Burned Once, Never Again (Niamh and Castiel)

Niamh was gone!

She left behind a document that caused a stir throughout Greenburg and completely overturned all the negative public opinion against her.

The Greenburg Scoop acted quickly. Two hours after Niamh boarded the plane, a shocking news headline appeared-"Mrs. Jamison Had Filed for Divorce Way Earlier".

The accompanying photos showed the signed divorce agreement and the court receipt for the lawsuit she had filed. There was even a handwriting and timestamp verification report showing that the divorce had been filed before Macy's kidnapping.

No one cared how much earlier Niamh had initiated the divorce proceedings. Since she had already filed for divorce, this cast doubt on the theory that she had kidnapped Macy. Public opinion against her shifted.

People went from condemning Niamh to pondering the fact that it wouldn't be plausible for a wife who was about to divorce her husband to kidnap his mistress. They began to speculate that perhaps Niamh had simply been disappointed with Castiel and was protecting her interests in the most rational way.

It wasn't likely for such a level-headed person to commit such an extreme act.

Soon, everyone began to scrutinize and speculate about Castiel's private life. Perhaps Macy's kidnapping was the result of Castiel having too many lovers, and a conflict broke out between these disgruntled ladies. Both Macy and the Jamison family found themselves the subject of everyone's criticism.

Castiel had been in the middle of a meeting at his office. He stopped everything and called Niamh repeatedly. To his dismay, ever since she hung up on him, her phone had been turned off.

The staff at Maplewood also reported that she hadn't returned.

Soon, the sky had gotten dark.

Castiel exuded an icy air. A gloomy expression hung over his face, and he was filled with the desire to tear Niamh apart.

"Lucian!" he barked.

"Yes, Mr. Jamison, Lucian responded immediately.

"Find out where she is right away," Castiel ordered.

He cursed at Niamh's boldness and felt angered at how she had the guts to expose those documents to the public.

At the hospital, Macy had just removed the bandages from her eyes when Sienna arrived.

Upon seeing her face, Sienna put on a grave expression and cautioned, "You'll need to watch out for yourself now." This was a critical moment for them.

A pale-faced Macy turned to Sienna and asked, "How could this happen? Where is that woman. now?"

Sienna looked upset and troubled. Her usually impeccably curled hair was now slightly disheveled. "How would I know where she is?" she snapped. Everyone in Jamison Manor and Castiel himself were both frantically searching for Niamh. They were losing their minds trying to locate her.

A wicked and scheming look flashed crossed Macy's eyes. They had originally prepared a big trap for Niamh. However, the public's opinion had turned around completely. Macy had played the victim and earned everyone's sympathy previously. Now, both she and Castiel were dragged through the mud.

The Jamison family was a conservative family that valued its reputation. While they had never. thought highly of Niamh, she had at least helped maintain their image. At that moment, everything was falling apart. The ones living in Jamison Manor wouldn't stand for it. I've underestimated her. I thought she'd be at a loss by now. Never did I expect she would still be so composed," Macy fumed.

They had laid out one trap after another for Niamh. Surprisingly, she had unraveled everything in just one move.

Macy glared at Sienna. "Didn't you say she wouldn't leave Castiel no matter what? Why is there a signed divorce agreement and even a verification of her handwriting? This shows that she had prepared in advance!"

The divorce agreement had been signed just before Macy's supposed kidnapping. That alone was enough to turn everything on its head.

From Niamh's action, it could be deduced that she had either decided to let go of Castiel or she had been prepared for this all along. The former was favorable for them, but the latter could pose a serious problem to their plans.

Whatever Macy was thinking, Sienna had thought the same too. They had accounted for everything-except Niamh signing the divorce agreement in advance.

"This was something I hadn't expected,' she admitted helplessly.

Sienna had based all her plans on her understanding of Niamh through observation. Despite the rumors over the past six months of Castiel's affair with Macy, Niamh had acted as if none of that was real. Whenever she visited Jamison Manor, she was gentle and composed.

Who could have guessed that she would suddenly change so much? She even took the initiative to file for divorce, no less.

"What do we do now?" Macy asked in a demanding tone.

She had gone to great lengths to pretend that her legs were broken and that her eye was damaged. Initially, they were counting on the pressure from public opinion to spur Castiel into Chopper 23

making some drastic decisions.

Now that the narrative had shifted, they feared Castiel might begin to doubt or notice something

was amiss.

Til head back to Jamison Manor and see what my mother says. Niamh might be there," Sienna responded after analyzing the situation and making a speculation.

Her goal was simple-she wanted Castiel and Niamh to be separated. As for the current public backlash, she didn't care as long as it didn't affect her.

But Macy was stuck with no way out, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Castiel returned to Jamison Manor. Renee and his grandmother, Margaret Lowe, looked

displeased. Margot, especially, had a very pronounced scowl on her face.

She shrieked, "Look at what's happening! The woman you insisted on marrying all those years ago has made a fool of the Jamison family! Where is she?" The mere mention of Niamh caused everyone's mood to further sour.

Castiel sat on the couch, radiating cold fury. Before coming over, he had gone back to Maplewood -Niamh wasn't there, and her phone was still off.

"Your grandmother is asking you a question. Where is she?" Renee snapped impatiently as Castiel remained silent.

This time, the Jamison family wouldn't tolerate Niamh any longer. Even though she had filed for divorce, they couldn't allow the Jamison family's name to be dragged through the mud.

Castiel turned to his mother, and his lips curled into a cold smile. "If she were here, what would you do? Hit her again?"

"Are you defending her now?" Renee was furious.

She felt a brief moment of guilt when Castiel brought up her usual treatment of Niamh. But when she thought about everything that was happening, her anger reignited. Even if she killed Niamh now, it wouldn't appease the intense rage she felt. Castiel stood up and walked out of the room.

He wondered when this place that he once called "home" became so foreign to him.

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