Chapter 46 Julian Sterling, I’m Waiting for You at the Registry Office!

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Julian Sterling, I’m Waiting for You at the Registry Office!

Sophie Winslow knew that Julian Sterling was still in the hospital. He had pushed aside his heavy workload to keep his precious true love’s mildly injured brother company. That saved her the trouble of having to track Julian down.

Lydia had been hooked up to an IV drip, and the bump on her head had been disinfected and treated. The little girl had fallen asleep. Sophie gently tucked the covers around Lydia. Only then did her heart, which felt as if it had been pierced by the biting cold, gradually begin to thaw.

After seeing a message from Ms. Coleman saying she had arrived on the same floor, Sophie finally turned and tiptoed out of the room. She had lost one of her shoes, leaving her with one bare foot and a pronounced limp. Just as she left the hospital room, Julian glanced over from the corner of the hallway. His gaze swept down her body, noticing her bare foot. Then, his eyes shifted to the door of the room she had just exited.

"Mr. Sterling, the police station has sorted everything out. Miss Hawthorne isn’t insisting on escalating the matter," Clara Quinn reported through the phone.

Julian stood with one hand in his pocket, staring in the direction of the hospital room. Suddenly, he took a step forward with his long legs. "No one was injured?"

"I think there was..." Clara hesitated, sounding uncertain. "Apparently, there was a child in Miss Hawthorne’s car, but the child was already gone by the time I got there."

Julian’s dark eyes remained indifferent. "A child from the Hawthorne family?"

"They said your wife took the child away. The child got hurt in the car and needed immediate medical attention, so they couldn’t afford to waste time."

By this time, Julian had finally reached the door of the hospital room. He looked sideways at the room, his hand grasping the doorknob.

"Mhm, understood."

Ending the call, he turned the knob. The door pushed open slightly, leaving a narrow crack.

"Julian Sterling. Let’s talk."

A woman’s voice unexpectedly rang out from behind him. Julian paused and turned around, spotting Sophie, who had likely rushed over in a hurry. Her low bun was slightly messy from running, and her bare foot had probably bumped into something along the way, leaving her slender, pale-pink toes slightly scraped. A hint of scarlet blood seeped out, making the skin on the top of her foot look strikingly pale.

Sophie’s face betrayed no emotion, but only she knew the truth. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through her ribs. Cold sweat nearly soaked the back of her shirt. She hadn’t expected Julian to show up at Lydia’s door.

Julian rarely saw Sophie in such a disheveled state. His dark eyes locked onto her intently. Then, he pulled his arm back, shutting the door. He slowly furrowed his brows. "What happened to make you panic like this?"

Sophie watched him close the door. Instead of answering, she held up the file folder in her hand. Ms. Coleman had just delivered it. Sophie hadn’t opened it; after all, she was more familiar with its contents than anyone else. Every word, every sentence had been etched into her very bones seven years ago. And now, she was finally going to extract this soft thorn that had been lodged in her flesh for seven long years.

She took a deep breath, meeting his overwhelmingly oppressive gaze with absolute calm. "Julian, let’s get a divorce."

Julian’s eyes seemed to darken for a split second, yet his face remained impossible to read—neither joy nor anger, nor any depth of emotion was visible. He stared at her, still silent.

Sophie didn’t care anymore. Julian’s greatest specialty was ignoring her and giving her the cold shoulder anyway. She took a step forward and shoved the file folder into Julian’s hand. Her voice was lighter than it had ever been. "Let’s stop dragging each other down. Our ending was doomed from the very beginning anyway. I hope to see you at the registry office tomorrow. I’ll send you the time. Be there."

Before, she had never realized that three months could feel so agonizingly long. Now, why shouldn’t they just end this farce early?

Julian’s gaze was practically devoid of warmth. He casually lowered his eyes to glance at the folder before looking back at Sophie. "Just because of what happened with Ivy Hawthorne?"

Sophie felt the urge to laugh at the word "just". The knife had been twisted into her again and again until her flesh was a bloody mess. And to him, it was merely a "just."

It seemed he was well aware that he was indulging Stella Sutton, letting her do whatever she wanted to hurt others. He simply didn’t think it mattered. After all, anyone’s life or death paled in comparison to Stella’s happiness.

She wanted so badly to say that it wasn’t just that. The shattering of a marriage was built on the accumulation of countless little things. What started as tolerable little splinters had gradually morphed into a sword piercing her heart. More than that, it was because his blind favoritism and disregard for right and wrong had nearly gotten Lydia killed. But did the reason even matter anymore? Their divorce was an inevitable dead end.

"You can think of it that way," she said, lifting her chin with a radiant smile, though her eyes were hollow. "Julian Sterling, I wish you all the best."

She wished him a bright future with his new romance. She didn’t say another word, brushing past him to enter the hospital room. To prevent him from following her in, she swiftly locked the door behind her.

Julian turned around, his cold, narrow eyes fixed on the door. This was the first time Sophie had formally brought up divorce with him. She wasn’t hysterical, nor did she show any signs of a breakdown or reluctance to let go. He raised his hand to look at the folder again but didn’t open it right away. Instead, he took long strides toward the nurses’ station.

When the duty nurse saw Julian, her eyes instantly lit up. She sprang to her feet. "Do you need any help?"

Julian asked thoughtfully, "What is the name of the child in Room 2013?"

It had to be the child Ivy Hawthorne had with her. Since Ivy was dealing with things at the police station, it could only mean Sophie had brought the child to the hospital.

The nurse looked down to check her records. "Lydia."

"Lydia? A girl?"

"Yes, Lydia Hawthorne."

Hawthorne... So it really was a child from the Hawthorne family.

Julian’s expression remained unchanged.

"Julian? What are you doing here?"

As Finn Lockwood walked up, he saw Julian holding a file folder, seemingly lost in thought. Finn had just heard that something had happened with Stella Sutton, so he had rushed over immediately to check on her. His grandfather had been talking non-stop about his savior lately; it was obvious the old man genuinely liked Stella. Because of that, Finn had become much more invested in Stella’s affairs.

Julian glanced sideways at him. "Nothing."

"Is Seth okay?"

"Yeah, just a slight scrape on his elbow. It’s nothing serious."

"What’s that in your hand?" Finn noticed Julian’s folder. "Sealed pretty tight, isn’t it?"

Julian’s eyes darkened. Finally, he tore the folder open and pulled the document halfway out. The bold words "Divorce Agreement" immediately caught their eyes.

Finn raised an eyebrow and instantly grinned. "Julian, are you finally bringing up divorce with Sophie?"

Julian’s expression was indifferent. "No."

"Huh?"

Julian pulled the two copies of the divorce agreement all the way out. "Sophie gave this to me."

Finn’s expression changed, his brows furrowing sharply. "Her? What right does she have to ask for a divorce?" He wondered what kind of crazy fit Sophie was throwing this time.

Julian didn’t answer. He took out the two copies of the agreement, his gaze sweeping down over the dense terms and conditions. Gradually, his eyes grew darker, and a faint, almost imperceptible scoff touched his lips.

He flipped to the signature block on the last page. It was blank. Sophie hadn’t signed it.