Chapter 3

Mary lay down, trying to calm herself and find the right words to tell Catherine that divorce was the only viable option for her marriage. Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a new text message.

[How did you like yesterday's scene?

You know, this isn't the first time. We do it once or twice a day; your husband is insatiable. Normally this only happens in couples who truly love each other. I suppose you wouldn't know, since your marriage is just a farce, and the only one happy with it is you.]

The message was accompanied by a highly compromising photo of Alexia and Maximus. All the calm that Mary had managed to maintain shattered, and she began to cry desperately. He had never touched her like that. She wasn't a virgin, but he had never desired her the way he clearly desired Alexia in that picture.

Suddenly, she went into a frenzy, knocking over everything on her vanity. She smashed the mirror, sending shards of glass scattering across the floor. She picked up a piece and began cutting into her skin. She wanted to feel alive, and these cuts gave her a strange, pleasurable pain that made her feel better. She had discovered some time ago that cutting herself was a way to release her frustration, so she often had marks on her arms. Without realizing it, she cut a vein in her wrist, causing her to bleed out quickly.

Emma heard the noise and rushed to Mary's room. When she tried to enter, she found the door was locked from the inside.

"Ma'am? Ma'am? Are you alright? Please answer me!" Emma called out, panic in her voice.

The housekeeper, getting no response, became frightened and began dialing Maximus's number.

"Please pick up, please…"

"Yes?"

"Sir, please come quickly! The missus has locked herself in her room and won't open the door. I heard a lot of noise inside, but she won't open or answer me."

"Emma, I'm about to go into a meeting. It's probably just another one of her tantrums to make me come back. Go get the keys and open that damn door."

"But, sir…"

"Just do what I said!"

"Understood, sir. Sorry to bother you."

Emma ran to get the keys and unlocked the door. When she entered and saw the scene before her, she couldn't help but scream.

"Ahh!!! Ma'am! What have you done?!"

Mary was unresponsive, her face streaked with blood, her arms covered in cuts.

"Ma'am, what have you done?!" Emma cried out again.

Emma knelt down to try to lift her, but Mary had passed out. One of the cuts had severed an important vein, and she had lost a lot of blood. Emma panicked, started crying, and called emergency services. She dialed Maximus again, but seeing the call, he ignored it, assuming it was another issue related to his wife. With no response, Emma had no choice but to call Catherine.

"Mrs. Catherine, I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't know what to do anymore. Mrs. Mary just tried to take her own life. I called an ambulance, but it hasn't arrived yet. I tried calling Mr. Palmer, but I couldn't reach him. I'm going to the hospital with her."

Catherine was speechless, but she quickly responded.

"What happened? Tell me! Explain!" she said, her voice strained with anxiety. "I'm on my way!"

Emma tried calling Maximus's number again, and this time, Matthew answered.

"Emma, what's going on? Why are you calling so insistently? The boss is in a very important meeting."

"Matthew, Mrs. Mary just tried to kill herself. The ambulance just arrived, and I'm going with her. I had to inform Mrs. Catherine. She's on her way to the hospital."

Matthew's face went pale. Just yesterday, he'd seen Mary so calm. That calm had shattered today, and he knew it was because of what she'd witnessed yesterday.

"I'll inform the boss immediately. Keep me updated," Matthew said, his voice filled with worry.

Without a second thought, Matthew walked into the meeting room, fully aware he was only to interrupt if it was urgent. Maximus saw him enter and put on a cold expression.

"What's going on, Matthew?" Maximus asked irritably.

"Sir, Emma just called. Mrs. Palmer attempted to take her own life and is on her way to the hospital."

Maximus's face turned pale. He stood up from his chair and said, "Gentlemen, I must leave. If there's anything urgent, please inform Matthew."

With that, he walked out of the meeting room without another word.

"What exactly did Emma tell you?" he asked Matthew as they walked.

"Only what I just told you. She didn't have time for more details. She's in the ambulance with the lady," Matthew responded.

At that moment, Alexia approached and asked Maximus, "What's going on? Why did you leave the meeting so suddenly? We have to close the deal today; we can't afford to lose it," she said, annoyed.

"The deal will be closed, but I have to leave."

"Maximus, where are you going?" Alexia shouted, losing her composure.

"Alexia, don't forget that I'm the boss here, and you don't get to speak to me like that," Maximus said, holding her chin.

"Maximus, I'm sorry, but…"

"No buts. I have to go right now!"

Maximus hurried out, heading to the hospital, trying to understand what was happening. Today's argument had been minor compared to others. He couldn't fathom why his wife was acting this way. It didn't make sense to him. He thought that maybe it was their big age difference.