The moment Ethan Yu heard the report from Aunt Zhang, his aura turned ice cold.
He said nothing.
Just pulled out his phone and dialed Hailey's number.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Hello?" came Hailey's calm, unbothered voice.
Ethan's tone dropped several degrees below freezing. "Who gave you permission to leave the house? Get back here. Now."
Hailey rolled her eyes so hard it practically gave her whiplash.
Seriously? Did this man still think she was the same doormat who used to jump when he snapped his fingers?
"Sorry, I gave myself permission," she replied sweetly. "You don't get a say in it. And I wouldn't know how to 'get back here' even if I wanted to. Unless you'd like to demonstrate the proper rolling technique?"
"You—Hailey Tang!" Ethan growled, his voice thick with suppressed fury. "What kind of attitude is that?"
"The kind that doesn't like your attitude," she shot back without missing a beat.
Even over the phone, the chill in the air was palpable. Hailey could practically feel the death glare through the speaker.
But she wasn't in the mood to waste more breath.
"I'm giving you space, Ethan. Isn't that what you want?" Her voice turned cool and distant. "While I'm gone, feel free to speed things up. Hopefully, by the time I get back, the divorce agreement will be waiting on the table."
And with that, she hung up.
Click.
Silence.
Ethan stared at the screen for a long moment, as if trying to process the audacity. Then, with a sneer tugging at his lips, he let out a bitter laugh.
"Unbelievable," he muttered.
His eyes darkened, jaw clenched tight.
Hailey Tang…
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, trying to rein in the boiling rage inside him.
Because if he didn't, he might just fly straight to B City and drag her back himself.
B City – The Old Master's Villa
"Xiaotang, is the tea ready yet?" came the voice of Old Master Hai from the living room.
"Coming, Grandpa!" Hailey called back.
She quickly pocketed her phone, pushed down the knot in her chest, and carried out two steaming cups of freshly brewed tea.
"Here you go," she said with a gentle smile, placing one cup in front of her grandfather, and the other in front of the elderly man beside him. "Grandpa Tao, your tea."
Tao Weimin, her grandfather's old comrade, grinned as he accepted the cup.
"Old Hai, your granddaughter is really something," he said cheerfully. "The more I look at her, the more I like her. Why not let her marry my grandson, hmm?"
Hailey blinked. Wait, what now?
"I've shown you his picture before—handsome young lad, right? Military man, clean record, never been married. If you're okay with it, I say let's match them up."
Old Master Hai chuckled softly, his eyes warm. "You're a little late, my friend. Xiaotang's already married. Chose the guy herself."
Tao Weimin raised his brows in surprise. "Already married? Isn't she only nineteen?"
"She is," Grandpa Hai nodded.
"Well, damn," Tao said, though not unkindly. "If I'd known such a gem was already taken, I wouldn't have wasted time dreaming. Guess it just wasn't meant to be. My grandson's loss."
Hailey gave a small smile, though inside, her chest tightened.
No… she thought. It's not your grandson who's unlucky. It's me.
I was the one who ruined it all—my love, my marriage, my own happiness.
And now she wasn't even sure if she had the courage to love again.
Tao Weimin was in the final stage of cancer.
He had stopped treatment a while ago and chosen to spend his remaining days at home. Every morning he woke up was a bonus.
His son had passed years ago. His daughter-in-law had remarried and lived far away. Only a grandson remained—an elite special forces soldier, always out on missions, often unreachable.
Which meant Tao Weimin was alone most of the time. Apart from doctors and a live-in nurse, no one really stayed with him.
Thankfully, Old Master Hai had come to visit. And with him, Hailey.
Her grandfather had no intention of leaving anytime soon—he wanted to accompany his old friend for as long as he could.
Hailey didn't want to leave either.
Honestly, what was there to go back to?
Ethan Yu?
No, thanks.
So she stayed. Every day, she cooked, brewed tea, listened to the two old men reminisce about their youth, and watched over them like a gentle guardian.
And strangely… for the first time in a long while, she felt at peace.
She didn't have to walk on eggshells.
She didn't have to pretend to be strong just to protect her pride.
Here, in this quiet home surrounded by warm memories and old laughter, Hailey could finally breathe.
And she had no intention of letting that peace go.
Back in C City…
Ethan stood by the massive window of his penthouse office, the city skyline twinkling beyond the glass.
The phone call kept replaying in his head like a broken record.
"It's your attitude I can't stand."
Her words cut deeper than he expected.
He wasn't sure what pissed him off more—the fact that she'd dared to hang up on him, or the fact that he actually cared that she did.
Ethan Yu had always been the one in control. Of his company. Of his life. Of everything.
But Hailey Tang… she was slipping right out of his grasp.
And somehow, it made him feel like the one being abandoned.
He gritted his teeth, shoved his hands in his pockets, and muttered under his breath—
"…We'll see about that. "