Chapter 3

I spent three grueling days in court while Miles spent his time with Susan on a supposed business trip.

Though labeled as work, Susan's social media feed was buzzing. Miles accompanied her to tourist hotspots, posed for photos wearing ridiculous headbands in crowded streets, and even shared food off the same plate despite his severe germophobia.

During our honeymoon years ago, he had reminded me of almost everything.

"Remember to send me your half for that."

My mother's case made progress, with the attorney assuring me we had a strong chance of winning at the final hearing. As I stepped out of the courthouse, my phone vibrated as the company group chat blew up.

[Juicy news! The assistant said the hotel had a power outage, so Mr. Thornton and Susan ended up sharing a room!]

Susan replied with a blushing emoji: [I'm afraid of the dark, so Mr. Thornton just came over to keep me company. Don't spread false rumors!]

Yet attached was a photo of Miles sitting beside her bed, working in the dim light, wearing loungewear that matched hers.

The chat erupted with excitement.

I closed the app, used my remaining funds to settle Miles's promissory note, and went straight to the office to submit my resignation.

The HR manager, Brenda Lindsey, looked at me with concern. "Are you resigning because of what happened to your family? I could talk to Mr. Thornton and ask him to give you a few days to adjust."

I gave a bitter smile. "Thank you, Brenda, but I accepted a job overseas."

Deep down, I knew Miles's leniency was never meant for me.

After finishing the exit paperwork, I rushed toward the courthouse for the final trial hearing. On the way, Miles's name suddenly flashed on my screen.

I picked up, only to hear Susan sobbing over the line. "Mr. Thornton had a horrific accident at the construction site! He's in critical condition. You need to get to the hospital right now!"

My brain went blank.

Even though I was set on divorce, Miles had been my husband for five years. Worst-case scenarios flooded my mind. I hung up on my attorney's incoming call and stumbled into the emergency room.

But when I threw open the door to his private suite, Miles was sitting there in a tailored suit, calmly working on his laptop.

He didn't look injured in the slightest, and tears were still wet on my cheeks.

Susan sprang forward, pointing a DSLR camera straight at my face. "You fell for it! I guess my acting skills aren't too bad."

"What is going on here?" I demanded in a raspy voice.

Miles closed his laptop and walked over, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I was training Susan so she'd learn how to handle tough clients and use performance to protect herself in high-pressure situations."

His lips kept moving, but I couldn't hear anything else.

I had walked away from the final trial hearing, only for it to be a sick game between the two of them.

"You've gone way too far!" I snapped, shoving the camera away with all my strength.

The camera slammed onto the floor, its lens shattering into pieces.

Susan instantly burst into tears. "Mrs. Thornton, blame me if you must. Don't blame Mr. Thornton. He was only trying to train me so I could contribute more to the company."

Miles gently comforted her, then turned toward me with a gaze cold enough to freeze.

"You've made a total mess over your mother's affairs, wasting a massive amount of my time and energy. I was simply taking back what was mine. This has nothing to do with Susan."

Watching them support each other made my stomach churn. "Do you have any idea what I just missed..."

Miles raised a hand to cut me off. "I don't care about your personal drama."

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes when he caught sight of my tears, but his tone quickly hardened. "I'm just telling you. Don't let something like this happen again."

I let out a hollow laugh as I glanced at him, then at Susan, who was doing a poor job of hiding her triumphant smirk. I turned on my heels and sprinted out of the room.

As he watched me disappear down the hallway without so much as a backward glance, something in Miles's chest suddenly sank. But Susan's voice immediately pulled his attention back.

"Mr. Thornton, come meet a client with me. It's just nearby."

"Alright."

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, the attorney called.

"I'm so sorry. We lost the case. The court ruled against us, and the defense counter-claimed that your mother attempted an insurance scam, causing significant public backlash online..."

I closed my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks. My mother's dying wish had ended in ruin.

As I dragged my exhausted body down the street, the cemetery caretaker called. "Your mother's gravestone has been vandalized! You need to get over here right away!"