"Oh, what a surprise to see you here as well."
I greeted her with a casual smile, not showing any particular interest.
Regina observed my fragile demeanor. Her attire exuded an air of elegance and sophistication, reflecting her refined taste. It appeared that Justin had been quite generous with his financial gestures towards her over the years.
I can't believe as these were supposed to be mine!
"Indeed, I am afflicted with leukemia. Justin went out of his way to make sure I was admitted to this hospital and assured me that they are highly skilled in treating leukemia." Regina's eyes burned with a mix of envy and animosity, yet her voice remained detached.
"Leukemia?" I was absolutely taken aback.
"Yes. According to Justin, your parents were highly knowledgeable about leukemia and had a history of working at this hospital. Thus, numerous treatments and methods have been left behind by them who worked here before." Regina couldn't help but bring up Justin in every single sentence she uttered.
Every single word she uttered was meant to belittle me.
The man I adored generously covered the medical expenses for his mistress, my rival, at the very hospital where my parents were once employed.
I smiled calmly. "I wish you a speedy recovery."
And following that, I readied myself to depart.
But as I was about to leave, Regina suddenly voiced her thoughts once more. "Oh, and Margarette, let me just remind you that Justin belongs to only’ me."
Her voice exuded self-assurance as she confidently expressed her thoughts.
I couldn't help but come to a sudden halt. Regina, who was standing right behind me, kept on talking. "Had it not been for your timely interference, Justin would have undoubtedly chosen to marry me, regardless of any circumstances. It's important to understand that the individual who isn't reciprocated in love often finds themselves in the role of the third party. Thanks to you, I've wasted countless years not being able to be with him. You relished all the things that I should have. Do you not feel any shame? It seems that Justin's feelings for you may not be as strong as you had hoped. So why still bother protecting something that's hollow?"
Indeed, she was right. Over the course of the last three years, Justin has consistently failed to provide me with any affection, instead choosing to shower me with his financial resources.
"If he has such strong feelings for you, allow him to express himself. There's no need for you to shoulder his burden." I then turned around and responded with a chilly tone.
Regina's words were clearly intended to provoke me. I was fully aware.
Even if this were the case, hearing it from Regina still managed to bring me down and make me feel incredibly uneasy. I supposed her affection for Justin had endured over the course of countless years.
Regina couldn't help but stifle a silent laugh. "He simply believes that you're a rather unfortunate orphan, so he didn't have the heart to express it too harshly. Furthermore, it's grandma who only holds you in high regard. Didn't you enter into a marriage with the Montefalcos because of this? Regrettably, Justin does not have any feelings for you whatsoever!"
For some reason, that was what finally triggered me and forced me to face her once more. "Oh yeah? What if there is a hint of affection in his heart for me? He displayed an intense level of passion in the bed with me anyway. He constantly plagued me, pushing me to the brink of breaking. Why do you suppose he made physical contact with me when he had such strong feelings for you?"
As soon as my words left my lips, I noticed a subtle shift in Regina's demeanor. And to my dismay, I turned around only to find the person I least wanted to encounter in this very moment.
"Justin!" she called out.
I was deceived and set up by Regina in order to tarnish my reputation in Justin's eyes.
I couldn't help but let out a sigh. As anticipated, I once again failed to maintain my composure.
I spun around and came face to face with that alluring yet slightly intimidating visage of my husband. His demeanor exuded an air of aloofness and discontent.
"I've come to see how my physical condition is doing." I reasoned when I added, "I unexpectedly caught sight of her. Feel free to engage in conversation. I'm leaving anyway," I said confidently, without a hint of guilt.
"How was it?" Justin abruptly halted me in my tracks.
"Your secretary has been provided with the medical report. He'll deliver it to you. Rest assured, I am not expecting a baby just as I told you," I grinned warmly.
Upon hearing my words, Justin couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. His response caught me off guard, especially considering he never seemed enthusiastic about starting a family in the first place. It's quite unsettling to see his recent change in behavior.
However, when he saw Regina, all this reaction vanished in an instant. He was eager to address the issue promptly. "Now that you're not expecting a child, we can finally address the remaining issues and find a resolution as quickly as we can."
"Do we really have to discuss this here at the hospital? I mean, I skipped my meal due to the medical examination. I'm so hungry hungry now, I could practically faint!" A small smile graced my lips. The softness of my lips was undeniable. This was my typical flirtatious attitude.
Justin always found my playful appearance particularly appealing.
However, his demeanor had turned icy. "We can discuss this further once you've had something to eat."
"Shall we engage in conversation over a meal?" I was determined not to overlook it. I felt the warmth of Justin's hand in mine. "Well, I reluctantly came here for a checkup and now I have to assist you with Grandma. The least you could fo for me is take me out to lunch. I mean, can't we have a meal together, just the two of us? You know, If it weren't for me, you wouldn't find it so effortless to end our marriage."
The meaning behind my words was clear. And there was no way Justin could deny my request.
Regina glanced at my arm. Despite the intense jealousy consuming her, she managed to keep a calm and collected demeanor. "Indeed. Justin, would you mind joining her for a meal? You two can have a conversation about the issue over a meal."
"Well, it seems that she possesses a greater sense of reason than you do. Anyway, I know of a hidden gem of a restaurant in the area that serves absolutely mouthwatering dishes. I've been longing to go for quite some time. Take me there, Justin." I chimed, even sounding to make Regina feel more jealous.
