After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 266

Aria lowered her gaze and calmly recounted every single detail of Gideon's brutal assault.

"Even if my son put his hands on you, you are his wife," Eveline scoffed. "Is it really necessary to get the police involved over a little marital spat? Every married couple fights!"

Aria stared at her, completely deadpan. "You aren't the one who was getting choked out. It's really easy to play the saint when it's not your neck on the line, isn't it?"

How could a human being even say something so vile? When normal people said couples fight, they meant arguing over groceries, not literal strangulation!

"What do you want to make this go away?" Aldous asked, cutting straight to the point.

"A divorce," Aria stated, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "I filed the paperwork a month ago. The mandatory waiting period ended today."

As long as she got that divorce certificate in her hand, she had no real interest in going to war with the Evernight family.

Eveline was genuinely stunned that Aria was actually demanding a divorce. With Lilith dead, there was no one left in their social circle who could realistically compete with Aria's credentials. Aside from her complicated family background, Aria was a top-tier catch. But what gave her the delusion that Gideon would ever beg her to stay?

"You really think you're that special?" Eveline sneered. "You couldn't even keep a baby! Do you honestly believe we're going to cling to you?"

"Are you absolutely set on this divorce?" Aldous asked quietly. "What if I transfer the entirety of Gideon's assets directly into your name? Would you still want to leave?"

Eveline's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Dad! She is a walking curse on this family! Everything bad that's happened to Gideon is because of her—"

Aria's smile deepened as she tilted her chin up defiantly.

Raphael's gaze remained fixed on Aria's neck. She was wearing a high-collared sweater, so only a tiny fraction of her skin was visible. But that sliver of skin wasn't its usual luminous tone; it was turning a sickly, mottled purple.

Raphael's chest tightened painfully. He had been upstairs in his apartment while Gideon was assaulting her in the hallway, completely oblivious to her danger. If the security team hadn't intervened...

Raphael forced himself to stop that train of thought. Recognizing the brewing storm on Aldous's face, he leaned down and murmured softly, "Dad, Gideon crossed a line today. If they stay married, this will inevitably happen again. Aria was lucky someone intervened this time. What if she isn't so lucky next time?"

Raphael lowered his voice even further, ensuring only his father could hear. "If Aria genuinely gets hurt or killed because of Gideon, do you honestly think Dawn will ever agree to treat us? She is the only person in the world with a direct line to Dawn. They clearly have a very deep connection..."