**Chapter 31** "Tomorrow's the weekend. Let’s get the divorce finalized on Monday!" Avery declared, her voice dripping with urgency. Elliot, cool and composed, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, the tip glimmering in the dim light as he flicked his lighter. He brought it to his lips, taking a slow, deliberate puff. The smoke curled lazily into the air, a stark contrast to the tension vibrating between them. Avery furrowed her brow, confusion mingling with frustration. What was going through his mind? Did he actually want to remain married? His unruffled demeanor made her doubt her own assertions. "Can you really bear the thought of being cheated on?" she pressed, her voice rising with every word. "If I were you, I wouldn’t want to see my face again for the rest of my life! You must divorce me! It would be sheer folly not to!" Elliot’s dark, piercing eyes remained fixed on her as he exhaled a ghostly smoke ring, an amused spectator to her outburst. "Have you crossed paths with Chelsea? That must have irked you, right? Good! Because that was all my doing! I orchestrated this little drama just to rattle your cage!" Every word of hers was a match to dry tinder, igniting a simmering tension that crackled in the room. In the corner, Mrs. Cooper stood, heart racing at the growing animosity. What was Avery thinking? Was this a desperate, reckless act of a woman spiraling into madness following her abortion? If she continued to prod Elliot, there was no telling how far he might retaliate. Unable to remain a mere observer any longer, Mrs. Cooper interjected, "Madam Avery doesn’t mean half of what she’s saying, Master Elliot… She’s understandably upset; it’s just the stress getting to her… She’s hardly ventured out since the wedding, I assure you she has stayed true." "Mrs. Cooper, just step back!" Avery snapped, her cheeks burning with a mix of anxiety and shame. "This is between him and me. I can handle it." "Please, for your own good, stop provoking Master Elliot!" Mrs. Cooper pleaded, her voice thick with concern. "This confrontation won’t end well. Apologize, and you might find his heart open to forgiveness." "I don’t need his forgiveness!" Avery shot back hotly, her desire for freedom sharpening her resolve. "I just want a divorce." With an almost predatory focus, Elliot's gaze honed in on the slender figure of Avery. Was she merely playing hard to get, or did she genuinely yearn for liberation from their bond? The pieces of the puzzle leaned toward the latter. The revelation of her affair with Cole, along with the abortion, had stripped away their twisted schemes, and now she yearned to escape. Wasn’t it obvious? She was eager to return to Cole’s embrace. “Forget it!” Elliot declared coldly, extinguishing his cigarette with a decisive thud in the ashtray. “You can forget about the divorce—unless I’m pushed to my death.” “What? Why would you say that?” Avery felt as if she had been struck by an unseen force, reeling backward. “Since being near me is such a torment for you, I might as well prolong your suffering,” he replied, a cruel smirk dancing on his lips. An icy dread washed over Avery. What on earth was she to do now? He was turning her world upside down with a single twist of fate. How could she untangle herself from this web he had spun? In a daze, she stormed into her room, thoughts rushing like a chaotic storm. Just then, Elliot’s phone rang, breaking the suffocating silence. It was Ben, and the urgency in his voice was unmistakable. “Hey, Elliot. Chelsea’s in a terrible state, wandering aimlessly and refusing to come home. I’ve tried everything, and I’m at my wit's end.” Elliot leaned back in his chair, irritation flaring. “Call her brother.” “Right… Are you back home? Is Avery there? Did you discuss this whole mess with Chelsea with her?” Ben’s unease was palpable; he couldn’t bear the chaos enveloping Chelsea. “You really think Chelsea is doing this because of Avery? Do you actually believe she would just blindly follow her every command? What if Avery told her to jump off a bridge? Would she do it then?” Elliot scoffed, sharp words piercing through the line like daggers. Ben fell silent, stung by the harshness of Elliot's rebuke. Yet, concern etched his features, particularly regarding Avery’s actions. “You seem to be too lenient with Avery. This isn’t like you at all. She cheated, and now you’re just letting her go after the abortion? I thought you’d show her no mercy, throw her to the sharks.” “Do you think that was easy for her?” Elliot countered, voice steady but filled with a simmering intensity. “Huh?” “She despises me now. Watching her inability to act on that contempt is a more satisfying revenge than simply destroying her.” “I see…” Ben hesitated, processing the deeper implications of Elliot’s words. “So, you’re not planning on going through with the divorce? Aren’t you worried about having her around? What if she decides to turn the tables on you?” “If she finds a way to kill me…” Elliot replied, a twisted smile curling on his lips as he ground his cigarette into the ashtray with fervor, “I would gladly concede defeat.”