So he really had to be careful. Especially in the time before their divorce was final and before he and Hannah were married. He had to be extra, extra cautious.


    With a contested divorce, the court could grant it on the spot, without the thirty-day waiting period.


    As soon as they had the divorce decree, he could take Hannah to get a marriage license.


    Then he could ignore everything else and whisk Hannah away to a city where only the two of them knew, to live their lives.


    Thinking of this, Quennel grew more and more excited, his mood bing even more joyous.


    He thought for a moment and picked up his phone, preparing to call Hannah for a chat.


    He wanted to test her again, to see just how much she loved him now that her memory was altered, to gauge the extent of the modification.


    But as he held the phone, he hesitated again and finally put it away.


    Hannah was already home. If she was talking to him now and someone in her family overheard, they might notice something strange in the way she spoke, discover what he had done, and forbid her from ever seeing him again.


    So, before they were married, it was best to avoid doing certain things. A little caution was always a good thing.


    He repeated this to himself over and over, telling himself not to be so hasty, so excited.


    Caution is the parent of safety. He had alreadye this far. If he made a mistake now due to some small detail, he would regret it forever.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of town.


    Lionel thought about how in just a few days, he and Hannah would be facing each other in court, in a public hearing.


    And with all that had happened recently, Hannah just needed to organize it into evidence, and she could get an immediate divorce.


    The thought of it all made him inexplicably frustrated.


    He was now suffering from sleepless nights, forced to numb himself with alcohol just to get some rest. It had reached the point where he couldn''t sleep with drinking.


    He sat on the edge of his bed,


    surrounded by a mess of empty et


    hes


    bottles. After much deliberation, he finally picked up his phone and


    called Hannah.


    Since their divorce was imminent, Hannah had taken his number off her block list.


    It was so he could call her if she didn''t show up on the day of the hearing.


    He never imagined that the reason he was unblocked was for something so ridiculous and absurd.


    "Hannah, can we meet and talk


    properly? Can you give me one more chance? I really don''t want to see


    youn court We really don''t have to go this far."


    When the call came, Hannah hesitated for a moment but ultimately answered.


    Hearing his plea, Hannah just let out a couple of coldughs but said nothing.


    "Hannah, I just want to meet and talk. Are you not even willing to give me that chance?"


    Hearing Hannah''s cold scoff, Lionel''s heart filled with frustration, and he asked, unwilling to give up.


    "Lionel, what''s the point of us meeting? Between us, it''s just the same old words over and over again, isn''t it?"