3: 3
3
When I stayed silent, Beryl assumed I had finally accepted reality.
Her voice softened.
"Once the baby is born, I'll set Glen up with a place of his own and some money."
"He won't move in with us, and he won't touch your standing."
"To the outside world, you'll still be the only husband I acknowledge."
Glen leaned against the desk, idly spinning his car keys.
"Mr. Gilbert, Beryl still can't do without you."
"I'm content just having her keep me company now and then."
His words gave ground, but his eyes were pure victor's provocation.
In their eyes, I suppose.
I was meant to be like Stewart all those years ago, swallowing every humiliation for the sake of appearances.
I let out a short laugh and called toward the door.
"Send the lawyers in."
A dozen or so lawyers filed into the room.
Marlin Dickerson, at the front, laid the documents in front of Beryl.
"Ms. Matthews."
"Mr. James's statement and the pregnancy report are more than enough to prove you breached the fidelity agreement."
"As of now, your forty-one percent stake in Matthews Group will be taken over by Mr. Gilbert."
"And the Gilbert family's financial support to Matthews Group is formally terminated."
Beryl's phone rang at once.
Even from where I stood, I could hear Sara screaming through the line.
"Beryl, what have you done?"
"The Gilberts pulled their funding out of nowhere, and the bank is already demanding repayment!"
"The board wants you suspended from every position!"
She gripped the phone, the color draining from her face bit by bit.
"Barret, we've been together all these years."
"You'd really destroy everything I have over one joke?"
I looked at her, and it struck me as absurd.
"Beryl, don't you like keeping someone around for amusement?"
"I'm leaving Glen with you."
"As for the house, the shares, and every last cent you used to keep him."
I slipped the villa keys from her hand.
"They're all mine."
"From today, I won't leave you a single one."
I turned and walked out.
Behind me, for the first time, Beryl dropped her pride and called my name in a rush.
I didn't look back.
At the door, I only said to Glen,
"Congratulations."
"This woman, who has nothing left, is completely yours now."
I had barely taken a step when Marlin suddenly stopped me.
"Mr. Gilbert, wait."
His tone was graver than I had ever heard it.
"We just pulled the marriage registration records."
"There is no record of any marriage between you and Ms. Matthews."
My steps froze.
Marlin glanced at Beryl.
"The marriage certificate you're holding is fake."
"Ms. Matthews's legal husband, from the very beginning, has been Glen James."
The disgrace vanished from Glen's face in an instant.
He drew two marriage certificates from a drawer and slowly opened them.
"Mr. Gilbert, you didn't really think I was just some man Beryl kept on the side, did you?"
"The other man, the one who couldn't see the light, was you all along."
