Your First Love is Pregnant? I'm Done Being Mrs. Hawthorne!

### Chapter 30: You’re The One Who Went Too Far

At that shout, the bar seemed to fall silent.

Nina Wainwright didn’t want to make a scene, so she turned to the thunderous Zachary Hawthorne and said, "Let’s take this outside. We shouldn’t disrupt their business."

Zachary Hawthorne turned his back on her and walked out.

As Nina started to follow, Catherine Grant grabbed her hand. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I’ll be fine. You guys stay here." Nina patted the back of her hand, her voice steady. Then, she followed Zachary and Silas Sinclair outside.

The cool night air on Nina’s skin helped clear her head from the alcohol.

Zachary was standing by the car with Silas Sinclair. The moment Silas saw her approach, he immediately opened the car door.

"We don’t need to get in the car for this," Nina said coolly. She was afraid that if she got in, Zachary would just drive them home.

"Nina, are you serious about this divorce?" Until now, Zachary Hawthorne had never taken her words seriously. He’d just assumed she was threatening divorce to pressure him into paying off her parents’ debts.

He never imagined that Nina—the woman who had loved him so deeply—would be the one to ask for a divorce first.

"My position on this has always been clear," Nina said flatly. "But you’ve obviously never respected me or anything I have to say."

The warmth and natural affection she once had for him were gone from her eyes.

Zachary scoffed. "You moved on fast. After three years of marriage, you suddenly realize you’re in love with your childhood sweetheart?"

"So you think I’m divorcing you because I fell for someone else? Zachary, we’ve been married for three years, and you don’t know me at all. But that’s fair—you never needed to. You and everyone around you have always looked down on me. I know that. So I’m taking the initiative and letting you go. Now you’re free to go find your precious Luna Sterling. Isn’t that better for everyone?" Nina asked, a self-deprecating smile on her lips.

"So because you think I look down on you, you go and grind on another man on the dance floor?!" Zachary stepped forward, grabbing her chin. "Have I ever done something like that with Luna Sterling?!"

"If you’re so unhappy, then just agree to the divorce. Don’t stand here throwing a tantrum," Nina said, her voice eerily calm as she stared into his eyes.

She had wasted three years on Zachary. It was enough.

If he had shown her even a shred of respect when she’d tried to find a job, she wouldn’t be pushing him this hard now.

Zachary sneered. "You think it’ll be that easy to divorce me and run off with your childhood sweetheart? If you don’t want those debt collectors causing you trouble, you’d better think this through."

Nina’s brow furrowed. "Are you threatening me again?"

"Then how about I make Adrian Pemberton disappear forever?" Zachary asked, his expression laced with impatience.

Nina shoved him hard. "Zachary, don’t you go too far!"

"So what if I am? What can you do about it?" Zachary said coldly. "You’re the one who doesn’t know your place, forcing my hand. You kept meeting him in secret. I thought you were just trying to make me jealous, so I didn’t stop you. But you’re the one who took things too far!"

With that, he opened the car door and got in.

Nina stood frozen in place, her body trembling with uncontrollable anger.

"Get in the car, or he won’t be walking out of that bar tonight!" Zachary threatened sharply.

Nina’s tightly clenched fists slowly unfurled. She silently got into the car.

The car pulled away.

They drove the entire way in silence.

The moment they got home, Zachary grabbed Nina and kissed her. She tried to resist, but he pushed her against the door, his kiss becoming more forceful.

Her mouth still tasted faintly of sweet liquor.

When he finally pulled away, Zachary pressed his forehead against Nina’s. "Who gave you permission to ask for a divorce?!" he whispered.

Nina gasped for breath but didn’t answer, her eyes lowered in a stubborn expression.

"Nina, I’m talking to you," Zachary roared.

"I have nothing to say," Nina replied coldly.

Zachary slammed his fist into the door behind her. Nina flinched, her body shuddering. "Are you going to hit me?" she whispered, her brow trembling.

"If I were going to hit you, I would have done it back at the bar. Did you really think you could have stopped me?" he asked, a cold sneer on his lips.

"I’m tired. I want to rest." Nina didn’t want to argue anymore. ’I wonder if the prize money will come through tonight... and I need to figure out how to stand up to Zachary. I have to work.’

She pushed Zachary away and walked toward the staircase.

Zachary watched her retreating back, realizing for the first time that Nina had truly run out of patience with him.

He thought for a moment, then called for Silas Sinclair.

The moment Silas Sinclair stepped inside, he was met with Zachary’s furious command. "From now on, you will treat her with more respect!"

"...Yes, sir." Silas Sinclair had always been adept at reading Zachary’s moods.

Nina took a shower and went straight to bed.

When Zachary finished his shower and lay down, he reached out to hold her, but Nina immediately shifted away. "I need to get a job, Zachary. I never expected you to pay off my family’s debts. You might look down on the small amount of money I can make, but it’s money I’ll have earned myself. I won’t have stolen it or cheated for it. What right do you have to look down on me for that?"

"If you need money, you can just ask. Why do you have to work?" Zachary said, exasperated.

"I don’t want your money! I want to work!" Nina retorted instantly.

"Fine, do whatever you want," Zachary snapped, turning his back to her. "If you can actually find a job, I’ll admit you have some skills!"

Nina barely slept that night. She got up before dawn the next day and crept downstairs.

She was still there when the sun came up.

The prize money had been transferred at two in the morning. She had received nearly one hundred thousand.

The money she had tried to transfer to Adrian Pemberton had been returned.

This eighty-nine thousand was a testament to her first act of defiance against Zachary, and it filled her with complex emotions.

For three years with Zachary, she had never had to think about money when she bought something. He had been generous—except for the period after Luna Sterling’s return. Nina had never worried about money before; two million, even twenty million, had been amounts she never had to care about.

Only now did she realize how hard money was to earn.

She had earned that eighty-nine thousand by dancing with Adrian, disregarding the fact that she was a married woman.

Faced with a shortage of cash, the lines she had drawn for herself were beginning to blur, one by one.

When Zachary came downstairs, she had already finished breakfast. "I’m going to the hospital and then I’m going to look for a job," she told him. "Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency."

She also had to find out what was happening with the bridge loan debt.

"Suit yourself," Zachary said coldly.

They had officially entered a cold war.

At the hospital, Nina paid twenty thousand in fees and gave Mrs. Wainwright a thousand for food expenses before heading out to look for a job.

She gave up on the idea of training centers and decided to try hotels instead. She’d heard that the girls who worked the private rooms could earn a hefty commission if they were charismatic and good at selling liquor.

She had the looks for it. As soon as the hotel manager saw her, his eyes lit up. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four," Nina replied, standing tall and allowing the manager to look her over.

"The perfect age. Come with me to HR and get registered. If you’re available, you can start tonight. We’re a legitimate establishment—you just have to encourage the guests to order more drinks. If any of them harass you, you can call for security." The manager beamed, turning to lead her to the registration office.*****