Chapter 749: Adamantly Opposed to Divorce

Mrs. Green had lost her appetite for the noodles. She set down her chopsticks and began to lecture her daughter. "You need to get your head on straight. No matter how much it hurts, you have to endure it. Once Kenneth is grown, you’ll be through the worst of it. Honestly, your husband is actually quite decent. Your father-in-law, now *he* was the outrageous one. He was notoriously promiscuous back in the day—the house was practically overflowing with actresses, socialites, and schoolgirls. But his wife? She didn’t let it bother her one bit. She kept on listening to operas, playing cards, and going shopping, living a perfectly happy life."

The Hawthorne family was once notoriously eventful. At the time, Mrs. Green had no idea her daughter would one day be fortunate enough to marry into the family, but she still kept up with their scandals. News of the Hawthorne patriarch taking a new Mistress was a regular feature in the papers, and you’d hear the gossip just going out to buy groceries.

All the men were incredibly envious of the Hawthorne patriarch. It was like he was a groom every day, and each new bride was young and beautiful. To live like the Hawthorne patriarch, they thought, would be worth dying ten years sooner.

Ethan Hawthorne’s own mother hadn’t been an official wife. She was a former opera singer—not a famous one, but very beautiful. The Hawthorne patriarch took her in as a concubine, and she proved her worth by giving birth to a successful son like Ethan, securing a lifetime of wealth and luxury.

The woman’s life was a bit short, though. She fell ill and passed away in her forties. Still, she had enjoyed every luxury she could have hoped for, so her life was hardly a waste.

Rosalind knew which "mother-in-law" her mother was referring to: her father-in-law’s official wife. Rosalind had never met her husband’s parents; they supposedly lived abroad. But she just couldn’t stand it. ’It feels like there’s a fire burning inside me,’ she thought. ’I really don’t want to put up with this.’

"Mom, I don’t spend that much money."

"You might not spend much, but Kenneth will! That money belongs to you and Kenneth. Why on earth should you let that vixen get her hands on it? Get your head on straight! You’re almost forty years old and still going on about love and romance. Let me tell you, even if you get a divorce, you need to secure the assets first. Now, I want you to get that thought out of your head. No matter how miserable you are, you will bear it."

Mrs. Green’s tone was unyielding. Though Rosalind didn’t want to accept it, she didn’t dare argue back. She lowered her head in silence, her resolve already wavering.

She had never been one to have strong opinions of her own. Before she was married, she listened to her parents; after, she listened to her husband. She had never truly made a decision for herself. Now, after her mother’s words, she was once again adrift.

When Adrian Hawthorne returned that evening, Mr. Green and the others were already back from work. The only one not home was Rhonda, who was always the last to return. Mrs. Green was cooking in the hallway, and the delicious aroma of braised pork and pan-fried hairtail fish drew the attention of many neighbors.

"Pan-fried hairtail, braised pork... Mom, is that all the fish and meat for the month?"

Rhonda caught the scent the moment she returned. Her expression immediately darkened, and her tone turned sour.

’We only had tickets for two pounds in total. We’d already used half, and now the old woman has gone and cooked up the remaining pound of meat *and* pound of fish! We’re not even halfway through the month! Are we supposed to eat nothing but cabbage every day?’

"It’s all right here, isn’t it?"

Mrs. Green gazed coolly at her daughter-in-law. Rhonda was seething, but ultimately, she didn’t explode in front of Rosalind and her son. With a sullen face, she returned to her room without so much as a word to Rosalind. ’I get nothing out of this visit, and now I’m out half a month’s worth of meat and fish,’ she fumed internally. ’I’ll have to eat extra tonight to make up for the fats I’ll be missing for the rest of the month.’

Adrian Hawthorne observed all of this, his expression unchanging. At dinner, the table was laden with dishes—a lavish spread for the Green family. But Adrian wasn’t particularly impressed. The meals at his own home had recently been far more sumptuous than this.

He also noticed Mrs. Green was very particular about how she cut the hairtail fish. She had sliced it on a diagonal, which made the pieces look rather nice. But Adrian knew she hadn’t done it for appearances. ’She must have cut it that way to get more pieces,’ he thought, ’so the platter would look fuller and more impressive.’