deep red, like a ripe berry bursting with color.
That wasn’t what she meant.
But now, with his thumb pressing against her lips in a provocative motion, she found herself shocked by the realization that even someone as sophisticated as Reynold could exhibit such a playful and audacious side.
He was toying with her.
It was the first time Reynold had looked at Catherine this closely. She always wore black-and-white clothes and oversized black-rimmed glasses, wrapping herself in a guise of dowdiness.