The news of their divorce shocked the entire Rockwell Family. After all, Patrick had saved Clarissa not long ago and the two seemed deeply in love.

Alberta, Clarissa's mother, couldn’t stop herself from persuading them.

“Did you two just have a fight? Couples argue all the time. Why does it have to end in divorce?”

At the dining table, Patrick sat cold-faced and silent.

Meanwhile, Clarissa lowered her eyes and said calmly, “I just suddenly realized we are not suitable for each other.”

Alberta wanted to say more but stopped. Victoria, however, showed a flash of happiness in her eyes, though her face looked worried.

“Clarissa,” she said softly, “don’t act on impulse. You’re already thirty. If you lose your husband, who would want to marry you?”

Clarissa slowly raised her head and saw the hidden malice in Victoria’s eyes.

She smiled and replied with calmness, “Oh, I’m not worried about my next married life. But Victoria, you’re almost thirty too. Why haven’t you found someone to marry yet?”

Before Victoria could react, Patrick suddenly slammed his fork on the table.

“Clarissa!” he said angrily. “This is between us. Don’t take your anger out on Vicky.”

Clarissa clenched her fingers and laughed sarcastically. “Oh, tell me then, when she said the same thing about me, why don’t you stop her?”

Patrick said coldly, “She’s telling the truth. You’re already thirty. Can’t you be more mature? Do you really think stuff like divorce can be brought up so easily?”

Victoria shook her head with discontent. “It's fine Patrick. I spoke carelessly. So, it’s normal for my sister to be angry.”

Patrick comforted her gently, not even sparing Clarissa a glance.

Clarissa already knew Patrick loved Victoria, but his actions her heart still hurt.

She told herself to stay calm. 'Clarissa, just wait thirty days. After the 'cooling-off period', everything will be over.' So, Clarissa insisted on the divorce to continue.

Later, her mother pulled her aside to a quiet place and asked softly, “Risa, if Patrick hadn’t saved you in that explosion, you would have died. Why do you suddenly want a divorce?”

Alberta knew her daughter well. Clarissa truly did fell for Patrick. If nothing serious had happened, she would never ask for a divorce.

Clarissa saw the worry on her mother’s face. She wanted to tell her that Patrick was behind that explosion. That he was secretly having an affair with Victoria.

But her reason overcame emotion. So, Clarissa shook her head. “We’re just not compatible, Mom.”

Alberta sighed helplessly but respected her decision. “Grandpa’s birthday is coming soon. He has always liked Patrick. Don’t let him find out about the divorce.”

Clarissa remembered that her grandpa hadn’t liked Patrick at first. But three years ago, Darius got so frightened during a flight travel and suffered a heart attack. Patrick quickly called the hospital and saved his life.

When Darius became seriously ill, Patrick developed a new medicine to ease his condition. That was why Darius came to value him so much.

Clarissa had already thought this through. In the divorce agreement, she gave her consent so that Patrick got the money he deserved during the thirty days. In return, Patrick had to cooperate and act all normal in front of Grandpa Darius.

There were four days left until Darius’s birthday. So, Clarissa sent Patrick a message, asking him to come back that day.

Patrick replied with one word: [Okay.]

Relieved, Clarissa stayed at the company. But on the day of the banquet, she sent many messages:

[Patrick, where are you?]

Her messages received no reply. Her calls went unanswered.

What Clarissa didn’t expect was that her grandpa had found out about the divorce. He was so angry that he suffered another heart attack on the spot. No medicine helped and he was rushed to the hospital overnight.

Clarissa panicked completely. She kept sending messages:

[Patrick, Grandpa Darius is sick again. Come back soon, would you?]

After a long while, Patrick finally replied: [The medicine I made for Grandpa is in the cabinet at home. Go look for it.]

Clarissa immediately drove home. But when she arrived, she found that all the medicine was already gone.

At the same time, the doctor sent a critical notice about Darius: [Ms. Rockwell, the patient has fallen into a coma. He is very old. Please be mentally prepared.]

A deep feeling of helplessness rushed over Clarissa. She quickly made a call and the other side answered almost at once.

“Patrick, where are you? The medicine is gone. Grandpa needs you now.”

“Clarissa, I’m abroad. I can’t just come back whenever you ask me!” His cold, emotionless voice felt like a knife cutting into her heart.

Before she could say anything, a familiar female voice came through the phone. “Patty, who are you talking to?”

Clarissa felt as if a hand had tightly gripped her heart, making it hard to breathe.

That was Victoria's voice. So when he said he was abroad, he was actually with her cousin.

Clarissa snapped back to her senses and tried to speak again, but Patrick had already hung up.

Soon after, Clarissa saw a new post on Victoria’s social media: [Some people always laugh at me for not having a boyfriend. Well, now I do.]

