“Virelle, don’t make such a big deal out of this.”
Grayson stood up abruptly, grabbing her hand and pulling her out into the living room, his grip so forceful that pain shot through her wrist.
His voice was cold, laced with barely concealed irritation.
“Selene just got divorced and has nowhere to go, so I’m letting her stay here with us for a while.”
“You’ve always been kind and understanding. It’s such a small matter, surely you wouldn’t get mad and make a fuss over it, right?”
Kind and understanding.
Those same words again.
Those familiar words made Virelle let out a silent laugh.
She couldn’t remember when it had started, but every time Grayson did something that hurt her of his own accord, he would use that exact excuse to force her into compromise.
It meant enduring when he went to dinner with a female partner, holding her close as if they were lovers.
It meant the endless messages from female subordinates flooding in, laced with flirtation toward him.
It meant swallowing her pain and pretending to be a gentle, tolerant woman.
She had heard it so many times that she was exhausted by it.
“Then how do you explain her wearing my clothes, and Jaxon calling her 'Mommy'?”
Virelle’s voice was icy, her gaze fixed on him with scrutiny.
Grayson only frowned, licking his lips.
“Selene didn’t bring any sleepwear, so I let her borrow yours. You have plenty of clothes anyway.”
“As for Jaxon, he’s just a child. It’s normal for him to misspeak.”
Hearing that, Virelle found it even more laughable.
Perhaps Grayson didn’t even realize it himself. Licking his lips was a subconscious habit of his whenever he lied.
For the sake of another woman, he had lied to her again and again.
She had wanted to protest, but her throat was so dry that no words would come out.
“Grayson, you...”
Before Virelle could finish her sentence, a loud bang echoed.
Selene rushed out in a panic, even bumping into the door in her haste.
“Virelle, don’t blame Grayson.”
Her eyes were red and glistening, pitiful as though she had suffered some great injustice. Walking toward Virelle, Selene trembled, her voice quivering as well.
“I just came back to the country."
"I don’t know anyone else, and I have nowhere to go, so I asked Grayson to let me stay for a while.”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll leave immediately. Please don’t be upset because of me, and don’t argue with Grayson...”
Selene lowered her head, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Combined with her petite, fragile figure, she looked all the more pitiful.
Yet despite saying she would leave, Selene didn’t move at all.
She simply stood there, waiting.
Sure enough, the very next second, Grayson pulled her into his arms.
“Selene, it’s already late. Where could you possibly go now?”
"A fragile girl like you going out alone at night is dangerous!”
He glared at Virelle, his voice rising as he questioned her.
“Virelle, since when did you become so cruel? I already said Selene has nowhere else to go, so I’m letting her stay for a few days.”
“It’s only a few days. Do you really have to make things so tense?”
Looking at Selene sobbing pitifully in Grayson’s arms, at the way he shielded and defended her, Virelle felt so exhausted that she no longer wanted to say a single word.
No matter what she said, she would always be in the wrong.
Seeing her fall silent, Grayson’s tone softened. Letting go of Selene, he stepped forward and took Virelle’s hand.
“Darling, don’t be angry anymore. I was wrong to bring Selene back without telling you, but it was an urgent situation.”
“I swear there won’t be a next time.”
His hand was still warm, yet Virelle felt only cold. A chill seeped deep into her bones, making her withdraw her hand almost instinctively.
When he saw that Virelle’s gaze remained indifferent, Grayson added.
“To make it up to you, I’ll go with you to the hospital tomorrow to visit our grandfather, alright?"
"I’ve been so busy with work lately that I haven’t gone to see him.”
Virelle’s gaze wavered.
Every time her grandfather was mentioned, her heart softened. This time was no different.
After all, her grandfather had always been very fond of Grayson, always so happy whenever he came to visit. To Virelle, her grandfather’s happiness mattered more than anything else.
“Besides, I just received a message from Dominic’s secretary earlier. The investment will be processed soon. You really did a good job.”
Grayson shifted the topic, gently patting Virelle’s head.
“As soon as the funds come through, I’ll move your grandfather into a VIP ward, alright?"
"You’ve always said the regular ward is inconvenient for him. I’ll arrange the transfer as soon as possible.”
Lowering his voice, he coaxed her softly. In the end, Virelle gave a slight nod.
“Alright. Do as you want.”
Grayson let out a breath of relief.
“Good. Selene is my close friend, after all, we can’t treat her carelessly.”
“The master bedroom is the largest. Let her stay there...”
He spoke gently, but Virelle lifted her head to look at him, cutting him off coldly.
“No.”
The thought of the master bedroom, the place she had shared with Grayson for years, every decoration chosen by her own hands, now being occupied by another woman, was enough to make Virelle feel sick with disgust.
“If you insist on letting her stay there, then I don’t mind throwing her out in the middle of the night.”
It was the first time Virelle had refused to give in, and it left Grayson momentarily stunned.
