Beyond the Divorce



Atlas escorted me back to the master bedroom upstairs while softly saying, "Though it's not our original home, this is my own place. Welcome home, honey."

Honestly, I was deeply touched like never before at that moment.

I belonged here, yet I hadn't been around for so many years. Now, I had finally returned, and I was determined to reclaim what was rightfully mine.

For some reason, I was really looking forward to seeing Celine again tomorrow.

Atlas stayed with me as I finished washing up, and we fell asleep in each other's arms. I felt no sense of unfamiliarity here at all.

The next day, as I woke up, the sound of gentle rain greeted my ears.

I touched the space beside me, finding it empty and the bed already cold.

When did he leave? I had slept so deeply that I had no idea.

After getting up and freshening up, I changed into a comfortable long dress I had brought with me and walked out of the room quietly.

We had arrived too late last night to see the surroundings clearly, but even though it was raining now, the view outside was crystal clear.

The scenery outside was delightful. It seemed to be an estate with flowers blooming in the yard.

I descended the stairs to find that the hall was quiet. The size of this house was much smaller than Pleca Park.

When I reached the ground floor, Sandy was coming in from outside. She looked up and saw me, asking with joy, "Ms. Stella, did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah," I replied softly, and asked, "Sandy, where's Atlas?"

After last night, we had become quite familiar with each other.

"He went out, but he'll be back soon. Are you hungry?" She asked briskly while heading toward the dining room.

I followed behind her into the kitchen, asking, "What time did he leave?"

"He left last night," she replied.

I suddenly understood why the spot next to me in bed was cold. He had to leave last night, but still, he went to bed first with me. He was probably afraid I couldn't sleep in an unfamiliar place.

"He went out to take care of something. Don't worry, he'll be back soon." Sandy seemed to know exactly where he had gone.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

But I didn't press for more information. Atlas had said that between us, trust was the most important thing.

"Sandy, are you the only one here?" I asked.

We hadn't seen anyone else since we returned yesterday.

"No, there are a few more. They live in the cottage behind the yard and are responsible for everything outside. There's also a younger maid here, but she happened to take a couple of days off. She'll be back today." Sandy continued to work briskly while speaking to me.

"When Mr. Atlas isn't around, it's a waste of money to have so many people Iris once worked for the Pierce family. After the change of ownership at the Pierce family home, Iris left."

That was the nanny; once she started talking, she told me everything I wanted to know. Strangely, I didn't know how to ask her about the past, and she didn't need me to ask.

Memories would come flooding back to her as she spoke.

"She was ill for a long time after Mrs. Tammy passed away. After Mr. Atlas bought this house, she came back to work for him. They are loyal servants."

"Was this house built by Atlas?" I asked Sandy, looking at the scenery outside.

"No, this is an old estate. Mr. Atlas bought it all and had the interior completely renovated. Even the garden outside was repaired after Mr. Atlas bought it.

"Mr. Atlas is very intelligent. These are actually two connected estates. Back then, this was originally the dowry of Mr. Atlas's grandma."

"Oh?" I asked curiously, which meant that this place used to be the property of the Cross family.

"Yeah. At that time, the Pierce family wasn't as influential as it is now. It was only because of Mr. Atlas's grandfather's charm that his grandmother chose to marry the old man."

I wasn't surprised to hear this. Obviously, she was also dissatisfied with Atlas's grandfather.