Below the text was a photo. In the sunlight, Victoria’s slender hand was tightly held by a man’s muscular hand. On that man’s finger was the wedding ring Clarissa had given Patrick.

Even worse, the location showed a luxury apartment in Alkaid City. Patrick was not abroad at all. He was just making an excuse to avoid coming.

With red eyes, Clarissa called her mother. “Mom, please take care of Grandpa for a bit. I will bring Patrick back.”

After hanging up, she rushed to the apartment immediately. But before she could reach the building, a group of thugs dragged her into a nearby alley.

The leader rubbed his hands while chuckling. “Hey, pretty lady, come have some fun with us!”

“We heard that a young lady from the Rockwells’ would pass by here. Didn’t expect it to be true!”

Clarissa’s pupils shrank. She turned to run, but one of the men grabbed her hair hard.

The pain from her scalp made her scream. She was then thrown heavily to the ground. Her vision spun. She tightly held her phone as the men walked closer to her.

Holding back her fear, Clarissa dialed Patrick’s number. She thought it would take a long time to connect, but surprisingly, he answered quickly.

Her eyes turned red as she said slowly, “Patrick, I’m at Star Apartment. Some thugs were after me. Please come save me!”

There was a long silence on the other end.

After a while, Patrick’s tired voice finally came through, filled with impatience. “Clarissa, I saw you from upstairs. Those people weren't hurting you. Why do you need to put on a show in front of me?”

Clarissa’s heart turned completely cold. She slowly lifted her head and saw him! On the rooftop above, Patrick stood against the wall, watching her suffer.

Beside him, Victoria leaned casually against the wall, smiling as she looked down at Clarissa.

With a loud bang, Clarissa’s mind went blank. It felt like the world had collapsed.

So Patrick had been watching the whole time. And he truly was with Victoria.

The thugs had been a little worried about being seen. But when they noticed the people above did nothing, they moved closer.

Fear filled Clarissa’s heart. She struggled to her feet and ran backward, but there was only a wall behind her. She was trapped!

She cried out desperately, “Patrick, I’m not acting! I don’t know these people! Please save me!”

The next second, one of the men covered her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t make a sound anymore.

She thought Patrick would react when he saw this. But he only lowered his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he coldly looked away, turned around and left.

At that moment, Clarissa got dragged away. Her eyes were fixed on his back. Her heart had turned completely cold.

Smack!

One of the men slapped her hard. “Why are you all silent? Go on, shout! Ask for help or something!”

Clarissa screamed in pain. Her pale cheek quickly swelled.

Another man stopped him. “Boss, don’t ruin such a pretty face.”

“Hmph! This woman just doesn’t behave.”

As he spoke, the thug boss tore her clothes. Clarissa struggled with all her strength, but she couldn’t escape.

Her head buzzed. She couldn’t hear anything anymore. Her vision went white. Soon, despair swallowed her completely.

Then suddenly, screams came from a distance.

Patrick grabbed one of the men with his bare hands and punched him hard to the ground. The man couldn’t get up. One by one, the other thug rushed forward.

But Patrick fought calmly. His punches were heavy and precise, knocking the men down until they were bleeding.

When Clarissa saw him, a spark of hope rose in her heart. But the next second, that hope sank.

Patrick walked toward her from above. He bent slightly, lifted her chin and stared coldly into her frightened eyes.

Grinding his teeth, he said, “Clarissa, is this really necessary? Putting on such a show, even hurting yourself like this... I truly admire your efforts.”

He released her with disgust, straightened up and walked away without looking back.

“No… I didn’t… it’s not like that…” Clarissa tried to explain.

But her vision went dark and she eventually lost consciousness completely.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital. The thugs were gone. Clarissa was shocked and terrified. If Patrick hadn’t appeared, she might have died.

Just as she felt a moment of gratitude, Patrick’s deep voice came from the bed behind the curtain. “Vicky, you hired those thugs?”

“What? Are you feeling sorry for her now?" Victoria’s voice was sharp and angry.

Patrick was silent for a few seconds before speaking, “Vicky, I was worried something might happen to you.”

Clarissa had almost been harmed. Yet Patrick was still protecting Victoria. A deep chill spread through Clarissa’s body.

Victoria, however, was in a very good mood. She hugged Patrick and smiled. “Patty, I knew you cared about me the most.”

After Victoria left, Patrick glanced at Clarissa’s bed. A rare trace of guilt appeared on his face.

“Clarissa, I’ll make it up to you.” His voice was uneasy. In the end, he turned and left.

Once he was gone, Clarissa slowly opened her eyes. Pain flickered through them.

Why did he always hurt her most when she just got moved of his actions?

"Patrick, there is nothing left between us." Clarissa swallowed her emotions and made a call to the company. “By today, remove Patrick from the company.”

This time, she would completely erase him from her world with her own hands.