The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 298

Chapter 298

Gemma’s POV

The words leave my mouth and seem to suck all the air from the room, leaving it in absolute, unbreakable silence.

I feel Cassian’s head whip toward me, his entire body going rigid with shock. Claire’s pelly glare vanishes, and Sybille looks as if she’s been slapped.

Grandpa is the first to break the stunned silence, as if the radiant joy has transformed his aged face. “Gemma! My dear child, are you telling me the truth? You’re… you’re pregnant?”

I offer him a soft, affectionate smile, appropriate for a blissful expectant mother.

“Yes, Grandpa. I just found out for certain the other day.” The lie feels both dangerous and liberating. Instead of living in constant fear of discovery at Lotus Manor, I will use Grandpa’s joy as a shield against Cassian’s scrutiny, and a gag for the rest of the family’s nagging.

I can see the gears turning in Cassian’s head. He’s confused, trying to reconcile my hospital lie with this new announcement that has dropped like a bombshell.

Sure enough, the moment we have a sliver of privacy, he pulls me aside. “When did this happen”

1/7

15:37

I meet his gaze, asking calmly.

“What do you mean? Weren’t you there for the checkup?”

I remind him of the gastroenteritis episode, layering one deception over another. He frowns, “So you just… told them that?”

I shrug helplessly. “Your family has been hounding us for years, Cassian. The pressure is relentless, I can’t even breathe for a second. What was I supposed to do? It was the only way to get them to back off.”

I take a pause.

“Anyway, we’ll be divorced soon. We can tell Grandpa I… lost it, after the papers are signed. Isn’t the most important thing right now to make your relatives stop their incessant badgering?”

He just stares at me, momentarily speechless. The bright thrill that I noticed in his eyes is now extinguished and replaced by a weary sense of understanding.

“I’ll play the part in front of Grandpa,” I continue, giving him no time to question anything. “If you’re worried about the charade being exposed at home, you’ll just have to be more mindful about what’s put in front of me. It’s not that much trouble, really.”

2/7

15:37

I sound so calm, but my heart is marching a drumbeat against my ribs. One lie always demands a hundred more to support it.

He lets out a long, slow breath, a sigh of resignation. “Okay… let’s go back in.”

I don’t wait for him. I turn and push the door open, re–entering the lounge without a backward glance, leaving him to gather the pieces of his own unexpected disappointment.

****

By that evening, Lotus Manor is flooded with deliveries. Grandpa has sent over an entire apothecary’s worth of supplements, tonics, and rare, suspicious–looking herbs.

The packages pile up in the foyer like a monument to his hope.

Lauren takes one look at the haul and her professional demeanor slips. I see the understanding dawn in her eyes, but she doesn’t look pleased; she looks puzzled.

Her mind is whirring, like she’s recalibrating her entire approach to my “condition.”

The news, of course, spreads through the Blackwell family like a virus. The one thing that could permanently cement Cassian’s position is now, in their eyes, a reality.

****

3/7

15:38

<Chapter 298

+2 Bonus

On Monday, I arrive at Dream International right on time, even though my mind is still spinning from the weekend’s drama.

I step out of the elevator, seeking the distraction of work, and unknowingly walk directly into a different kind of storm.

The sharp, angry pitch of a woman’s voice cuts through the usual office hum. I stop just outside the elevator bank and look over at a woman in a sharp, formal attire.

Her side profile is familiar, and as I catch a glimpse of her green eyes, I recognize her as Vicky Cooper, a department head.

She is standing over a young employee’s desk, her posture giving off vibes of fury.

“Who gave you permission to eat at your desk?”

She snaps, her voice like nails against a chalkboard. “Are you incapable of reading the company handbook?”

The girl, who can’t be older than twenty–two, flushes a deep red. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Cooper. It’s just… this project is so urgent. I was here all night. I thought, since it wasn’t quite 9:30 yet…”

Her voice trembles. Dream’s official start time is 9:30 AM. She’s technically correct, but that doesn’t matter.

“If you can’t manage your workload, that’s a reflection of your

4/7

15:38

+2 Bonus

incompetence!”

Vicky retorts, utterly merciless. “Violating company policy is a fireable offense. Clean out your desk. You’re done.”

And with a final, contemptuous gesture, she sweeps the girl’s wrapped breakfast sandwich off the desk and into the nearby trash can.

The act is so unnecessarily cruel i makes me flinch.

A colleague next to the crying girl. Sherry, dares to speak up. “Ms. Cooper, please, it was just this once. She won’t do it again.”

Vicky turns her glacial gaze on the interloper. “What? You want to stage a mutiny? If you disagree with my management decisions, you can pack your things and leave with her.”

Having delivered her ultimatum, she spins on her heel and marches back toward her office, announcing her exit with the clack of her heels striking on the tile floor.

I stand frozen, listening to the shocked whispers that bloom in her wake.

“She’s gone too far…”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify