Chapter 2

"Oh, sweetie. Don't listen to your aunt's nonsense." Tina turned to frown at Nadia. "What are you talking about? You're always running your mouth. You're gonna be a bad influence on Casper."

Nadia just grinned. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you guys to it. I'm heading out."

She saw Gabrielle on her way to the door, but the latter might as well have been invisible. Nadia acted like she didn't even see her and brushed past while humming a tune.

Gabrielle stepped inside. "Mom."

Tina nodded. "Your grandma went upstairs to lie down. I'm the one who asked you guys to come over."

Out of the corner of her eye, Gabrielle saw Morgan sitting in a single armchair. He was slouched forward with his legs spread, flipping through a magazine like none of this had anything to do with him.

His face was all hard lines and unbelievably good looks; he was flawless from every angle. A cool, distant air hung around him—the kind of chill that made people instinctively keep their distance.

The old Gabrielle completely fell under Morgan's spell. Every time she saw Morgan, she just couldn't stop herself from wanting to get close. Even if he looked at her with nothing but disgust, she'd taken it all like some sweet reward.

"You all know what Nadia's like," Tina said. "What happened today was just one of her jokes. Nobody is allowed to take it to heart, and nobody brings it up again. Got it?"

Morgan stood and walked out. He'd never been a fan of Tina's lectures.

"Daddy!" Casper ran after him, catching his hand.

Gabrielle and Tina were the only ones left in the living room. Tina sighed and settled back against the couch, her gaze running over Gabrielle.

She said, "Morgan's a businessman. Playing the social game and putting on a show for people is par for the course. We're not expecting you to help him with the company, but at the very least, you need to do your part as his wife. Take care of yourself, look put-together, and keep the house spotless.

"Being Mrs. Quilton is no walk in the park. If you think a piece of paper with your names on it means you can just sit back and relax, you're dead wrong. Take this as a wake-up call. From now on, you'd better learn how to be Mrs. Quilton."

Gabrielle stood there with her head down, her legs going numb. Her mouth twisted in a bitter smile. How ironic—Morgan was the cheating one, yet she was the one getting chewed out.

When Tina finally finished, she waved Gabrielle off. "Alright, you can go."

The way Gabrielle just stood there and took it made her look so lowly and pathetic. Even Tina found it annoying to look at.

As soon as Gabrielle left, Tina said to a maid, "Get Morgan for me."

…

Gabrielle went looking for Casper. She hadn't really had a chance to look at him properly all afternoon, and right now, she missed him so much it hurt.

He was over by the pond in the backyard, watched by a couple of maids. He fished with a tiny, kid-sized rod.

Gabrielle walked over.

"Mommy." Casper turned around to greet her.

She crouched down and ruffled his hair, then kissed his handsome face. She asked gently, "What did your Aunt Nadia say to you just now?"

He frowned. "Nothing."

Gabrielle paused, then tried again. "Then where did Daddy take you this afternoon?"

Casper kept his eyes locked on the surface of the water. "Ugh, stop, Mommy. You're gonna scare my fish away."

She fell silent. Light reflecting off the water cast a wavering glow across her face, leaving her skin drained of color. She bit her lip, forcing down the bitterness in her chest.

Casper had been sickly since the day he was born, so she'd stayed home to care for him. He was physically fragile, but he'd inherited Morgan's temperament. He'd grown up too fast, and his personality was as cold as his father's.

He used to be glued to her side, but somehow, in the last couple of years, he'd started to pull away.

…

Morgan went back into the living room.

Tina sounded resigned. "I like Winona, too, you know. I really do. I still think about how much better things could be if you'd married her back then. But the fact remains that you and Gabrielle are married now. It's a done deal. Even if it's just for Casper's sake, you need to keep a lower profile."

Morgan's expression stayed cool and unreadable; he said nothing. It was hard to tell if any of Tina's words had gotten through.

"Even if you want a divorce, you need to plan for it. Don't forget that your position isn't secure yet. If you really can't stand her, just wait a couple more years. Once you're firmly in place and Casper's a little older, you two can get divorced."

The Quilton family had two branches. Morgan had an uncle, and that uncle had two sons. The younger one was the favorite of Morgan's grandmother, Gretchen Bronson.

After Morgan's grandfather, Philip Quilton, passed away, Gretchen had seriously considered handing the company to that younger grandson.

Morgan had only managed to shut that down because he was ruthless enough to ship his uncle's whole family overseas, cutting off Gretchen's fantasy at the root.

Gabrielle had married Morgan right in the middle of that storm.

"Got it," Morgan said curtly, looking impatient as he got to his feet.

"Wait—" Tina didn't even get to finish. She could only watch him walk away.

Her gaze turned somewhat resentful. Her own son had never been close to her, even as a child.

…

Casper didn't manage to catch anything and decided he wanted to be with Tina.

Gabrielle asked one of the maids to take him back and stayed alone by the pavilion. That was when she suddenly heard someone talking on the phone.

She turned and spotted Morgan through the tall reeds, which swayed in the breeze. Morgan wore a black suit that accentuated his striking face; he looked like he'd stepped out of a painting. A cigarette dangled between his fingers.

"I'm not surprised," he said.

A playful, flirty voice rang out on the other end of the line. "Oh, come on!"

"You've always been amazing, so I'm not surprised to see you pull this off."

Whoever was on the line clearly ate it up.

Gabrielle's nails dug into her palms as a dense ache spread through her chest. So, he did know how to sweet-talk a woman. He could sound so loving and tender.

She didn't know what the other woman said next, but Morgan actually pressed a light kiss to his phone screen.

Gabrielle froze, like she'd been struck by lightning. It had never even crossed her mind that he could do something so… immature.

Then again, maybe it made sense. No matter how aloof a man was, he would turn childish and eager when he was with the woman he truly loved.

"Heard enough?" Morgan hung up and turned around.

He'd known Gabrielle was there the whole time, yet he hadn't even considered taking the conversation somewhere private.

Gabrielle felt a little nervous. Being around him always triggered this instinctive fear in her.

In college, she'd fallen for him at first sight. Every time she'd run into him after that, the crush had left her tongue-tied, with her heart slamming against her ribs. She could barely string a full sentence together.

After they got married, she'd bent over backward trying to make him like her. She'd tiptoed around him, trying to please him in every way she could think of.

Back then, she'd still been young, with flawless skin and curves in all the right places. Even after having a baby, she'd maintained her figure.

When Morgan was in a decent mood, he would have sex with her, but it was always just about him. Once he was done, he left, and she cleaned up.

Later, as she put on weight and seemed to become dull and lifeless, he'd stopped touching her altogether.

Gabrielle said, "I saw you and Casp at the hotel this afternoon."

Morgan snapped his silver lighter open. A blue flame flared to life, and he tilted his head, lighting the cigarette between his lips. "And?"

Smoke blurred his features, but his eyes stayed razor-sharp and cold, like a blade pointed straight at her.

Gabrielle grimaced. What was she supposed to do—collapse onto the ground while sobbing and screaming? How would she be any different from a housewife whose husband was thoroughly disgusted by her?

That would only make Morgan despise her more.

"Nothing," Gabrielle said.

She turned to leave, but his voice rang out behind her.

"If you want a divorce, come to my office next Monday at 10:00 am."

Her back went rigid. After a long moment, she said, "Okay."

Morgan paused halfway through taking a drag. He turned to stare at her back, seemingly caught off guard by her answer.

"Don't be late," he added. "I hate waiting for people."