Shattered Vows: Call Me Auntie Now novel Chapter 81

A faint sense of foreboding crept into his chest.

His three-year, dead-end marriage to Quinn Yates had always been a thorn in his mother's side.

In the past, she constantly nagged him, bluntly stating that Quinn came from an ordinary background and was unworthy of the Hayes family.

She repeatedly urged him to make plans, divorce early, and marry Vivienne Ambrose, whose family status was a perfect match.

Yet recently, his mother had been uncharacteristically quiet.

She hadn't mentioned divorce or remarriage once, offering not a single word of nagging or pressure.

This sudden peace was far from reassuring; instead, it felt incredibly bizarre.

An absurd but piercing suspicion quietly took root in his mind.

Could his mother have done something behind his back?

With that thought, his fingers twitched, and he simply reached out to pull the envelope trapped at the bottom, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

But immediately after, the soft sound of footsteps echoed from behind him.

"Dante, what brings you back to the main estate today?"

Mrs. Hayes pushed the door open. Her gaze instantly locked onto the envelope in his hand, a fleeting stiffness flashing through her eyes.

It vanished in an instant, replaced by her usual elegant and composed smile.

Her tone was even, asking calmly, "Dante, what are you looking for?"

Holding the unfamiliar manila envelope, Dante met her gaze directly, his voice steady. "You're back just in time, Mother. What is this document?"

Mrs. Hayes curled her lips into a flawless smile and explained casually, "Didn't the Hayes family fund a few new non-profit private schools this year?"

"Three months ago, I had my secretary go to the City Clerk's Office to handle the non-profit registration paperwork. I must have just carelessly tucked it in here."

"Oh, so that's what you need." Mrs. Hayes turned knowingly and opened a cabinet on the bookshelf behind her. "Since it's quite important, I stored it separately over here."

Taking the document from his mother, Dante said, "Things have been swamped at the company lately, so I probably won't have much time to visit the estate."

"Work comes first," Mrs. Hayes agreed. She paused, then asked in a seemingly offhand manner, "How are things between you and Quinn lately? If you two truly can't get along, don't force it. You should still make plans for a divorce sooner rather than later."

Dante looked up at his mother, a scrutinizing glint in his deep eyes.

"We are the same as always. Since you hadn't mentioned it for a while, I thought you had finally dropped the idea."

He then added coldly, "I would appreciate it if you stopped meddling so much in my marriage."

A flash of panic hit Mrs. Hayes, but her expression remained serene. "As I get older, I've come to realize a few things. It's your life together, and my nagging won't do any good. Just figure it out yourself from now on."

His mother's sudden and uncharacteristic reasonableness reignited the faint seed of doubt in Dante's chest.