Given Regina's desire to uphold her noble and kind persona, I couldn't help but feel a satisfaction seeing her envious gaze.
Nevertheless, Justin still manages to inflict pain on me, especially when, just before we depart, he quickly approaches Regina and said, "Regina, please return to your room and get some rest. I'll return shortly.
It's disappointing that Justin actually agreed with me and made sure to gently remind Regina. Particularly when Regina slightly tilt her head beyond her shoulders to give me a vengeful stare that she still wins this one against me.
The rain was falling again.It always did on days like this—days that felt like endings.I stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the stormy waters of Anacortes, my coat pulled tightly around me, the hood shielding my face from the wind that carried the scent of salt and something older—something like goodbye.Leon stood behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to feel him there. His presence was familiar now, carved into my skin like muscle memory. He’d been my gravity, my storm, my salvation, and my ruin—sometimes all at once.“It’s really over, isn’t it?” I whispered, more to the wind than to him.He didn’t answer right away. His silence was as heavy as the stormclouds above us.“I wanted to fix everything for you,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged across a battlefield. “I wanted to give you a life that didn’t hurt.”I closed my eyes. The ache in my chest pulsed with every beat of my heart. “You did,” I said. “For a while, you did.”I heard the crunch
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m not the same person I was before,” I said, my voice firm, unwavering. “And I’m not walking away this time.”The man’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, just enough for me to catch. And then, before I could even register what had happened, Leon moved.Faster than I could blink, Leon was in front of me, his hand grabbing the gun and twisting it out of the man’s grasp. The force of it sent the man stumbling back, but he didn’t go down easily. His bodyguards rushed in, but Leon was already a step ahead, disarming one of them with a swift, calculated move.I stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what I was witnessing. Leon—always so calm, always so careful—was ruthless. He was like a force of nature, determined to protect me at all costs.But the fight wasn’t over yet. The man recovered, his eyes burning with rage. “You really think you’ve won?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing but a pawn in a game you can’t ev
The sound of boots drew closer, pounding the floor with an urgency that echoed through the cavernous halls of the estate. My heart raced as the reality of what I had just heard crashed into me like a tidal wave. The man who had once been a part of my life—my family’s betrayer, the one who had orchestrated their deaths—stood there, calmly, as if this was just another night for him.Leon’s grip on my hand tightened, but I didn’t let him pull me away. I could feel the air thickening with tension, the walls pressing in as everything I thought I knew began to crumble.The intruders were only moments away.The man—he—smirked, watching us. “You think this will end well? You’ve no idea what you’re up against. My people are everywhere.”I took a step forward, ignoring Leon’s silent plea to retreat. “You killed them. And you thought I would be the next one to fall in line?” My voice was a whisper, but it held a power I hadn’t realized I had. “You were wrong.”The man’s face faltered, just for a
Next Morning at the Estate Archives. The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and secrets. Old boxes lined the walls, labeled in my father’s tidy script. Financial records. Land deeds. Correspondence.Leon sifted through a crate of documents while I dug through another.Then something caught my eye.A faded folder labeled: Project Thornfield.I opened it slowly.Inside were blueprints—plans for development across coastal land that was supposed to be protected forest. There were signatures from multiple board members, including names I recognized.And then, one I didn’t.N. Vallis.Leon leaned over. “You know that name?”I shook my head. “No. But look here—he signed off on the project two weeks before my parents died.”Leon pulled out his phone. “I’ll run a background check.”I kept flipping through the documents—and found something that made my blood run cold.An aerial photo.Of the cliffside. Our property.With a giant red X drawn over the coordinates where my p
THREE WEEKS LATER...The investigation moved faster than I’d expected. With the board fully on our side now, the paper trail unraveled like a thread pulled from an old sweater—each piece of evidence exposing the next. Shell companies. Forged contracts. Witnesses who had remained silent out of fear but were finally coming forward.Still, no one had seen him since the day of the summit. He had vanished without a trace. No flights. No offshore activity. No messages. It was like he’d disappeared into smoke.But Dorian didn’t believe in ghosts. “He’s hiding,” he said as he handed me a thick folder. “And this—this will force him out.”I flipped through the documents. Bank records. A property registered under an alias. Hidden deep in the woods outside of Anacortes. I felt my stomach twist.Leon stepped up behind me, his hand grazing my shoulder. “Let’s pay him a visit.”The cabin was barely more than a shadow tucked between trees. No lights. No car. Just silence and the thrum of insects in t
Sunlight crept cautiously through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden slivers across the hardwood floor of the safe house bedroom. I sat curled up on the edge of the bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders and the journal heavy in my lap. The cover was cracked, worn with age and secrets. My fingers hovered over the first page for what felt like an eternity.Leon was nearby—he hadn’t slept much, either. He stood at the window with a mug of black coffee, watching the world outside with quiet alertness. When I finally opened the journal, he turned slightly but didn’t speak. He knew I needed silence for this.The first entry was dated nearly two decades ago.July 14th. We signed the contract today. Two families, one future. The woman from Delmar Holdings is more cunning than I expected. She knows we’re desperate—and she used it. I told Mariana to trust me. That this was the only way. God help me, I hope I’m right.My breath hitched. Mariana—that was my mother’s name.I flipped thro