CHAPTER 165: CHAPTER 165: PLEASE DON’T DIVORCE

The early spring night was slightly chilly, Shannon Quinn watered the flowers on her balcony and stood there, gazing at the balcony opposite hers.

It seemed that no one had returned for quite a few days, and the cat was nowhere to be seen.

Recalling the time when Vincent Rhodes lived here under the identity of Landon Sutton, the two of them were so close, yet it seemed as if there was an invisible chasm between them that was impossible to cross.

As for this man, Shannon Quinn couldn’t quite describe her feelings for him. Since a divorce was already decided, she unwillingly stopped thinking about these troublesome matters.

After lying in bed and chatting a bit with Erin Bishop, and taking a look at the chat records in the workgroup, Shannon Quinn put down her phone, turned off the bedside lamp, and went to sleep.

Recently, she felt her belly growing larger and larger; she realized she wasn’t the same as before, with backaches and inconveniences when going to the bathroom.

She joined a mothers’ group, and whenever she heard others talk about how their husbands took care of them during pregnancy, Shannon Quinn felt an emptiness inside. Every time she saw such content, she would silently close the group chat page, daydream for a while, and then continue with what she was doing.

The night was deep and still, and she was already sound asleep.

The sound of the door opening from outside the room did not wake her.

Without the fear towards Vincent Rhodes, her sleep had become much more peaceful, especially after being pregnant, she slept soundly.

Vincent Rhodes quietly entered the bedroom; with the light from outside, he tiptoed to the bedside and turned on the bedside lamp.

She lay on the bed with her back to him and did not wake up.

He gently pulled the blanket over her exposed feet, then took off his jacket, unbuckled his belt, and lay down beside her.

He didn’t want to wake her, yet he wanted to talk to her.

Because the next time he comes back, perhaps they would already be divorced, and by then, it wouldn’t just be about talking – even seeing her would be uncertain.

"Shannon," he softly called her name.

Her breathing remained steady, and she did not wake up.

He remained silent for a moment, then carefully embraced her from behind through the blanket, his hand resting on her prominently bulging belly, filled with guilt towards her and the child.

Shannon Quinn seemed to sense something amiss, stirred, and awoke.

When she turned her head to see the man behind her, she instinctively jolted, pushing him away to create distance, and only then did her mind react that Landon Sutton was Vincent Rhodes, her husband.

"Did I scare you?"

Shannon Quinn did not speak; she sat up on the bed looking at him, seemingly questioning why he was here.

"Have you been alright recently? Has the child troubled you?"

Shannon Quinn still didn’t answer his question; she was neither surprised nor overjoyed by his appearance.

For the first time, Vincent Rhodes felt the helplessness of having no solutions, a kind of helplessness that was hard to bear.

When he married her, he never imagined it would come to this point, and now he started to regret that impulsive night. If it weren’t for that child, perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this stage.

"When is the due date?"

"Next month."

Vincent Rhodes looked at her belly, a wave of silence; the child was about to be born, yet he had done nothing for her and the child.

"Have you picked a name?"

"It’s none of your business."

The understated four words she uttered felt like a sharp dagger piercing into his heart.

Vincent Rhodes looked somewhat pained, staring at Shannon Quinn, he said, "Shannon, can’t we not divorce? I know you resent me in your heart, but for the sake of the child, give the child a complete family; please don’t divorce, okay?"

Shannon Quinn never thought that the man who was usually so noble and high above, who always only knew how to issue orders, would lower his noble bearing, with a hint of pleading in his voice.

Shannon Quinn felt soft-hearted for a moment, but rationality prevailed, looking at Vincent Rhodes, she questioned, "You are truly selfish; you only ever consider what you want. Have you ever thought about the future for me and the child?"

Vincent Rhodes lowered his eyes in silence, unable to say a word in rebuttal.

His love was indeed too selfish; from beginning to end he never considered her feelings. He just wanted to bind her to himself, forgetting to think if she wanted to be with him.

Shannon Quinn seemed not to be waiting for a perfect answer from him, she lifted the blanket, took the pillow, and prepared to get out of bed. Vincent Rhodes reached out and grabbed her wrist, "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to sleep next door."

Vincent Rhodes suddenly regretted waking her; otherwise, perhaps tonight he could still hold her in his arms.

"Go ahead and sleep." Vincent Rhodes got up, quietly left the room, and closed the door behind him.

Shannon Quinn sat on the bed, watching his departing figure, as if something within her was fading away too, missing something.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, he seemed to have left.

Shannon Quinn looked down at her rounded belly, suddenly feeling a twinge in her nose, her eyes somewhat moist.

She quickly took a deep breath, turned off the bedside lamp, but in the darkness, she found it hard to sleep.

Since she stopped going to the studio, she only got up around eight or nine in the morning.

The gentle spring sunshine streamed in through the window, as she lazily nestled in the blanket, staring blankly outside for a while before languidly getting up to wash.

Walking into the kitchen, she meant to check the fridge for ingredients to make breakfast but suddenly saw a note stuck on the fridge. The handwriting seemed to be Vincent Rhodes’s: Breakfast is in the microwave.

Shannon Quinn immediately turned to look at the microwave behind her, opened it, and saw a nutritious sandwich and a cup of oatmeal milk.

Usually, she seldom spent the time making such a fine breakfast for herself, and she never thought Vincent Rhodes had this skill.

After reheating in the microwave, Shannon Quinn sat by the dining table, supporting herself with the morning news broadcast while eating breakfast.

The breakfast was not only exquisite but also tasted good, and while eating, Shannon Quinn couldn’t help but think that, if not for these trivial matters, a woman living with Vincent Rhodes should be very happy, but in the years to come, the one to enjoy this happiness is unlikely to be her.

At night, as Sheila Yardley finished her evening class, she went straight downstairs, scanning around under the teaching building.

She intended to take a cab to meet Caleb Grant, but just before class ended, she received a message from Caleb saying he had sent a car to pick her up downstairs.

As soon as she got downstairs, she saw the black SUV parked by the roadside with hazard lights on. Just as she was about to approach it, a voice came from the other side, calling her: "Elaine!"

It was Ryder Griffin, the voice was very familiar, but he rarely called her by her full name unless he was angry.

```