Chapter 4
I blinked, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Out of nowhere, a figure darted from behind, knocked me to the ground, and swept Delilah into his arms.
My heart, already battered, felt yet another fracture when Quentin turned his gaze on me, his voice sharp with admonition. “What the hell is wrong with you, Iris? Delilah just came by to say hello, and you attacked her out of nowhere?”
The look he gave me was devoid of any warmth, as though I were a stranger, not his wife. I met his glare with defiance, pressing my lips together in resolve. “She had the nerve to mention my mother and call me useless. Did you think I’d just sit back after you never explained what really happened?
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Chapter 4
+ 5 Points
You just said the operation failed, and that was it.”
Quentin raised an eyebrow, panic flickering in his eyes before he quickly masked it. “Explanation? Didn’t we already go over this? Her condition was too precarious; that’s why it failed. Why are you acting as if I’m keeping secrets from you?”
But he
was keeping secrets. I longed to
confront him with the truth I knew I was
saving that for the right moment to exact my
revenge.
Before I could voice my thoughts, he
continued, ”
ened, it
doesn’t ex Added to the library ilah when she was being nothing but kinu. I expect you to apologize.”
Delilah spoke up before I could respond. “It’s
2/8
Chapter 4
5 Points
okay, Quentin. Maybe she still resents me after Gareth broke off their engagement to marry me. Perhaps I deserved that slap. Let’s not make things harder for her; consider this my way of making amends.”
Without waiting for my response, they turned away. Halfway down the hall, I heard Delilah murmur, “If she despises me that much, maybe we should stop seeing each other. I don’t want to burden you.”
I clenched my fist, finally reaching the end of my tether. I’d had enough of Quentin.
Ignoring them, I set about incinerating the remnants of what I had once mistaken for love, now clearly nothing but a lie.
Soon after, I received a text from Quentin.
“I’m sorry, love. I know it hurt you when I
3/8
Chapter 4
+ 5 Points
asked you to apologize to Delilah, but she’s leading the Lawson project, and I can’t let this impact the company. Once this blows over, I’ll make it up to you. I promised to get you a gift. Please, don’t be upset.”
I didn’t reply, instead retreating to my room. I knew better now; his heart belonged to Delilah. I was merely a stand–in.
Upstairs, I picked up the suitcase I’d packed earlier and left the house. The hotel room I found was cold and silent, but solitude was exactly what I craved.
I had barely settled in when my phone rang. It was a staff member from the company.
“Ma’am, where are you?” she inquired. “Have you forgotten about the meeting with the investor today?”
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Chapter 4
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Yet it wasn’t her words that grabbed my attention–it was the voice in the background. Quentin was instructing his team to gather specialists to treat Delilah. I chuckled incredulously. Was he serious?
For just a scratch, he was willing to spend millions on someone else’s wife.
I hung up, telling the secretary I wouldn’t be attending.
Not long after, calls from Quentin started coming in. He was likely trying to remind me about the investor meeting, unaware he hadn’t yet seen my resignation letter.
I answered, curious to hear what he would say, but he was preoccupied giving a directive to his secretary.
“Sir, are you sure you want to revise the
5/8
Chapter 4
+5 Points
contract? The company stands to lose tens of millions if we pursue this project. Please, reconsider.”
“No need. Revise it, he insisted. “I promised Delilah, and what she wants, she gets.”
Once alone, he remembered he had called me. “Hey, love. They said you missed the meeting? What’s wrong? It’s important.”
“I’m not feeling well.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll cancel it then. Rest up, and I’ll be back soon.”
I wasn’t certain if he returned home because I spent the entire day in the hotel, waiting for the right moment to stage my fake death.
He had indeed stayed away. As I scrolled through social media, a live stream by an
6/8
Chapter 4
– 5 Points
influencer caught my eye. At first, I didn’t care, but then I spotted Delilah and Quentin together in the background.
Caught on camera, Quentin was assisting Delilah in selecting a dress.
This was my cue. I called my lawyer to dispatch the documents to his office immediately and coordinated with the agency to finalize the plan. Shortly thereafter, his secretary burst in, looking distressed. She showed him her tablet. “Sir, we have a problem! It seems Madam Iris discovered the truth about her mother’s fate five years ago and is now demanding a divorce.”
From the tablet’s screen, I watched shock wash over Quentin’s face, a moment which stretched until another staff member approached him frantically. “Sir! We’ve just
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Chapter 4
45 Points
been informed! Madam Iris has taken her own life, unable to cope with what you did to her mother!”
8/8
