Chapter 256
Haynes had arrived.
Stella glanced at him with a calm demeanor. “Let’s go,” she said.
She knew he would come. He prioritized everything else over her. Besides, she still held Jasper’s letter of forgiveness.
The two of them, one following the other, entered the city hall.
Inside, there weren’t many couples getting married, but the queue at the divorce counter was steadily growing.
Among those seeking divorce, there were couples with expressions of cold indifference. Some were still arguing, hurling accusations at each other. Others were sobbing, desperately pleading with their partner not to go through with it. And then there were those who looked impatient, faces filled with relief at the prospect of freedom.
As soon as they walked in, a staff member approached them. “Mr. O’Brien, this way please.”
It seemed Haynes had arranged everything in advance. He could always handle things efficiently when he set his mind to it.
In a private room, an employee was there to process their paperwork.
As they waited, Haynes suddenly said, “Stella, if you have any regrets, it’s not too late.”
Stella responded with a dismissive laugh.
Haynes’ dark eyes narrowed, a cold intensity flashing in them. “When the time comes for regrets, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
Stella looked exasperated. “Haynes, since when did you become so sentimental? Do you still want Jasper’s letter of forgiveness or not?”
Haynes fell silent.
About ten minutes later, the staff completed the cooling-off period paperwork.
“During this month, you can still cancel the divorce. If you both decide to proceed, come back after the month is over to finalize everything,” the employee explained.
Stella accepted the documents and thanked the staff politely.
As they exited the private room, the main hall was in an uproar.
“What the hell? I’ve been lining up here for days before the holidays! Every time, it’s the same story-‘appointments are full.’ Damn it, you can’t get an appointment online, and you can’t get one here either. When can I finally get this done?” A burly man was yelling at a staff member.
Several other couples who had also come in vain joined in the chorus.
“Exactly! I’ve been trying to book for a month, and it’s always full. You can only book a month in advance… Are there really that many people getting divorced?”
“Why is there a quota on divorces but not on marriages?”
“I’ll pay a thousand bucks if someone’s willing to sell their appointment slot to me.”
“A thousand? That’s cheap. I’ll offer three thousand!”
“I’ll pay five thousand! Damn it, I refuse to believe I can’t get divorced!”
“I’ll give ten thousand. I just can’t stay with this abusive man any longer! He finally agreed to the divorce, and I’m worried he’ll change his mind if this drags on… My life is more important than money!”
Someone overheard the woman’s plea and said, “If he’s abusive, you could file a lawsuit. Why bother with all this?”
The woman cried, “To be honest, I already did. It took nearly eight months to get through that lawsuit. My ex insisted we still had feelings and wanted to keep the family together for the kids. He claimed hitting me was a momentary lapse and promised never to do it again. He sounded so convincing in court, asking the judge for another chance. But once home, he went right back to hitting me!”