Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

「In the car.」

Chloe Reed handed Annie York a bottle of water, then straightened her hair and dress. ”Here,” she said, ”have some water and calm down.”

Annie York nodded, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. She wiped away her tears and looked at Chloe, her eyes red-rimmed. ”Chloe, that was my brother, Gregory York.”

Hearing this, Chloe Reed raised an eyebrow and scoffed. ”That name... Looks like your parents had high hopes for him.”

Annie York nodded. ”It was my grandparents. He’s the only boy in our family, so my grandparents doted on him. He got whatever he wanted growing up. But he’s completely unworthy of it. He certainly hasn’t brought any glory to the York family.”

Gregory York started gambling and became an addict. He gambled away the family’s savings, racked up huge debts, and then just ran off. He only came back this time because he was out of money and had lined up a buyer to sell Annie to.

Annie York clutched the water bottle. ”Chloe, I’m going to resign. I can’t stay here anymore. I’ll only bring you trouble.”

Chloe Reed hadn’t expected her to say that, but she was also heartened. ’Annie really is such a kind and sensible girl.’

”If you leave, what will Grandma do? She’s grown quite dependent on you,” Chloe Reed asked softly.

Annie York bit her lip. ”At the end of the day, I’m just an employee. You’re home every day now, so you can be with Grandma. I really can’t stay here anymore. You don’t know what he’s like—he’s a total scumbag. He’ll do anything to get what he wants, and I don’t want someone like him disrupting your life.”

’Besides, Grandma had already seen through her feelings.’

’If she stayed, she was afraid more people would find out. Then she’d never be able to face Chloe again.’

’Chloe was so good to her, yet she’d gone and fallen for her husband.’

’She couldn’t accept a situation like that, so leaving now was her only option.’

The rims of Annie York’s eyes grew redder, and tears started to fall again. ”Chloe, you’ve been so good to me. I’ll miss you so much, but I can’t bring you any trouble.”

Chloe Reed hugged her and sighed softly. ”Alright, we’ll do it your way. But you have to stay far away from him and take care of yourself.”

”I will.”

Annie York nodded and hugged her back.

Back at Jardinelle, Annie York went to see Grandma and told her she was leaving.

Grandma was drinking tea. She sighed softly at the news, then said, ”You’re still so young. You should be in school, getting to know the world.”

”I will.”

Annie York didn’t quite dare to meet Grandma’s eyes.

Grandma took out an envelope and handed it to her. ”Having you with me all this time has made me very happy. I can tell you’re a kind-hearted, simple girl. Take this. Consider it a thank-you gift from me. Don’t refuse—you shouldn’t turn down something given by an elder.”

Annie swallowed the refusal on the tip of her tongue.

She took the envelope and sniffled. ”Thank you, Grandma. I’ll miss you.”

”I’ll miss you, too.”

Grandma smiled warmly and stroked her cheek. ”Go on now. Look to the future. You have a long life ahead of you.”

Her words were pointed, and Annie understood. She nodded, then turned and left.

She returned to her room, packed her things, and left quietly without disturbing anyone else.

When Chloe Reed came downstairs, there was no sign of her. Feeling a little helpless, she said to the butler, ”Deposit an extra two months’ salary into her account.”