She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 169

Honestly, this whole mess was entirely his fault because of the fake wedding he had staged with Sylvie. It was true that he and Hulda had been married for seven years without ever having a ceremony, and yet he had thrown one for someone else.

Even though it was fake, it was completely natural for Hulda to feel devastated.

Once she cooled down and came home, he would sit down with his parents and start planning a massive, extravagant wedding just for her.

With her newly revealed status as the Director of the Conrad Atherton Institute, she was more than worthy of being the Jewell family's daughter-in-law. His parents wouldn't dare object to publicly acknowledging her as his wife now.

Herbert moved to put the thick leather notebook back on the shelf, his mind already spinning with grand wedding plans.

He couldn't help but picture how utterly breathtaking she had looked standing at the podium today.

As he slid the journal into the gap, it hit a snag. Something was blocking it in the back.

The minor annoyance yanked him out of his romantic daydream.

Frowning slightly, he pulled the notebook back out and peered into the shadowy depths of the shelf.

There was a small, burgundy folder wedged tightly against the back panel.

Herbert reached in and pulled it out.

*Divorce Decree.*

The bold, gold-foiled words struck him right in the eyes.

A wave of intense unease swept over his entire body. The notebook slipped from his hands, thudding onto the floor.

Why on earth was a legal document like this hidden in here?

Was it Sylvie's?

Just as his mind began racing with confused theories and his fingers twitched to open the folder, Callie suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Sir, there you are! The courier is downstairs. He needs your signature."

"Right..." Herbert's Adam's apple bobbed. Driven by some inexplicable psychological block, he shoved the burgundy folder back onto the shelf.

Hulda had never been married before him, and she hadn't stepped foot in the house for days. This divorce decree obviously had absolutely nothing to do with her.

It had to belong to someone Sylvie knew. She was probably just holding onto it for a friend or relative. He would ask her about it when she got home.

Tucked beneath the plastic was a small piece of paper. It was written in Hulda's distinct handwriting.

[Cards returned. From now on, we have absolutely nothing to do with each other!]

"This..." Callie stared at the note, then looked up at Herbert in a panic. "What does this mean? What does she mean, 'nothing to do with each other'?"

Herbert's breathing hitched violently, a vein throbbing in his temple.

Instantly, his mind flashed back to the burgundy folder sitting upstairs in the study.

He spun around and sprinted toward the staircase like a madman. His sudden, explosive reaction nearly gave Callie a heart attack.

"Ah! Sir!" Flustered, she scrambled to grab the cards and the note, muttering under her breath, "What on earth is Mrs. Jewell playing at?!"

Herbert bolted into the study, yanked the burgundy folder from the shelf, and tore it open with violently trembling hands.

There, stamped with the official court seal, was his own name.