Chapter 279 Strained Relationship
Despite that, Amelia still refused to accept anything. “Oscar, I can’t accept this. It’s as I said earlier, I won’t take a single dollar from the Clintons. All I want is Tony. As for the money in my bank account… Well, that’s what you gave me over the years, and if you want it back, you can go ahead and freeze the account. I won’t blame you for it.”
Oscar’s expression instantly turned grim.
“Amelia, we might be getting a divorce, but must you cut things off so cleanly? We’ve been together for five years. Can you really move on just like that after signing a piece of paper?”
Amelia was stuck.
How was it even possible for her to move on? She had endured a lot of loneliness and neglect over the past five years, but every memory she made with Oscar was carved into her very being. It was likely she would never love someone else as much as she loved him.
In their five years of marriage, she had learned how to love a man and be selfless. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to love anyone else even after she got the divorce.
Amelia had already decided that she would treasure her memories with Oscar and live the rest of her life alone. She was convinced that she wouldn’t be lonely as long as she had those memories with her.
Oscar reached out and dragged her into his arms. In a deep voice, he practically begged, “Please don’t reject this offer. My heart will break if you cut things off so cleanly.”
If that’s true, why are you so eager to get a divorce?
Amelia wanted to ask that question aloud, but she then realized how they were about to get a divorce already and decided that there was no point in asking.
“Let me go, Oscar. We’re getting a divorce, and it’s not right to hug like this,” said Amelia as she feigned calm.
“You’re my wife so long as those papers aren’t signed, and it’s only normal for a husband to hold his wife. Or… are you repulsed by my touch because I slept with Cassie?” asked Oscar directly. At first, he didn’t want to talk about Cassie, but that woman was a thorn in both his and his wife’s sides. Oscar was convinced that he needed to talk about the matter, or it would just make things worse. It’s like a cut. If we don’t treat it, it’ll get infected and spread, so we might as well just bite the bullet. If we talk it out, the wall between Amelia and me will slowly crumble.
Amelia’s entire body stiffened. She tried to struggle, but that only served to make Oscar hold her even tighter.
Conflicting emotions filled Amelia’s heart. Still buried in his arms, she said, “Oscar, what’s the point of saying all this now? I know that Ms. Yard is the only one for you, and I know that it doesn’t matter how many years I’ve spent with you because I will always be her replacement. I can’t deny that we look rather similar, either. Despite that, I’d like to ask that you see me as I am instead of someone else’s replacement. Will you do that?”
Oscar’s expression turned even darker after hearing all that.
Cassie’s impact on Amelia’s heart is worse than I imagined.
“You’re not a replacement, because I’m not one to fall for faulty replacements,” said Oscar as he held Amelia tightly. His voice was filled with sincerity when he said those words.
Tears started swirling in Amelia’s eyes.
She looked up and forced her tears back down. After that, she slowly pushed Oscar away and said, “I’m tired and would like to rest now.”
Oscar could feel the emptiness in his arms, and that made him feel down.
He tilted his gaze downward to hide his pain. When he looked up again, he was the loving husband once more. “Rest well, Amelia. Just sign your name on the paper after you’ve woken up. All those assets will be transferred to you after that.”
Amelia glanced at him and replied, “Oscar, I won’t accept that money or shares. If I were still the person I was one year ago, I would’ve definitely taken it, but money is no longer what I want. I don’t want our marriage to be so pathetic, and I don’t want to taint our relationship with money. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Our marriage has been a mistake from the very beginning, and I just want to correct that mistake. Will you let me leave the Clintons in peace?”
A strange light flashed past Oscar’s eyes.
“Okay, I can wait for you to think it through. You can sign these papers whenever you want to,” answered Oscar as he kept the manila envelope away. To him, the contract was nothing more than printed papers. He was convinced that Amelia was destined to be his wife and that Tony would be the only heir to his empire. Either way, everything the Clintons had would eventually belong to Tony, so it didn’t matter if Amelia signed the papers or not.
Amelia laid down on the bed and pulled her blanket up. Closing her eyes, she murmured, “Oscar, I’m a little tired. Can you leave the room?”
Oscar stared at Amelia, who was curled up into a ball. She seemed so tiny that Oscar’s heart ached for her.
Cassie Yard. She was the reason both Amelia and Oscar tortured themselves subconsciously. The married couple loved each other, but an invisible wall had been built between them and prevented them from being together.
“Sleep well.”
Oscar left the room and walked down the stairs. Olivia, who was still holding Tony, looked over and asked, “Why aren’t you spending more time with Amelia?”
“She fell asleep. Where’s Dad?” said Oscar.
“His friend invited him out on a fishing trip, and Noah asked your sister out, so she’s not home either,” replied Olivia as she played with Tony.
Oscar waved his hand in a signal for all the maids working in the living room to leave the place. After everyone had left, Oscar cleared his throat and informed, “Amelia and I are getting divorced, Mom.”
