Unexpectedly, in Kimberly’s retelling, all those past events had been twisted into proof that she was forced to leave the country.
A hint of bitterness flashed in Kimberly’s eyes as she reached out to cover Andrew’s mouth.
“It’s all in the past, Drew,” she said softly. “We were simply not meant to be. Thank you for coming to pick me up, but you should go back. After all, Elise is your wife now.”
She lowered her gaze, her delicate face filled with sorrow.
Andrew grabbed both her hands, his voice urgent as he spoke, “Kim, you know that you’ve always been the only one in my heart. If it weren’t for her using the company’s troubles to threaten me, I never would have married her!”
“She even had the audacity to call me earlier, claiming she was dying in a car accident and begging me to see her one last time. What a compulsive liar!”
“She knew you were returning today but still tried to force me to leave you in front of everyone. How is she expecting you to hold your place in Los Angeles’s elite circles now?”
“I think she’s just jealous of you. Why did I ever marry such a bitter and petty woman?”
From an angle Andrew couldn’t see, Elise thought she caught a flicker of calculated malice in Kimberly’s eyes.
The sinister intent sent a chilling shiver down Elise’s spine. However, when she looked again, Kimberly’s face held nothing but guilt.
“Aren’t you afraid Elise will be upset if you don’t go home?” Kimberly asked, her tone soft and hesitant.
Andrew snorted coldly. “She won’t.”
“If she dares to complain, I’ll divorce her.”
“She even pretended to have a car accident. If she’s really dead, all the better—I’ve tolerated her long enough.”
Listening to the undisguised hatred and disdain in Andrew’s words, Elise’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
How had it come to this? How had her relationship with Andrew deteriorated to such an extent?
There was a time when their relationship was the subject of envy of everyone in their social circle. But everything changed three years ago, when Andrew reconnected with Kimberly overseas.
The memory of the truck slamming into her head-on was so harrowing that Elise had temporarily blocked it out after becoming a wandering soul.
It took her a long time to recall that her final phone call had been to Andrew.
At that time, his words were just as cold and cutting.
“Elise, what now?” He snapped. “Kim just returned, and here you are scheming against her again? What do you gain from driving her away?”
“Oh, you’ve been in a car accident? Why not claim a meteor fell from the sky and crushed you instead? If you’re going to lie, at least come up with something believable.”
Barely clinging to life, Elise had summoned every ounce of strength to whisper, “Andrew, I’m not lying... please, come see me one last time...”
Andrew frowned deeply, his voice dripping with impatience as he dismissed her. “Fine, fine, I get it—you were in a car accident and almost died. I promise I’ll be home by ten tonight, okay?”
“Elise, I have to pick up Kim. Be sensible for once.”
Her consciousness had already begun to fade, but she stubbornly kept calling his name.
“Andrew... Andrew...”
Realizing that his words fell on deaf ears, Andrew’s patience completely snapped. “Elise, if you’re going to die, just die already,” he said icily.
“Your death would finally free up the position of Mrs. Williams. I’ve had enough of you.” With that, he hung up. Elise no longer had the strength to call back.
As her life ebbed away, the last sound she heard was the crackle of fireworks exploding in the sky.
