Anastasia looked at the agreement for a while before speaking. âAlastor, would you be sad if I died?â
Alastor frowned, his expression growing more disdainful. âYou value your life more than anyone else.â
Alastor knew that Anastasia treasured her life more than anyone else.
Indeed, valuing her life and having her life taken away were two distinct concepts.
A prolonged silence enveloped the room as Anastasia perused the divorce agreement, and one of the terms caught her attention. âBearing this child and subsequently undergoing a DNA paternity test. If the child is proven to be yours, the will and agreement will remain valid. If not, the divorce will proceed without any financial settlement?â
Anastasia was aware that Alastor had sought the expertise of a specialized lawyer to craft this agreement.
The words in this agreement were indeed chilling and frightening.
Alastor didnât believe her, and he certainly didnât believe that this child was his.
No wonder he had tried so hard before to persuade her to have an abortion.
It was only after Andrea found out about the pregnancy that he changed his mind and allowed Anastasia to keep the child It turned out he wanted to know whether this child was really his.
âDare not?â Alastor asked sarcastically.
Anastasia was gripped by a searing pain in her chest, an intensity so overwhelming that it verged on numbing. Her thoughts raced, âI donât dare? How could I not dare⦠But why does this pain feel so agonizing, so suffocating?â
Anastasiaâs voice trembled as she asked, âWhy should I give birth to a child to prove anything to youâ¦â
âAnastasia, I thought you wouldnât feel guilty,â Alastor said, clearly expressing his complete lack of trust in her.
Anastasia took a deep breath, put on a smile, and didnât explain. The nude photos and the company group chat, when did those happen?â
âLate last year,â Alastor answered after a brief pause when he saw Anastasia calmly asking.
It seemed like there was nothing much left to be concerned about.
Before, he used to care about Anastasiaâs emotions and feelings.
Now, it seemed like he didnât need to at all.
In his perspective, the real Anastasia seemed to be quite calculating.
âWhy didnât you report it to the police?â Anastasia looked at Alastor.
Alastor frowned but didnât say anything.
âYou still care more about your reputation and the companyâs reputation, so even if you spend a lot of money to suppress this matter, itâs not for my sake. Anastasiaâs voice was hoarse.
âThink whatever you want.â Alastor just wanted Anastasia to sign the papers quickly.
âXavier is best at colored pencil sketches. He takes photos of his drawings with his phone, and after a bit of processing, they end up in this state.â Anastasia still wanted to explain, regardless of whether Alastor would believe it.
âFirst of all, he knows your body structure better than I do,â Alastor said sarcastically. âWhy does he know even the location of your birthmarks and moles in intimate areas so clearly?â
Anastasia felt suffocated and remained silent for a long time. Numbly, she picked up the pen and signed her name on the divorce agreement.
When someone lacked trust in others, no amount of explanation would prove effective.
It was all meaningless.
In Alastorâs heart, he had already concluded that she was that nd of woman, unscrupulous before marriage.
âYou can leave now.â Anastasiaâs hoarse voice sounded after signing the agreement.
Starting next Friday, Iâll come to pick you up at home every week. Iâll take you to see Grandma Andrea.
I hope you cooperate well, Alastor reminded Anastasia, making sure she wouldnât forget about this arrangement.
Anastasia didnât say anything.
âAlso, I hope you take care of your body. Youâre not alone nowâ¦â Alastor reminded Anastasia, emphasizing that she shouldnât harm herself to stir up some trouble since she had a child in her belly.
âDonât worry. If the child doesnât come into the world safely. Iâll leave this marriage with nothing as well.â
Anastasiaâs voice carried a hint of strain.
In reality, she didnât actually want anything from Alastor.
She just couldnât accept it and wanted to assert herself Alastor frowned and said, âWhatever.â He then turned around to leave.
âAlastorâ¦â Anastasiaâs voice was hoarse as she spoke again. âYou believe that this child isnât yours, right?â
âI only believe in DNA paternity test results.â Alastor didnât look back and left directly.
Anastasia took a deep breath, her thoughts echoing. âA DNA paternity test⦠How revolting. He has absolutely no faith in me.â
âTsk, acting so well. At the doorway, Felicia rolled her eyes and clung to Alastorâs arm, accompanying him as they left.
Anastasia knew that was the posture of the victor.
Felicia had achieved an unequivocal triumph, while Anastasia found herself utterly defeated, a reality that Anastasia couldnât. help but acknowledge.
Anastasia stayed in the hospital for seven days. Initially, she was supposed to be discharged on the first day. However, the. doctor said she was severely malnourished and had immune system issues, so they insisted she receive seven days of nutritional injections in the hospital.
During those seven days, Anastasia didnât contact anyone. Meanwhile, Kimberly went back to Atharia to complete her graduation matters.
From what Kimberly had said. Jason had also returned and would be back before Penelopeâs surgery.
On the day of her discharge, Anastasia went to the hospital room to visit Zeke first.
Zeke was able to sit up now, and half of his body was mobile. His mouth was a bit crooked, and he struggled to speak clearly.
âMiss, your father has been mentioning you a lot these days,â Amanda whispered while washing a bedpan. âThe mother and daughter paid a visit, which angered your father, worsening his condition.
You should go and see him soon. They also brought a divorce agreement.â
Anastasia chuckled sarcastically, walked over, and picked up the divorce agreement Meredith had brought. âWeâre truly at father-daughter pair, receiving divorce agreements on the same day⦠Iâve already signed mine. Have you signed yours?â