10 Days To Escape My Marriage Chapter 16
Samantha took plenty of photos of the two of them that day.
Later, when preparing to post them, she consulted Isabella and registered a new account: [Phoenix Rising].
She wrote a single line on the profile: Having walked through darkness, I return with a heart still turned toward the light.
Isabella watched Samantha edit and post the photos, and as the traffic exploded instantly, a vague idea began to form in her mind.
She was recovering well physically, and she had plenty of money.
In the days to come, perhaps she could do something for those suffering from illness and pain.
That same day, a violent argument erupted at the Harrington estate in Kingston.
Arthur had assumed that once Isabella was gone and the biggest obstacle removed, William would eventually come around and marry a woman from a prestigious family.
He had selected several candidates and pushed them toward William, subtly or overtly, only to be met with cold, hard rejections.
Six months had passed, and William refused not only to remarry but even to return home. He was either flying to America to search for her or spending his time at the hospital tormenting Victoria.
Finally reaching his limit, Arthur ordered the butler to forcibly drag William home for a serious discussion.
“I’m not asking for much, William!” Arthur ground out.
“A marriage between powerful families doesn’t require love. You just need to marry her and produce an heir, after that, you can spend your time with whoever you want, and I won’t stop you!”
Arthur pleaded, threatened, and cajoled, but William remained utterly unresponsive across the table, his fingers interlaced, his gaze distant and absent–minded.
“I can’t. Isabella would be angry.”
“Besides, I don’t want to touch anyone but her. The thought alone disgusts me.”
Failing to persuade him, Arthur was nearly apoplectic. “William, wake up!
Isabella has been divorced from you for six months!”
At this, William’s deathly stillness finally rippled with emotion. “So what? She’s just angry with me… and I don’t blame her. I was blinded by that venomous woman and broke her heart.”
He sighed softly, then, remembering something, a smile surfaced on his face, dark circles and all. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ve prepared so many ‘gifts‘ for her. Once she sees them, she’ll definitely forgive me.”
“Then we’ll remarry, and she’ll be Mrs. Harrington again… It has to be her. No one else will do.”
Seeing his son in such a delusional state, Arthur’s blood pressure skyrocketed, and he clutched his chest, taking deep breaths.
Beside them, Beatrice Harrington was sobbing. “It’s all your fault. Look how thin our son has gotten in the last six months… It’s all because you insisted on sending Isabella away…”
“What did you say?”
William snapped his head up. “You were the ones who sent Isabella away?
Wh… why?”
Beatrice shut her mouth in terror, but Arthur, deciding he had nothing left to lose, snapped, “Why else? Because she can’t have children!”
“The Harrington Family relies on a sole heir lineage, yet you married a hen that can’t lay eggs… Are you trying to kill me out of spite?!”
Arthur’s words sent a sharp jolt of pain through William’s heart.
Isabella must have endured such humiliation countless times before… and all because he had indulged his adopted sister.
He silently clenched his fists, offering no rebuttal, yet clearly showing no sign of compromise either.
Realizing his son was impervious to reason, Arthur issued an ultimatum: “I’m telling you right now: you will go through with this marriage whether you like it or not. If you refuse, I’ll strip you of your position and cut off your funds. Let’s see if you can walk all the way to America on foot!”
“I can’t walk there, it’s true. But… removing me from my position won’t be as simple as you think.”
William stood up. “Since you despise Isabella so much, I will not be returning to this house.”
He nodded politely to his parents, then turned and walked away.
Behind him, Arthur roared in a rage, “William, are you going to destroy The Harrington Group over a woman?!
Besides, she was the one who contacted me back then… She begged me in tears to let her leave you!”
His words pierced William’s heart like a sharp sword, the pain draining the color from his face and leaving him teetering on his feet.
Yet after swaying for a moment, he steadied himself, murmuring as if in a trance, “It’s fine. She’s just angry.
I’ll make it up to her…”
In the days that followed, a massive upheaval shook The Harrington Group.
First, Chairman Harrington convened a board meeting to remove William from his post as General Manager, claiming publicly that it was to allow him to focus on his medical career.
Then, William produced a medical diagnosis stating that Arthur was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and was no longer fit to serve as Chairman.
Both sides had their supporters, and the battle raged fiercely.
Finally, a month later, William, representing the younger faction, emerged victorious.
He took control of The Harrington Group.
And his first act after taking charge was to leverage the full power of the corporation to launch a net–wide reward for news on Isabella.
A few days later, someone arrived at the Harrington Group headquarters with a well–known social media account from America.
