A Lesson

Nicole put away her phone. She suppressed the pain in her heart and the burning sensation in her body, then braced herself and took a taxi to the City Hall.

Time passed by the minute. Eric Ferguson called Nicole twice, but no one answered, so he refused to call again.

Nicole sat on a bench looking very pale. An hour later, Eric walked over with a stern, expressionless face as he looked down at her with his cold gaze.

“What exactly are you dissatisfied with? I know that you’ve donated more blood this month, but I’ve already compensated you.”

“Let’s just get a divorce…” Nicole lifted her head and met his cold gaze. Her voice was calm and composed and she no longer wanted to speak to Eric anymore.

What they said was never the same thing.

Nicole looked at the prominent features of the man in front of her. He was handsome and tall, which made her fall head over heels for him, but he never once smiled at her.

In the past, she used to be cautious not to irritate him, but now when she saw his stern face, she felt numb.

Eric looked at Nicole with a grim face. He could tolerate all of her requests or demands, but he could not stand that she did not know her place.

‘Does she genuinely think that she’s the only one who can donate blood?’

“Nicole, don’t regret your decision.”

“What I regret most is marrying you three years ago.” Nicole smiled miserably. She finally thought it through, and her mind could not be any clearer at this moment.

‘I’ve suffered enough in this marriage with Eric Ferguson. Enough is enough!’

It was near the end of the day, so there were only a few people in line and they were the last couple.

Their three years of marriage ended so hastily, in a matter of minutes.

The moment Nicole held the divorce certificate, her heart trembled a little.

Eric did not say anything about wanting her to stay and did not even cast her a glance.

“Let’s go to the hospital.”

He still did not forget to use her one last time.

Nicole lifted her head slightly and suddenly laughed. “Eric Ferguson, even if she dies in front of me in the future, I won’t waste another drop of blood on her.”

Eric’s eyes suddenly turned gloomy. “How could you curse Wendy like that when she’s sick? Don’t forget, the condition of our marriage back then is that you’ll donate blood at any time she needs it.”

At that moment, Nicole just felt like her heart was stabbed. She was overwhelmed with pain.

‘Right… I could only marry him because I have golden blood. I promised to donate my precious and rare Rh-null blood to Wendy Quade whenever she needed it…’

Nicole’s gaze flickered as she looked at him, but the man’s eyes only had his usual indifference.

Her smile widened until she finally laughed with unbridled coldness.

‘I should’ve understood long ago that to Eric Ferguson, I am just a lowly walking blood bank…’

“Eric Ferguson, I don’t give a damn about being your wife! Don’t worry, I’ll donate my blood to her one last time and settle our accounts.”

She smiled enigmatically, then glanced at Eric and turned to leave.

Eric’s eyebrows were slightly knitted. He felt inexplicably irritable. He felt that there was something not quite the same with Nicole today, but he could not describe the feeling. It was like she was out of his control.

In their three years of marriage, he thought that he already knew her well. She was clingy and persistent before they got married, but she became a meek and obedient wife after.

Recently, Wendy needed more blood transfusions. He felt guilty about it, but Nicole had never refused, so he felt more relieved and thought of compensating her in other aspects.

Regardless of her initial intentions of marrying him, Nicole was a good wife. Nicole suddenly asking for a divorce annoyed him, but it did not matter.

Eric’s dark eyes deepened as he got rid of the irritation in his heart. ‘Forget it, she’ll naturally come back begging when she can’t survive on her own.’

......

Before Eric could say anything, Nicole hailed a cab by the roadside and went to the hospital. She found Wendy Quade’s VIP ward and pushed the door open.

A few doctors and nurses surrounded Wendy and asked attentively if the woman was feeling any discomfort.

When Wendy saw Nicole, her eyes flickered and she immediately looked delighted.

“Nicole, you’re finally here! You’re not mad at me for always bothering you because of my poor health, are you? I was worried that your body couldn’t take it.”

Nicole strode over to her with a cold and gloomy gaze.

“You sent that text, right?”

She went straight to the point.

Before Wendy could answer her, Nicole slapped Wendy’s face viciously.

“Ah!” Wendy screamed and covered her cheek in shock.