He instinctively tightened his grip, his gaze on Virelle carrying a hint of calculation.
Perhaps thinking of the investment Virelle had just secured, he let out a sigh.
“Alright, then we’ll sleep in the master bedroom.”
“Selene can stay in the guest room, okay?”
Virelle took a step back, putting distance between herself and Grayson.
“It’s not we who will sleep in the master bedroom. It’s you alone.”
“I’m tired. I’ll sleep in another guest room tonight.”
Perhaps exhausted after a day filled with too many things, Virelle only wanted to be alone. She didn’t wait for Grayson to respond before turning and heading toward the adjacent bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a sharp slam.
As for the rest, Grayson and Selene could deal with it themselves.
...
In the middle of the night, Virelle woke up, parched.
She got up and, still half-asleep, walked out to the living room to find some water. As she passed by the master bedroom, a strange sound drifted out.
It was the soft, sweet moan of a woman.
Listening closely, it sounded very much like Selene’s voice.
Virelle’s steps came to an abrupt halt, the drowsiness instantly vanishing.
She strained her ears, listening to the sounds coming through the half-closed door.
“Grayson, when are you going to divorce that bitch Virelle?”
Selene’s voice was coquettish, laced with a pout.
“Didn’t you see how she humiliated me today? She even wanted to throw me out.”
“I don’t want to live like this anymore, constantly holding myself back.”
Selene’s voice blended with her sweet moans, along with the unmistakable sounds of bodies entangling, more than enough for Virelle to understand what was happening inside.
Her knees buckled, forcing her to brace a hand against the wall to steady herself.
Her eyes burned as she heard Grayson’s reply.
“Just endure a little longer, honey. After all, it’s thanks to that bitch that my company was saved.”
“Virelle is still useful. Besides...”
Grayson paused for a moment before his mocking voice rang out again.
“Isn’t it amusing?”
“A free nanny who’s this dedicated, wouldn’t it be foolish not to use her to take care of our son, Jaxon?”
No...
How could it be?
All the sounds in Virelle’s head seemed to blur into a dull ringing. Her lips parted in shock, yet no words came out.
Jaxon... was Selene and Grayson son?
So unbelievable.
Her fingers tightened against the wall, and tightened when she heard Grayson added.
"Good thing I was quick-witted back then, sending Jaxon to the orphanage right after he was born, then tricking Virelle into adopting him. Otherwise, with how jealous your ex-husband was, we would’ve been finished.”
For a moment, she wasn’t even sure she was still breathing.
Ha.
So, that was the truth.
No wonder he had always been distant, had always disliked her, no matter how much love and patience she gave him.
No wonder he had clung to Selene so sweetly earlier, calling her “Mommy” with such affection.
So everything had always left clues. It was just that she had been too foolish to notice.
Her lips parted in shock, yet no words came out.
The pain came, not sharp, but slow, inch by inch, grinding her heart to dust.
Along with it, the last remnants of her love and hope for Grayson crumbled into nothing.
Virelle gasped for air, bracing herself against the wall as tears slid down to the corner of her lips.
Salty. Bitter.
...
Their laughter seemed to amplify in her ears, making Virelle even more shaken.
In the end, her marriage to Grayson had been built on deception from beginning to end.
All this time, she had been the only one who had truly been immersed in her love for him.
The child she had loved with all her heart, the man she had loved with her very life.
They had been acting all along, while she had known nothing.
In despair, she turned and walked back to her room. Each step felt unbearably heavy, her heart aching until it had gone numb.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Virelle let the tears fall freely, sobbing until she could barely breathe.
Recently, she had cried far too much.
She cried when he asked her to sleep with another man.
She cried when she saw Jaxon push her away and call someone else “Mommy.”
And she cried when she realized she had been betrayed.
Each time, she stayed, thinking it would be the last.
A bitter smile curved at the corner of her lips as she found herself thinking of Jaxon.
The soft little boy she had adopted when he was just born, small and adorable.
In truth, he had once been very well-behaved.
When he had just learned to crawl, his chubby figure would gently make its way toward her, babbling sweetly with a bright smile.
When he had just learned to walk, he would wave his soft, fair hands and call her “Mommy.”
Now, that same word belonged to someone else.
After the tears had run dry, her mind felt clearer than it had ever been.
The love she had for Grayson had been crushed by his own hands.
And something within her slowly faded away, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.
She did not want to spend the rest of her life with a man as deceitful and repulsive as Grayson.
Picking up her phone from the bedside table, she pressed the number.
Her vision blurred in tears.
Staring at the screen for so long, Virelle pressed the call.
“Hello?”
A deep, warm male voice sounded through the quiet room.
Virelle took a deep breath, the words she wanted to say seeming to catch at the tip of her tongue.
Her fingers tightened, and at last, she spoke, her voice choked.
“Hello, Lawyer Declan Wolfe.”
Her voice still trembled, but she did not stop.
“I want a divorce.”
