Todos os capítulos de She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife: Capítulo 101 - Capítulo 110

(Natasha)The curb outside the Biltmore is a solid wall of shouting photographers.Flashbulbs ignite the second my heel hits the pavement, bleaching the night into a harsh, strobe-lit white.Julian pulls up right behind me. I wonder how the hell he managed that.He adjusts his cuffs with the casual, loose-limbed arrogance of a man who lives for this exact kind of chaos.He offers me his arm and I take it, keeping my chin perfectly level as the shouting surges against the velvet ropes."Natasha! Who are you wearing?""Are the divorce papers signed?""Is it true Chase is moving on?"I don't blink. I don't smile. I let my midnight blue dress do the talking.It’s cut so deep in the back that it practically doesn’t exist, and the slit on the leg is a deliberate, aggressive provocation.I’m relying on double-sided tape and shallow breathing just to keep it on my body.It’s a dress engineered specifically to make an ex-husband choke on his drink.We clear the red carpet and step through the

(Julian)I stand near a ridiculous swan carved out of ice and watch the Warrens tear each other apart without opening their mouths.Chase has his hand clamped flush against Natasha’s spine.They’re moving to the music, but it looks more like a hostage situation.Her posture is completely rigid.His jaw is locked.The space between them is charged with a hostile gravity that usually ends in property damage.I take a slow sip of my martini.I arranged this fireworks display, and the yield is spectacular.My goal tonight was simple.Jolt Sonia back into Chase’s visible proximity, let the cameras document it, and watch the Warren Global board panic.A destabilized Chase is a malleable Chase.Sonia, bless her, is a blunt instrument. She did exactly what I told her to do.I glance toward the champagne pyramid.Sonia’s standing by a marble pillar, strangling a clutch purse, watching Chase dance with his wife.It’s almost a pity. I handed her the stage, and Chase simply walked right off it.W

(Natasha)I sit on the edge of the plastic chair, staring at the closed door, holding Lily’s printed chart.Attending Consultant: Dr. James Bailey.It’s a common last name, I tell myself.The doorknob turns.He walks in reading a file, his white coat crisp."Sorry to keep you waiting, I was just reviewing the genetic-"He looks up and stops dead.The file dips in his hand. He doesn't drop it, but it’s a close call.I stand up. Turns out the name isn't a coincidence.The graying temples are new, and he holds himself with an educated, confident posture my father never possessed, but the jawline is identical.The shape of the eyes.It feels like I’m looking at the ghost of my father, but actually I’m looking at Will Bailey’s younger brother.He’s effectively a stranger.I think I met him twice before I turned six.After my mother walked out, my father started drinking with the kind of quiet dedication that eventually ruins everything.I got shipped off to my grandmother.When she died, I

(Jeffrey)I tap the right arrow key on my keyboard and the image on the monitor shifts to the next high-resolution file.I zoom in on Chase Warren’s hand.It’s splayed wide and heavy across Natasha’s lower back.The midnight blue silk of her dress looks thin enough to tear.My jaw locks.Chase is looking at the camera, completely ignoring the goddess in his arms.He’s treating her like a corporate asset, the way he always has.Like a shiny hood ornament he brought out to distract his board of directors.He doesn’t even see the tension in her.He doesn’t care that her shoulders are rigid, or that she looks like she wants to be anywhere else.He just grips her tighter, staking a claim on something he hasn’t earned and doesn’t understand.It’s the sheer, stupid arrogance of it that makes my skin crawl.I will take much better care of Natasha once she’s mine.I close the photo viewer.I’m not a man who loses. And I don’t mind being a little devious when necessary.Punishing Chase for his

(Natasha)The elevator doors slide shut, cutting off my view of the penthouse lobby.The descent begins, pulling my stomach down with it.My hands are gripping the handle of Lily’s stroller so tight my fingers are starting to cramp.Back for round two already?I squeeze my eyes shut, but the image is fixed there.Sonia standing in his kitchen, wearing his shirt.Yes, I left in anger two nights ago, but I thought we were in a stalemate.I didn’t realize he would turn around the second I left and move his mistress back in.This is obviously his pattern. The moment I’m not doing whatever he wants me to, he goes back to the woman who does.The betrayal hits low and hard, a physical ache that makes me want to throw up.I was right not to trust the quiet moments between us.Chase is not my friend.He’s certainly not fit to be my husband.We will always be tied together because of Lily, but I have to let go of any hope I’m still nurturing that we could be more than co-parents.I’m glad I did