Retaliation

Eric’s eyes sank and his face was stormy as he yelled, “Nicole! What are you doing?!”

The man’s voice was cold.

‘He showed up fast enough. Was he so afraid that I’d hurt Wendy?’ Nicole thought.

Wendy pouted and looked panicked. Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears as she covered her cheek and looked behind Nicole. She argued in a loud voice, “I didn’t do anything, Nicole. You misunderstood me.”

‘Is Nicole crazy? How dare she hit me in front of Eric?’

Nicole sneered. “Stop your act. I know it’s you.”

With a seeping cold gaze, Nicole walked to Wendy and took out the printed picture of Eric from her bag, then flung it in front of them.

Eric looked at the photo and had a moment of shock and confusion. Wendy’s face also instantly turned glum and pale.

He had a long day yesterday, so when he visited Wendy at the hospital, he dozed off for a while. It was apparent that this photo was secretly taken at that time.

The only other person in that room then was Wendy Quade.

Thus, Eric knew who had taken this photo. Wendy wanted to use this photo to make Nicole mad, but she did not expect to shoot herself in the foot.

How could Wendy still maintain her image of a pitiful meek woman?

In the past, Nicole would still care about Eric and put up with Wendy, but now, there was no need for that anymore.

Nicole smiled indifferently, and her voice was surprisingly cold. “I told you that I’m here to settle accounts. This is what you owe me. Wendy Quade, you’re the homewrecker in this situation. Are you satisfied now? I wish you all the best in replacing me as Mrs. Ferguson.”

Without much thought, Eric could guess how Nicole got this photo. He suddenly felt a little suffocated. His expression was cold and complex.

Eric’s face was still as cold as ever when he looked at Wendy’s sickly pale face with a stern gaze.

Wendy’s heart trembled. She quickly defended herself. “Eric, Nicole must have misunderstood something. I didn’t do anything or take this picture. She probably found someone to take this so that she could frame me!”

Eric frowned for a moment as Wendy sobbed pitifully and tugged on his sleeve. She said cautiously, “Eric, I can apologize to Nicole. If giving me blood affects your relationship, I won’t ask Nicole for blood in the future. I swear by Hendrick’s name that I don’t know anything about the photo!”

Hearing the name “Hendrick”, Eric’s eyes flickered as he thought of his best friend’s dying wish. The gloom on Eric’s face dissipated a little. “Nicole was too agitated earlier and shouldn’t have hit you. Do you need a doctor to check it out?”

Wendy was still covering her cheek that felt numb from Nicole’s slap and shook her head. “It’s okay.”

Eric nodded and looked at Nicole, who was standing on the side. The corners of her lips curled up mockingly and she had a cold and indifferent look on her face. Seeing her like this, Eric inexplicably felt a strange emotion in his heart.

“You wanted a divorce because of this? Never mind, get your blood drawn first.” Eric wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but it was not an appropriate environment.

An insignificant photo meant nothing compared to Wendy’s health. Eric planned to explain the photo to Nicole afterward as there were still outsiders in the ward.

Wendy felt relieved and knew that she got away with it. ‘Eric still chose me. Nicole lost again!’

Nicole had long guessed this outcome. Wendy was good at acting and Nicole was not bothered to expose her. She no longer wanted to be involved with them. Nicole looked at the doctor on the side and asked in a calm voice, “Are you sure she needs a blood transfusion?”

The doctor froze for a moment. When he received Wendy’s glare, he nodded in panic under Eric’s watchful gaze. “Yes, Ms. Quade fell just now, which caused serious blood loss in her legs, so she needs a blood transfusion.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Eric ordered in a cold voice.

“Yes, sir.” The doctor quickly went to make preparations.

Wendy gave Nicole a smug smile from an angle that no one else could see.

“Wait.”

Nicole did not leave with the doctor obediently. Instead, she went forward and lifted Wendy’s quilt in a domineering and swift motion.

Remarry

Nicole did not care in the slightest whether Wendy was embarrassed or not. She looked at Wendy’s bandaged left leg and ripped off the bandage despite Wendy’s struggle.

Suddenly, the surrounding atmosphere in the ward dropped to freezing point.