Olivia was instantly stunned and almost dropped Tony.
Fortunately, Oscar reacted quickly and plucked Tony away from her in time. The baby remained clueless and didn’t cry when his father snatched him over like that. Instead, the little bundle of love used his big, round eyes to stare at Oscar, giggling every now and then.
Oscar’s heart was all warm and fuzzy, and he wanted to brag to everyone that this was his son.
Tony was the first kid Amelia and Oscar had together, so Oscar truly cherished the baby. It wasn’t just because Tony was the kid that Amelia had to go through hell to give birth to, though. It was also because Tony looked a lot like both Amelia and Oscar. The baby had inherited the best parts of his parents, and Oscar was delighted about it.
“Tony, my baby,” cooed Oscar as he smiled like a proud father.
When Olivia saw how her son was interacting with her grandson, her face fell. She ordered, “Oscar, follow me into the study.”
Oscar carried Tony and walked up the stairs with Olivia.
Inside the study, Olivia glared over at Oscar and demanded, “Oscar, what did you say earlier?”
“Amelia and I are getting a divorce.”
Olivia felt her heart physically aching a little, and she took a deep breath before she said, “Oscar, you’re an adult with a promising career, so please don’t say something so childish and foolish. My heart cannot bear it, so don’t pull a prank like this on me.”
Oscar replied, “Mom, I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to make things difficult for Amelia. I’m the one who wants the divorce. There’s one thing I can guarantee, though. Amelia will still be your precious daughter-in-law, and her moving out will only be temporary.”
Olivia became confused, and that angered her even more.
“What nonsense are you talking about? A marriage is a crucial part of life, and it’s not something you can joke about. I’ll go talk to Amelia about this, and don’t you dare stop me! I have a plan of my own, and personally, I don’t care what’s going on between the two of you or why a divorce is necessary. Whatever it is, I’ll never agree to let the two of you get a divorce, and I definitely won’t let Amelia take Tony away!” growled Olivia persistently.
“Mom…”
Olivia walked over and took Tony away from Oscar immediately. She had a furious expression on when she scolded, “Not one word! I don’t want to hear another word from you, mister. Go take a walk and calm yourself down. I’ll talk to Amelia tonight. Seriously, the two of you may be adults, but Tony is just a baby. Has either of you taken his wellbeing into consideration before deciding to get a divorce? My gosh, the older the two of you get, the more ridiculous you two behave. I can’t believe you two!”
After saying all that, Olivia left with Tony. Oscar had no choice but to chuckle bitterly on the spot.
He knew that Olivia was currently fuming, so he didn’t chase after her to explain the situation. His plan was to wait until she had calmed down a bit before he went to clarify everything to her.
What he didn’t know was that his supposed stance on the divorce and his negligence to explain everything right away only caused Olivia to react in the worst way. It turned the relationship between Amelia and Olivia sour and almost made it impossible for them to reconcile.
Olivia left with Tony in her arms. She still felt miffed, and the baby seemed to be able to sense her uneasiness. He pouted, and his eyes became so watery that it looked like he was about to cry. Olivia immediately cooed, “Oh, my sweet grandson, don’t you worry. Grandma is here, and I won’t let your parents divorce. You’re too young, and I can’t bear to watch you grow up without either parent.”
As though he understood what Olivia was saying, Tony smiled sweetly at her in the very next second.
Olivia felt better after that. She promised, “My dearest grandson, you don’t want your parents to get divorced either, do you? Don’t worry. I’m here to stop them from doing so. If they insist on getting a divorce, then I’ll ensure you won’t have to leave us. You’re the first of your generation, and you’ll inherit the Clintons’ legacy in the future. There’s no reason for a boy to grow up outside the family.”
Deep down, Olivia was rather old-fashioned, and she still believed that men were better than women. She might act like she loved Stephanie, but all she really had planned was to give the latter a nice dowry when the time came. Olivia had never once thought about letting Stephanie inherit Clinton Corporations. That was why Stephanie grew up to be a spoiled woman who only knew to indulge in life and knew nothing about business.
Olivia had deliberately spoiled Stephanie to that extent. The former wanted to prevent the latter from butting in on Clinton Corporations’ matters because that would threaten Oscar’s claim to the corporation.
That showed just how deeply rooted Olivia’s traditional beliefs were. She thought that girls could be spoiled endlessly, but should not be given any real power. That was why Olivia would fight to the death to ensure that the family had custody of Tony. She would not let Amelia take him away. Even if Oscar were there to smooth things over, Olivia still wouldn’t back down easily.
Thus, Amelia’s quest for Tony’s custody after the divorce was destined to be filled with obstacles.
Amelia could never have anticipated it, but it turned out the sweet and kind Olivia could become terrifyingly persistent when it came to Tony’s custody.
It seemed that the kinder a person seemed, the more terrifying that person would be when his or her buttons were pushed.
The messy divorce turned Amelia’s relationship with Olivia sour, and it almost severed their love for each other entirely.
