Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 496

His tone was completely ordinary, as if he hadn't agreed to a divorce yesterday, as if he hadn't snuck into her bed last night, as if this were just another typical morning in their marriage.

Madeline sat down at the dining table, watching him carry the plates over and set one in front of her.

She picked up her fork, cutting into the fried egg. The runny yolk spilled out, pooling over the golden toast.

"Did you wake up early today?" she asked.

Quentin sat across from her and simply murmured an "Mm" as he picked up his fork, offering no further explanation.

Madeline kept her head down, slowly finishing her breakfast.

After they cleared the table, Quentin went upstairs to change.

Madeline pulled the prepared divorce agreement from her bag and flipped to the last page.

Her section was already signed, the space next to it waiting for his signature.

She glanced toward the stairs—Quentin was still in the bedroom; she could hear the closet doors sliding open and shut.

She took a small ink pad out of her bag, popped the lid, and pressed her thumb lightly against it until it was coated in red.

Then she took the agreement and pressed her thumbprint firmly right next to the signature line.

She grabbed a wet wipe and carefully scrubbed her finger clean.

She didn't call Quentin down to add his fingerprint.

She knew that if he read this agreement, he would immediately flip to the property division section, frown, and refuse to sign.

The agreement he gave her last night left him with nothing. He had surrendered everything to her.

But she couldn't let him walk away with nothing—The York Family would definitely look into it.

Anyone with half a brain would see that a man leaving with absolutely nothing and a woman taking the entire empire was highly suspicious. The way the marriage ended was far too abnormal.

So abnormal that it would instantly trigger red flags.

Xavier York would never believe they were genuinely getting a divorce. He'd assume it was a calculated performance.

Madeline pulled the other divorce agreement out of her bag.

This was the one she had Tessa draft overnight.

The clauses were standard and dignified—premarital assets remained with their respective owners. The Monroe-Prescott Estate would stay with Madeline, as it was a premarital gift from Quentin, which meant there would be no dispute. Quentin's savings, stocks, and other real estate would remain entirely his. Madeline wouldn't touch a single dime.

There was no dramatic gesture of leaving with nothing, nor the greed of taking it all. It was just an ordinary, amicable separation between two adults.

The York Family wouldn't suspect a thing if they saw this agreement.

But she still needed Quentin's fingerprint.

She had pressed her own fingerprint onto both agreements, then shoved them and the ink pad back into her bag. Later, at the civil registry, when he wasn't paying attention, she would stamp his fingerprint on the document she had prepared.

He was in a terrible mood today and likely wouldn't read it closely—he trusted her. He had always trusted her unconditionally.

She told herself this wasn't deceiving him.

This was simply giving him back what rightfully belonged to him.