Catrin walked in, taking in the sight of weak and frail sight of Idris. She frowned, not liking seeing him like that. But more than that, she didn’t like the way she was getting treated. It was humiliating. "I am your wife, yet you are refusing to see me. Is this how you are going to treat me now?" Arwen looked at her, but she didn’t intervene. Idris turned his gaze towards her as well and frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked as though he wasn’t expecting to see her there. "What?" Catrin asked, not understanding what he meant by that. "You are asking me what am I doing here? Really, Idris?" "I am your wife." She walked closer, stepping closer to his bed. "Of course, I have to be here. I don’t understand why I was the only one who was informed at the end. Shouldn’t I be kept informed of your situation first?" "No, that wasn’t required," Idris didn’t even hesitate. "What do you mean by that, Idris? How am I so insignificant? I —" "Catrin, there is no need to keep these formalities anymore," he said, his voice low but steady. "It’s not that you are insignificant. You are just no longer significant enough. We are getting a divorce soon, and I have already made that very clear to you. It would be better if, instead of coming here, you would go to sign the papers. So that the procedures get done as soon as possible." "Catrin," Even though Idris was feeling weak, he interrupted Catrin smoothly. "Let’s now stop going around in circles. I am not going to reconsider my decision anymore because I no longer have patience for that. The sooner you accept, the better it will be." Catrin gritted. Her fingers clenched as she turned to look at Arwen with eyes full of blame. "Are you satisfied now?" she asked. "You are the reason why everything is falling apart. How can you still be so insensitive?" Arwen’s brows furrowed slightly, as though she couldn’t understand why she was suddenly being accused. But then, pausing a beat, the corner of her lips curved into a subtle smile. "Sorry, Mrs. Quinn, but you are blaming the wrong person. If you want to see the real culprit, walk to the nearest mirror and you will see the one who deserves to be blamed. And believe me, it’s not me." Catrin’s eyes widened at the blatant retort. Rage clouded her face, and before anyone could stop her, she stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Arwen across her face. "Catrin!" Idris’s voice rose; however, he was too weak to move. Arwen froze, her pupils dilating a little in shock. She hadn’t expected it. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the sharp sting. Seconds passed, and all she felt was heavy silence pressing down on her. Confused, she opened her eyes —only to see Catrin’s hand suspended mid-air, caught firmly in a grip. "How dare you?" Catrin spat, her voice trembling in rage. But her words weren’t directed to Arwen. Arwen turned her head. Standing beside her, Aiden held Catrin’s wrist in his hand, his brows knitted into a dark frown. "I think I should be the one asking that," his voice was low, cold, dripping with suppressed fury. The kind that carried the promise of destruction. "How dare you?" Arwen’s breath hitched. She very well knew he was around. But she never expected him to appear next to her ... so suddenly. How long has he been witnessing it all? That question crossed her mind, but she didn’t voice it at the moment. Catrin, however, refused to back down. "How dare I? She is my daughter. I have every right to discipline her." Aiden’s grip tightened, making her wince. His eyes were icy, his tone sharp enough to cut through the bones."You don’t," he said, reminding her exactly how she did earlier. "The moment you make her sign the letter of severance, you lose all your rights, then and there. Including everything that could have related you to her." Arwen’s heart skipped a beat at his words. She paused, but then realizing something, she stepped forward, her hand reaching for his, her touch soft and grounding. "Let her go," she cooed softly. He didn’t agree immediately, his gaze still fixed on Catrin with quiet fury. But when Arwen’s fingers brushed against his, slowly prying them open, he didn’t resist. "I am fine," she whispered. His eyes shifted to her at last, and she nodded, reassuring him again. She then turned to look back at Catrin, her gaze hardened. The last traces of polite indifference were gone, replaced by sharp clarity. "Mrs. Quinn," she said softly, "you don’t have to lose your calm over the truths you don’t want to accept." Catrin glared, her breathing uneven, but Arwen didn’t give her the chance to speak. "No relationship breaks because of the third person. They break when one of the two inside it stops caring about the other. And in your life, you never cared for anyone’s thoughts or feelings but your own. So if you want to blame someone for your failing relationships, blame yourself." Latest content published on novｅlfire.net Her words cut deeper than any slap. Catrin trembled, her face paling as anger and shame warred within her. "You think you have gotten old enough to understand these things?" she sneered bitterly Arwen smiled and shook her head. "These are the basics. I don’t need to get old to understand them. Because, unlike you, I never saw people as pawns to control. For me, there are ... family. And family isn’t something you manipulate —it’s something you cherish." The silence that followed was heavy. Catrin couldn’t take it. Turning, she left. Robin had also entered the room. But he stopped near the door. When Idris met with his eyes, he said, "Go and meet Lawyer Blackwood. I don’t want this to stretch longer than it has." Robin nodded before he retreated.