Nicole looked at the graze on Wendy’s leg and scoffed.

“Wow, it’s so serious that there’s not even a drop of blood flowing out. If I came a little later, I’m afraid your ‘wound’ will heal completely…”

“Nicole! You... Eric, it’s not like that… It’s just that I’m feeling weak right now and will recover better with a blood transfusion…”

Wendy Quade met the man’s dark gaze. Her heart trembled as she explained in a panic.

“You get ‘injured’ four to five times a month. I think you’re just trying to drain my blood!” Nicole’s voice was cold as she continued, “Too bad, you won’t have this opportunity again in the future. Get Eric to marry another fool to be your new mobile blood bank.”

After that, Nicole sneered and left the ward without looking back.

The moment Nicole slammed the door to the ward shut, she slumped on a bench in the corridor. At that moment, she felt dejected like she had been abandoned by the whole world.

Nicole felt extremely aggrieved. Tears slid down the corners of her eyes as she took out her phone and mustered her strength to make a call. Her voice choked with fatigue.

“Big Brother…”

The other party only heard her voice and sighed silently. His voice was indulgent. “Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

A few minutes later, a noble and elegant man leading a group of mysterious men in black carried the unconscious woman out of the hospital and left quietly.

......

Eric Ferguson dragged the attending doctor out of the ward with a gloomy face. His dark eyes were filled with anger.

“A serious leg injury?! Is a blood transfusion even needed for grazed skin? Is this the standard of professionalism in your hospital?!”

Eric exuded a terrifying chill. When he thought of Nicole’s weak condition every time after she donated blood, the guilt in his heart deepened, and that strange feeling in his heart became more intense.

The doctor shuddered and did not dare to hide the truth from him anymore.

“It was Ms. Quade’s order. It has nothing to do with our hospital. Ms. Quade said you agreed to all of the blood transfusions. Every time Ms. Nicole donated blood, you were also there, so we thought that we’re just following orders. Mr. Ferguson, we will never dare to do this again…”

‘Wendy Quade… Did I indulge her too much? Nicole insisted on divorce just because of that photo. Did she misunderstand my relationship with Wendy?’

In that case, Eric thought that he could just explain it to her. Although he did not have much affection for his wife, he had always been faithful to their marriage and was satisfied with their status quo. Thus, he did not mind living like this for the rest of their lives.

At least, he had never thought about getting a divorce since they got married.

If Nicole was just not satisfied with his relationship with Wendy, he could keep his distance from her.

Eric thought that their marriage could be saved if they sorted out this tiny problem.

He took out his phone to call Nicole, but her phone was turned off.

Eric’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed as he summoned the bodyguard that was at the entrance. A few minutes later, the bodyguard stood in front of him with trepidation.

“Mr. Ferguson, we can’t find the Young Madam anywhere. The hospital’s surveillance footage was suddenly hacked ten minutes ago. We can’t find any clues to where the Young Madam went even if we searched the entire hospital.”

Eric frowned deeper and his thin lips were pressed into a taut line. When he thought back to the way Nicole did not hesitate to sign her name on the divorce agreement, he felt an indescribable emotion surging in his chest. His deep dark eyes seemed bottomless and inscrutable.

‘Where can she go after the divorce? She doesn’t have any money…’

The thought of her leaving so abruptly made that irritable feeling that constantly haunted him more intense. His heart just felt extremely uncomfortable.

“Get someone to search for her and notify me immediately when you’ve found her.”

‘How dare she turn off her phone like this?! She’s really out of line!’

“Yes, sir.”

Eric did not want to admit that he felt a twinge of panic because of this woman who was no longer his wife.

......

The Italian limited-edition luxury furniture in the lavishly decorated room was incredibly familiar to Nicole. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw the opulent room that she had not seen in a long time, her tears instantly streamed down her face.

‘This is my room…’

“What are you crying for? It’s just a divorce. Do you think the Stanton family can’t support you?”

A mature and tough voice rang in her ears. When Nicole looked over, her eyes felt sore and she cried even more.

Floyd Stanton, the legendary Chairman of Stanton Corporation who could influence the entire West City’s business world, stood in Nicole’s room looking imposing and majestic.

“Dad…”