Divorced Dazzling and Desired novel Chapter 8

**Raindrops Kissing Silent Streets – by Aadi Sharma**
**Chapter 8**

If Renee was truly committed to the idea of divorcing Adam, then it was imperative that she sever all connections. There could be no room for lingering attachments or the faint hope of second chances.

Yet, as the evening wore on, a tangle of emotions churned within her—was it guilt, or was it something else entirely? That night, unexpectedly, Adam walked through the door.

Renee was nestled in the oversized chair on the balcony, her mind absorbed in the pages of a novel, when she heard the familiar creak of the bedroom door. Moments later, Adam’s voice echoed through the stillness.

“Renee?”

She remained silent, not trusting herself to respond.

With a quick glance outside, Adam spotted her curled up in her chair and made his way over, his footsteps quickening with excitement.

“Ta-da…! Look what I’ve got,” he exclaimed, punctuating his words with playful sound effects as he knelt beside her. With a flourish, he opened a small wooden box, his face glowing with pride. “I made this for you.”

Inside lay a silver hairpin, crowned with a delicate pink peony. Three slender chains of varying lengths cascaded from it, each one catching the dim light in a soft embrace.

The peony itself was crafted from a gentle pink gemstone, while the leaves were adorned with tiny green stones. The design was understated yet elegant, exuding a grace that was far from ostentatious. Under the balcony lights, the jewels sparkled like distant stars caught in a night sky.

Renee cast a cursory glance at the pin, offering only a noncommittal hum in response. Slowly, she lifted her hand, her movements deliberate and measured.

Adam’s heart soared with hope, convinced that perhaps she was beginning to soften, that she might actually accept his gift.

She had always adored hairpins like this one. In the past, she would twist her hair up with such accessories and slip into flowing dresses or timeless cocktail gowns. When she dressed up, she possessed a soft, ethereal beauty that left him utterly captivated, each time feeling like he was seeing her for the first time.

But alas, Adam’s optimism was misplaced.

Renee did not reach for the pin. Instead, she turned a page in her book, the sound crisp and jarring in the quiet night, echoing louder than it should have, amplifying the tension between them.

“Are you still mad?” he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of desperation.

In a sudden, impulsive move, Adam snatched the book from her hands and set it aside, taking her hand in his and pressing the box into her palm. His fingers lifted to reveal the scrapes and cuts adorning his hands.

“See? I knew you were upset, so I spent all day making this for you. Look at my hands. I’ve got the battle scars to prove it.”

Renee glanced down, her eyes tracing the rough texture of his hands, the fresh cuts still red and angry against his skin.

She wasn’t naïve. She understood how such things were crafted. While he may have completed part of the work himself, there was no way he had fashioned the entire piece in a single afternoon.

As his fingers brushed against her hand, he inadvertently pressed down on a burn, and she inhaled sharply, a reflexive reaction.

Adam froze, concern flooding his features. “What’s wrong?”

His gaze dropped, finally taking note of the two swollen blisters on the back of her hand, as large as his thumb, angry and raw.

His expression darkened, genuine worry etched across his face. “What happened to your hand? When did this occur?”

Renee didn’t bother to hide the truth. “Kayla did it.”

Adam’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Kayla? She did this?”

He looked skeptical, as if trying to reconcile the information with his understanding of the situation.

In his mind, Kayla had only just returned to the country. There was no animosity between her and Renee, at least none that he was aware of. It simply didn’t add up. Kayla might be a bit spoiled and careless, but she wasn’t malicious.

His thoughts drifted back to the scene he had witnessed earlier at the office. He tried to convince himself that there had to be some other explanation.

Perhaps Renee had said something sharp in a moment of frustration, maybe even pushed Kayla a little. It was entirely possible that Kayla had merely been holding a cup of hot tea when it spilled.

“Kayla’s just clumsy. She doesn’t do things like this on purpose,” he insisted, directing a look at Renee that suggested she was the one twisting the narrative.

In his eyes, it was perfectly normal for women to feel jealousy over a man they loved, especially someone like Renee. After all, she was his wife.

That thought seemed to bring him some satisfaction, and a small smile crept onto his face.

“Let me help,” he said softly, leaning closer to gently blow on her burned skin.

He stood up and prepared a cup of ginger tea, handing it to her with an air of concern.

“I didn’t have much choice today. Kayla is the youngest in the Spencer family and their favorite. The reason I took her on this business trip is that the Spencer family invited me to join a billion-dollar project.”

He continued, “This deal just got signed, and you hurt Kayla. If I don’t fire you, how can I explain it to the Spencers? Renee, you’re my wife, and we’re family. I hope you can understand how challenging business can be for me.”

He added, “Besides, you mentioned just a few days ago that you were tired and thinking of quitting. From now on, you can just be a stay-at-home wife. Relax, go shopping, enjoy tea with your friends. Maybe even have a baby. You can focus on the family, and I’ll take care of everything else. How does that sound?”

The way Adam spoke felt like manipulation, but Renee was already lost in her thoughts. Her mind had drifted far away, and she neither heard nor wanted to absorb any of his words.

Until he uttered that one phrase, “Maybe even have a baby.”

Those words struck her like a bolt of lightning, catching her completely off guard. A sudden, sharp pain blossomed in her chest.

Renee’s fingers tightened around the cup, her lashes fluttering as she processed the weight of his suggestion. “Weren’t we supposed to stay DINKs? You know, dual income, no kids?”

Despite her resolute intention to divorce Adam, she couldn’t help but question if that promise of “being child-free for life” still held any weight.

“That was when we were young and foolish,” Adam replied, running his fingers through her long hair. “Besides, I’m an only child. If we don’t have kids, who’s going to inherit all this?”

Renee’s grip on the cup tightened further. She took a sip of the ginger tea, but somehow, it tasted bitter, as if the acrid flavor was seeping from her mouth straight into her heart.

“Adam, I…”

She hesitated, on the verge of confessing that she couldn’t have children, but just then, his phone rang.

Adam pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen, and his expression shifted instantly. “Renee, I have to take this.”

He stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Renee could hear his voice echoing down the hall, soon followed by the roar of a car engine in the driveway.

Without so much as a goodbye, he was gone.