Sevlene’s POV
Just as I was about to step into the elevator, Charlee’s voice rang out behind me.
“Mrs. McEnroe, do you really think snatching a dress from me will make my daddy change his mind about you?”
Her tone was laced with mockery, as if she were tossing out a careless question just to watch me squirm.
My steps faltered. I turned my head toward her and replied evenly, “I never wanted him to change his mind. If you like him, you can have him.”
Perhaps my indifference stung her pride. My words made it sound as though Cortey was nothing more than a disposable toy to me, and that only fueled Charlee’s resentment.
She sneered.
“Keep pretending. You couldn’t hold onto your man, so now you act like you don’t care. Deep down, you probably want me dead, don’t you?”
Her lips curved into a strange, almost sinister smile.
“Well, I can give you that chance.”
Before I could make sense of what she meant, she suddenly let out a loud cry and tumbled down the staircase.
The sickening thud of her head hitting the floor echoed through the shopping mall.
Moments later, Cortey rushed over.
Clutching her bleeding head, Charlee looked up at me in utter despair, her voice trembling with accusation.
“Mrs. McEnroe, I only liked the same dress as you. I didn’t even take it from you! Even if you’re angry, you didn’t have to push me down the stairs…”
Cortey froze, his face shifting with disappointment and rage as his eyes locked on me.
“Sevlene! Do you even care whether your mother lives or dies? Must you torment Charlee before you’re satisfied?”
I shook my head, trying to explain. “I didn’t—”
But before I could finish, he shoved me.
The world spun violently. My body crashed hard against the floor.
In the blur of pain, his furious voice thundered in my ears.
“It’s my fault. I spoiled you all these years and turned you into something this vicious—so cruel you’d even go after an innocent young girl!”
Through my blood-hazed vision, I saw him scoop Charlee into his arms and stride away, stepping right over me without a glancing back.
Agony consumed every bone in my body, yet none of it compared to the pain hollowing out my chest.
That was the same man who had once knelt before me with teary eyes, slipping a opal ring on my finger and swearing he would protect me for a lifetime.
Now, he hurt me for the sake of another woman…
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a hospital bed.
The doctor let out a sigh of relief upon seeing me awake.
“You’re finally up. How could you fall so badly? If a kind stranger hadn’t brought you in time, you might have…” He stopped himself and shook his head. “Never mind that. You should call your family. With injuries like these, you shouldn’t be left alone.”
I lowered my gaze, my voice heavy with sorrow.
“I don’t have a family. My mother has already passed.”
Pity flickered in the doctor’s eyes.
“Then… your husband? Surely you have a husband.”
I parted my lips to answer, but before I could, commotion drifted in through the window.
“Did you see? The CEO carried his wife in today. She only had a cut on her forehead, yet he called every top specialist in the hospital. Looks like those rumors about him loving his wife to the bone are true.”
“Of course. Even when she said she was afraid of needles, he completely dropped his cold CEO persona and coaxed her like a child, distracting her until she calmed down.”
Their so-called ‘wife’ was clearly referring to Charlee.
Cortey had simply taken all the tenderness he once gave me and bestowed it upon her, piece by piece.
The doctor was still waiting for my response. I forced a smile, swallowing down the bitterness in my chest.
“My husband is gone too. We’re already divorced.”
The words had barely left my mouth when the door slammed open.
Cortey strode in, his face dark as thunder.
“What did you just say? Who the hell are you claiming you divorced?”
