Louis dragged Alice out of the bar and drove home himself, his speed so reckless it seemed he was flirting with death.
The moment they arrived, Louis pulled Alice into the house and violently threw her onto the sofa.
Her wrist throbbed in pain from his rough grip. Under normal circumstances, Alice wouldn't complain; she'd softly ask Louis what was wrong. But tonight, something had changed.
The one-year term of their contractual marriage had expired. The divorce papers had already been automatically submitted and approved. Legally, they were no longer husband and wife—this was stipulated in the marriage contract Alice had signed.
Alice stood up and faced Louis, her voice calm as she said, "You're hurting me."
Louis, eyes red with anger, roared, "So what if I'm hurting you? I only grabbed your hand! Or do you not want to hold my hand anymore and would rather hold someone else's—like Silas's?"
Alice rubbed her temples. "There's nothing between Silas and me." She was genuinely surprised when Silas had patted her head earlier. She didn't like people touching her head; even when Louis tried, she'd playfully dodge him.
Louis sneered, "Nothing? Are you that oblivious, or just pretending? The way you two looked, anyone would think you were about to jump into bed together!"
Alice frowned, her gaze turning cold.
Louis wasn't drunk; he knew his words were out of line. He even regretted them as soon as they left his mouth. He was well aware of how deeply Alice loved him. Yet, he couldn't control his anger.
He was waiting—waiting for Alice to soothe him as she always did. He believed her love for him was unshakable. Surely, she'd step forward, embrace him, and beg for his forgiveness. That's how it had always been.
But Louis never anticipated that this time, her comfort would never come.
"Have you not kept track of the date? Our contract has expired," Alice said coldly.
A strange silence fell, the villa seeming to grow darker and colder. Even the butler, who had stood quietly in the background like furniture, couldn't help but glance at Alice, sensing something was amiss.
Louis stood still, his gaze dangerous as he growled, "Alice, do you even realize what you're saying?!"
Alice wasn't intimidated by his anger—she never had been. Facing him directly, she replied in a steady voice, "You're the one who doesn't know what you're saying, Louis."
Louis let out a bitter laugh, his rage almost tangible. "Fine. Very well! Divorce it is. Pack your things and get out of my house!"
With that, he turned and stormed out, slamming the door before speeding away in his car.
The butler glanced between Louis's retreating figure and Alice, wanting to say something but lacking the courage. In the end, he remained silent.
Alice looked at him and spoke gently, "It's late. You should get some rest."
The butler opened his mouth as if to speak, but all that escaped was a sigh.
The next morning, Alice left the villa with two large suitcases. A car was already waiting for her outside.
The butler followed her to the door, hesitating before saying, "Madam, perhaps you and the young master could talk things through..."
Having served Louis since he was a child, the butler saw what others couldn't—Louis definitely had feelings for Alice, whether deeply buried or not.
Alice looked at him, shook her head, and said, "There's nothing left for us to talk about. Goodbye, and thank you for taking care of me all this time."
Without a trace of hesitation, she left. She didn't know whether Louis loved her, nor did she care. After all, from the very beginning, she had her own motives for approaching him.
Neither of them owed the other anything.
What Alice didn't know was that shortly after her departure, Louis returned to the villa.
"Where's Alice?" he asked the butler as soon as he walked in.
Before the butler could respond, Louis continued, "She's probably still mad." Without waiting for an answer, he headed upstairs.
The butler sighed, his old body aching with fatigue.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a loud crash echoed from upstairs, as if a door had been kicked into splinters.
Louis thought that Alice was probably just angry with him and wouldn't dare to leave. He felt that he understood her all too well. This time, he admitted it was his fault, so he would apologize to Alice, and everything would be forgiven.
He dismissed the thought and casually opened the door to the master bedroom. But what he saw made him freeze in shock, and the anger in his eyes flared up again.
The bathroom, the wardrobe, even the nightstand—all traces of Alice were gone!
"Alice!"
How dare she leave him?!
Louis's eyes turned red with fury. He kicked the door open and stormed out of the villa, once again driving away in his car.
At the MidNight Bar,
After Louis dragged Alice away, Maya also left shortly after. However, Silas and his group remained, chatting until the early morning.
By now, most of the bar's customers had left, and they didn't need to use the secret passage. As Silas and his group noisily descended the stairs, they came across an unexpected figure.
"Louis, why are you sitting here drinking alone?" Curtis asked in disbelief, thinking he must be too drunk.
"Is something wrong?" Silas asked, quickly moving to Louis's side. Ever since Louis had taken Alice away, he had been worried that Alice might be suffering at his hands.
Louis looked at them and casually said, "I just wanted to have a drink."
The group exchanged looks, and Silas suddenly spoke up, "Where's Alice?"
The moment Silas asked, Louis's expression darkened. Never before had he found Silas so irritating. Had Silas always been so concerned about Alice? Was he just overthinking, or had Silas always secretly had feelings for her?
Louis's face turned cold as he responded, "She's gone. She left my house. We're divorced."
Louis felt no real concern as he spoke. Aside from his initial anger, he was sure Alice would soon come back, begging him to take her back. She loved him too much; he knew that. She would regret it, that was certain!
Though surprised by Louis's words, Curtis and Robert quickly dismissed the idea. "No way, Alice divorced you? How could she stand it?"
"Yeah, are you joking?"
Louis sneered, but said nothing.
Curtis and Robert exchanged worried glances.
"If you and Alice are really divorced, then I can pursue her now, right?" Silas's voice cut through the tension, sounding like a stone dropped into water.
Curtis and Robert both inhaled sharply, looking at Silas as though he were a brave but foolish warrior preparing for sacrifice. Even though they had been friends for years, they knew not to cross certain lines.
Louis was truly furious, and he had the power to act on that fury. How dare Silas ask such a thing?!
Man, if you want to pursue her, just do it quietly!
Though they didn't think Louis would get mad at a friend over a woman he didn't care about, they still felt uneasy!
Sure enough, Louis's expression grew even colder, his eyes locking onto Silas with a dangerous intensity, as if he could tear him to pieces at any moment.
The atmosphere grew tense, and just as everyone expected Louis to teach Silas a lesson, he suddenly smirked, eyes full of disdain.
"Fine," he said, "If you want something I've discarded so badly, then feel free."
With that, Louis stood up, turned, and left. He didn't believe he loved Alice, and even if someone flirted with her, he was sure she would regret leaving him and return to his side. He would never admit that Alice was the one who initiated the divorce; she was just angry and acting foolishly. She loved him—he was certain of it.