Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne)

Monday morning, Charlene went to work as usual.

Her schedule was packed, shuttling between Axiom Flux Technologies and

PrimeStar, barely getting a moment to catch her breath.

By Tuesday evening, as she stood in the elevator at the end of another

exhausting day, Charlene glanced at the date on her phone and let her gaze drop,

lost in thought.

Stewart, equally drained from his own workload, suddenly seemed to recall

something. "Tomorrow's the last day of the waiting period, isn't it?" he asked, his

voice low.

Charlene slipped her phone back into her bag. "That's right," she replied.

After so many years entangled with Thorne, it was all coming to an official end.

Stewart found himself uncertain—should he be happy for her, or should he feel

sorry? He'd never much liked Thorne, but knowing how deeply Charlene had

loved him for years made this outcome bittersweet.

Still, even the hardest things eventually pass.

Once the divorce was finalized, Charlene could truly begin again.

With that in mind, Stewart just gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, choosing not to

say much more.

The next morning, Charlene finished her run, had a quick breakfast, and returned

to the office, ready to dive into work when her phone rang unexpectedly.

It was Thorne.

They'd agreed, during the paperwork, to meet on the very first day the waiting

period was over and make the divorce official. Tomorrow was supposed to be that

day; it made sense that Thorne would call.

She answered with a simple, "Hello."

Before Thorne could say anything, Charlene cut in, "I'll be there tomorrow morning

at nine, sharp—”

Thorne interrupted, "I'm out of the country on business right now."

Charlene paused, caught off guard. Before she could reply, Thorne continued, "I

probably won't be back for a few days. We'll have to reschedule the appointment."

She frowned, silent for a moment.

Sensing her frustration, Thorne apologized, "I'm sorry. This one's on me."

Charlene drew a slow breath and, after a brief pause, said quietly, "Understood."

She hung up before he could say anything else.

Rubbing her temples, trying to compose herself, she barely had a moment before

her phone buzzed again.

This time, it wasn't Thorne.

It was York Watson.

Charlene's frown deepened. She knew she'd be seeing York more often at the

company's headquarters in the future. They weren't exactly working side by side,

but their paths would inevitably cross.

She liked York well enough, but right now, she simply wasn't in the mood for

anything more.

If she answered, she'd risk giving him hope. If she didn't, it would seem rude.

After a moment's hesitation, she took the call. "Hello?"

York's voice was warm and pleasant. "Busy?"

"Sort of," she replied, keeping her tone neutral.

He must have picked up on her

unease, because he chuckled gently.

"I'm not on leave yet—just happened

to have a break today, thought I'd

give you a call. Even if my calls

annoy you, I'm afraid I can't promise

to stop."

Charlene said nothing, but York went on, "How have you been? Still swamped at

work?"

"Yeah. It's been busy."

He hesitated, then asked, "And the divorce? Sorry if it's not my place, but... you

and Thorne were going to finalize it tomorrow, right?"

York didn't know much about Charlene's marriage, except that it seemed Thornenoveldrama

had pushed for the divorce and Charlene had simply gone along with it. He'd

assumed everything was set in stone.

Before Charlene could respond, he continued, "I'm tied up for a few more days,

but when I'm finally free—”

Charlene cut him off, her tone candid. "That was the plan, but it's been delayed."

York's smile faltered for a split second. After a pause, he asked, "Can I ask why?

Was it you, or—?"

"He's overseas for work. He can't make it back in time."

"So, once he returns, you'll go through with it right away?"

"...Yeah."

That was a relief. York couldn't help but hope that by the time he was on break,

Charlene's divorce would be finalized. He kept the thought to himself.

Just then, Charlene spoke up, "Mr. Watson, the reason I took your call was

actually to say—”

He interrupted, "You want to tell me

you answered out of courtesy, not

because you have any special

feelings for me. You just didn't want

to be rude, and maybe to set things

straight again. I get it."

Charlene started to protest, "You—”

"I know," York said, a smile in his

voice. He found her

straightforwardness oddly

endearing. "But my position stands."

He added, "I don't have much time

right now. Once I'm free, I'll ask you

out for dinner. We'll talk then."

With that, before she could reply, he ended the call.