Chapter 2 I’ve Overestimated Myself

Natalie’s eyes reddened. Her chest tightened as well.

The woman Henry loved could do no wrong, while she—his devoted wife—was simply a busybody.

“You’re right. The title of Mrs. Chase is too far out of my league. Despite holding this title for years now, I’m not worthy of it at all. I’m just tired of being Mrs. Chase!”

Obviously, Henry didn’t take her seriously. He just scoffed in response. “Since you’re tired of being Mrs. Chase, just give it up then!”

Natalie’s heart stung. She blinked before replying with a chuckle, “Yeah. I feel the same way. Find some time in your schedule. We’ll go to the courthouse and file our divorce papers.”

She looked calm and spoke with a casual tone.

Henry was briefly startled, but he soon sneered. “Natalie, I don’t have the time to play these mind games with you! If you’ve got a problem, go see a doctor to get it fixed!”

Once he finished speaking, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with her any longer. He swiftly left his office.

Natalie stood in the office, feeling like all her strength had been sucked out of her.

She never thought she would be the one suggesting a divorce to Henry.

All along, she knew that Henry’s heart belonged to someone else. Even though that woman left him, he still loved her.

It was Natalie who overestimated herself. She thought that by making the first move and making enough sacrifices, sooner or later, she could warm up Henry’s ice-cold heart again.

When she found out about her pregnancy today, she was overjoyed.

Natalie even thought that the child would be a turning point in her relationship with Henry.

Reality proved her wrong.

He would probably think she was a scheming woman who used deceitful tricks. The child was simply her means of binding him to this marriage!

Natalie no longer wanted to lie to herself. She didn’t want to become even more pathetic all because of this relationship.

Upon arriving home, she started packing her things.

She had been living here for three years now. In all the memories she made in this place, she was always alone.

When Natalie opened one of the drawers, she saw three gift boxes.

They were the presents she prepared for Henry’s birthday—one for every year.

He didn’t open a single one of them.

Remembering her excitement and anticipation when she prepared the gifts for him made her feel a little choked up. In the end, she tossed all three into the trash can without hesitation.

Then, she took her baggage and left in a cab.

…

One hour later, the cab arrived at the entrance of a high-end residential neighborhood.

As soon as Natalie got out of the car, someone came over while fuming. “Did that bastard Henry kick you out?”

The woman who approached was Leslie Cook, Natalie’s friend.

Ever since the Shepherd family’s crisis, all of Natalie’s friends cut off all ties with her. Leslie was the only one who stayed by her side.

Thankfully, she still had someone beside her.

“Let’s go up first.” Natalie seemed unusually calm.

Once they got upstairs, Natalie gave Leslie a summary of what had happened.

Leslie frowned before eyeing Natalie’s belly. “Are you really going to keep the pregnancy from him?”

Natalie replied, “What’s the saying again? Love me, love my dog? Well, considering how much he hates me, I doubt he’ll like the child.”

In that case, she would rather he never found out about the child’s existence.

Even so, Leslie was still furious. “What gives him the right to treat you like this? Why is it that the genuine love you’ve had for him for a decade now isn’t enough to surpass that woman’s insincere displays of affection?”

“It can’t be helped that I’m not the one he wants to marry. He always thought I married him because I craved the Chase family’s power and social status,” Natalie said in a self-deprecating manner.

Henry had no idea that in their three years of marriage, she never used a single penny of the Chase family’s money.

Even when her family got into trouble, she never asked him to help her parents.

Natalie married him solely to fulfill her dream.

Sometimes, she wondered what would have happened if Juliet hadn’t left the country. Henry wouldn’t have been in a funk because of her departure.

Perhaps Henry’s grandfather, Owen Chase, wouldn’t have suggested that Natalie marry Henry and help him heal from the pain of his previous relationship.

Alas, Owen thought too highly of her.

Early on in the marriage, Natalie had been eager to make things work.

But now, Henry had crushed all her hopes for this marriage.

Leslie sighed. “What do you plan on doing now?”

“I want to work for Dawn Corporation,” Natalie said while caressing her belly. “For the sake of this child, I have to get stronger.”

After getting married, Natalie dedicated all her time and energy to Henry.

Because of that, she didn’t even get a job.

Still, she didn’t give up her architectural design skills. She simply sold her drafts to other architects.

Now, she wanted to continue pursuing her dream in her own name.

Leslie supported Natalie’s decision whole-heartedly. She patted Natalie on the shoulder and said, “Since your love life has let you down, let’s focus on your career! To hell with Henry!”

…

The next morning, the butler called Henry and informed him that Natalie had left with her baggage.

When Wade saw his boss’ expression slowly turn colder, he said hesitatingly, “Mr. Chase, Ms. Shepherd called.”

When he first met Natalie in Henry’s presence, Wade addressed her as Mrs. Chase. As a result, Henry nearly sent him abroad on a tedious assignment.

Since then, he only dared to refer to Natalie as Ms. Shepherd instead.

Henry’s eyes flickered slightly. “What now?” he asked somewhat indifferently.

Wade gulped before continuing, “She called to ask me when you’d be free. She wants you to start arranging the divorce proceedings.”

Henry’s hand paused over the document he was reading as he snorted. “She went to great lengths just to marry into the Chase family, and now she says she wants a divorce. How long does she intend to play this game?”

Wade dared not respond. He simply stood there in silence.

Henry recalled the butler informing him that Natalie had left. He felt a surge of fury and annoyance.

“Ignore her,” he instructed coolly.

Wade exhaled. He didn’t dare to comment about the couple’s private life.

Thus, he changed the subject. “Mr. Upton’s secretary called just now and said the piano concert last night was excellent. Mr. Upton thanks you for your warm hospitality and has asked us to arrange a time to sign the contract.”

Recently, Henry’s company was busy discussing a possible cooperation with an international company.

When Henry heard that Paul Upton, the CEO of the other company, enjoyed instrumental concerts, he had his subordinates buy out a piano concert for Paul.

It somehow happened to be Juliet’s performance.

Upon recalling that, Wade added, “I’ve looked into the matter you asked me to investigate this morning. The young assistant who booked the performance was the one who arranged for roses to be sent to Ms. Weaver.”