CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159: HE AGREED TO THE DIVORCE

Shannon Quinn had been in the hospital for three days, and Silas Kerr advised her to stay in bed as much as possible. Aside from going to the bathroom, she spent most of her time lying in bed.

The room was heated, and she wore a thin hospital gown, only then realizing how noticeably large her belly had become, yet compared to other pregnant women at the same stage, hers did not quite look like it was seven or eight months along.

During her hospital stay, Erin Bishop came most frequently, visiting whenever she had free time. Sheila Yardley, who was also staying in the hospital to accompany Catherine Yardley, would also often come by to see her. Aidan Lockwood and her colleagues from work had visited, and even Julian Yardley had stopped by to check on her.

Although the room seemed lively with visitors, Shannon Quinn felt quite desolate inside.

Everyone showed concern for her, yet the man who was her husband had not sent any word at all.

Military Hospital.

A nurse hurriedly found Vincent Rhodes’ attending physician, excitedly saying, "Dr. Langdon! He’s awake!"

It was as if the entire hospital had been waiting for this news, and everyone erupted into a fervor.

Simon Rhodes had also been at the hospital these days, worried about Vincent Rhodes and Shannon Quinn both.

After the doctor finished examining Vincent Rhodes, he told Simon Rhodes, "Now that he’s awake, there shouldn’t be major issues, don’t worry too much."

"Thank you, doctor."

"He still needs to rest for a while. Recovery won’t be quick."

After the doctor and nurse left the room, Simon Rhodes looked at the now conscious Vincent Rhodes and breathed a sigh of relief, "You’re finally awake."

Vincent Rhodes glanced at him and asked blandly, "How long was I asleep?"

"More than a week."

"... Does Shannon know?"

"We didn’t tell her, for fear of her worrying."

"Hmm." Vincent Rhodes hadn’t even relaxed his breath when he heard Simon Rhodes say, "She’s not doing well either. A few days ago, June Yardley caused some trouble, and both she and the child were almost in danger. Now she’s still in the hospital, on bed rest."

"June Yardley?"

"Yes, and I’ve found things to be a bit tricky; June Yardley has gotten involved with Seth Fairchild. This time, Seth Fairchild took him directly from the police station."

"Seth Fairchild?"

"Hmm."

Vincent Rhodes paused for a moment and said, "Let’s see what they’re planning. For now, let Shannon stay in the hospital and send two people to keep an eye on her."

Simon Rhodes nodded, hesitated, and then said, "Actually, Shannon doesn’t really want to have this child right now."

"Why?"

"She told me to tell you that unless you agree to a divorce and let her have custody of the child, she wouldn’t have it."

Upon hearing Shannon Quinn’s request, Vincent Rhodes fell silent.

He naturally couldn’t bear the thought of divorce, but he also couldn’t force her to keep the child against her wishes.

"I just can’t bear to let her go. If she leaves me, will she have a better life?" Vincent Rhodes muttered to himself.

Simon Rhodes took a deep breath and consoled him, "When you wanted to marry her, you did put in a lot of effort."

"Yes, but it wasn’t her wish. I love her, but am I being too selfish?"

Vincent Rhodes sighed softly, his gaze falling through the window at a distant barren tree, and he spoke as if to himself, "I almost thought I wouldn’t make it, and I kept thinking, I was merely making Shannon Quinn wait for me, but what if I never got through this?"

"Don’t speak nonsense."

"Brother, this is reality. Maybe I really shouldn’t have intruded into her life back then, dragging her into this situation."

"At least you loved her and wanted to be with the person you love, there’s nothing wrong with that."

Vincent Rhodes smiled bitterly, somewhat sorrowfully.

After a long, long silence, his eyes reddened due to the emotions stirred by a woman, yet he resolutely said, "Brother, go back and tell her, I agree to the divorce, but I’ll sign after she gives birth."

"Vincent, have you thought this through?"

"Silas had previously contacted me, saying there’s a high risk she might become depressed if she continues like this. I don’t want to see her suffer, and I can’t offer her a stable life right now. The least I can do is try to make her a little happy."

"After the divorce, she may not wait for you to come back."

Vincent Rhodes took a deep breath and said, "If she can find happiness, I should be able to bless her, right?"

"You’re not usually such a generous person."

Vincent Rhodes gave a self-deprecating smile, "Am I?"

Indeed, just thinking about her spending the rest of her life with another man drove him to jealousy.

"Have you really thought about it? She’s waiting for your response; I’ll have to tell her when I get back."

"Mm... I’ve thought it through. Reach out to a lawyer later to draft the divorce agreement."

Simon Rhodes knew that Vincent Rhodes’ seemingly casual and relieved tone masked deep reluctance and heartache.

Back then, he had married Shannon Quinn despite everything, doting on her like a treasure, though he couldn’t spend much time with her.

With his capabilities, he could completely refuse the divorce and force Shannon Quinn to have the child, disregard her wishes, and keep her by his side. But he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her, so he chose to let go, giving her freedom while effectively cutting his own heart out.

Perhaps it was the first sunny day after the New Year, Shannon Quinn got out of bed, walked to the balcony outside, and sat in a chair basking in the afternoon sun.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Shannon Quinn kept her eyes closed and didn’t respond, assuming it was a nurse.

"Shannon."

Simon Rhodes’ voice reached her, and Shannon Quinn opened her eyes and turned to look, "Big brother?"

Simon Rhodes nodded and sat across from her, skipping the pleasantries, he spoke directly, "I’ve made contact with Vincent."

Shannon Quinn hesitated before asking, "What did he say?"

"He agreed to the divorce."

These five words caught Shannon Quinn by surprise, and she looked at Simon Rhodes inquisitively, believing that Vincent Rhodes’ quick agreement to the divorce surely came with other conditions.

"But Vincent said he would only sign the divorce papers after the child is born."

"What else?"

"That’s his only condition."

Shannon Quinn seemed a bit surprised, with some reluctance, she reiterated, "After the divorce, the child will be in my custody."

"Yes, Vincent agreed."

Shannon Quinn looked at Simon Rhodes skeptically, finding it unreasonable for Vincent Rhodes to agree to this so easily, yet she didn’t believe he was someone who went back on his word.

"Here is the divorce agreement that his lawyer drafted for him. See if there’s anything else you need to add."

Shannon Quinn was momentarily dazed, reaching out to take the document Simon Rhodes handed over, surprised that he had even prepared the document so quickly.

She carefully looked through it, expecting it to mention Vincent Rhodes’ conditions, but in the end, she found that the document was almost entirely in her favor.

The marital home would be hers, and she would receive a monthly sum of ten thousand for her and the child’s living expenses, which would increase once the child started school.

After reading it, Shannon Quinn paused for a moment and said, "I don’t need that much money."