Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
So, the nights she had stayed up waiting for him to come home, he’d been with another woman, diligently working to start a new family?
Seeing Alicia wince slightly, Joshua felt a flicker of satisfaction.
“It’s not that I don’t want to sleep with you,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “You’re just about as thrilling as watching paint dry. No man would want that.”
His cruel words pierced through Alicia like a jagged blade, but she managed to remain composed on the surface.
It wasn’t that she avoided intimacy; she just wasn’t the one to initiate it. Did that make her so undesirable? Was it a sin not to be seductive enough?
Taking a slow, steady breath, Alicia willed herself to stay calm.
“Fine,” she replied quietly. “Let’s get a divorce then. You can give her the title she wants.”
The word “divorce” made Joshua’s eyelid twitch involuntarily.
He scoffed, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Is this another one of your games?”
Convinced he was right, his voice grew colder, more biting. “Alicia, for two years, you’ve pulled every childish stunt, begging for my attention. Aren’t you tired yet? Because I sure as hell am.”
He paused, letting his disdain sink in. “You claim to love me so much. Could you really walk away from me?”
Alicia couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped her.
Love him? Did he even understand what that meant?
When Joshua’s business had crumbled, leaving him with nothing but debt and shattered dreams, it had been Alicia who emptied her savings to pull him from the wreckage.
Out of gratitude-or maybe obligation-he had married her.
For two long years, she had been the dutiful wife, supporting him as he clawed his way back to success.
And what had Alicia gotten in return? She had been cast aside like a useless relic, while another woman carried his child.
Her love, her loyalty, had been ground into the dirt beneath his feet. To care for this man any longer would be masochism.
Her voice steady, Alicia said, “Draft the divorce agreement. I’ll agree to whatever terms you want.” And with that, she turned and disappeared through the door, leaving Joshua standing alone in the hallway.
For a moment, he stared after her angrily, but then a cold, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Fine, she can play the martyr. He doubted she could keep it up for long.
Storming out of the house, Joshua headed straight to the apartment where his lover, Lilliana Green, awaited him.
“Well, that was fast,” she teased upon hearing that Joshua was getting a divorce, raising an eyebrow. “Seems she wasn’t as tough to deal with as you claimed.”
Joshua pulled her into his arms, his fingers gripping her waist possessively. “She’s cunning,” he muttered, suspicion creeping into his voice. “I don’t know if she’s actually agreeing to the divorce or if she’s just playing me.”
Lilliana perched herself on his lap, her arms draping lazily around his neck, her gaze smoldering with seductive mischief.
“Relax, Joshua,” she purred, her lips brushing his ear. “Even if she changes her mind, it’s too late.”
Joshua’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Lilliana’s eyes flickered with shadowy intent, her lips curling into a faint smile.
She wasn’t foolish enough to show her cards now, so she waved it off with an effortless excuse.
“During your two-year marriage, she’s lived quietly in the shadows as a mere housewife, disconnected from your world. Where you’re assertive, would she dare to say a word?”
Joshua pursed his lips into a hard line.
During the past two years, Alicia had indeed done everything for him-given him support and solace. She had loved him fiercely, but in the end, what value did love truly hold?
Against all odds, he had clawed his way to the top, and he had finally grasped the power he craved.
That success, however, hadn’t come easy, and it wasn’t love that had secured his position-it was alliances with the powerful.
The prestige of the Green family daughter, that title alone, was worth far more than Alicia’s devoted love.
As these thoughts plagued his mind, Lilliana suddenly pressed her luscious, red lips against his.
“Joshua,” she purred, her voice like velvet, “congratulations on escaping the grind. Shall we celebrate?”
For a moment, Joshua’s gaze flickered down to her, but Alicia’s indifferent face suddenly flashed before his eyes.
Since leaving the house earlier, Alicia hadn’t once called to ask for his whereabouts.
Before, if he had been upset with her, she would’ve called him in a panic.
A sharp, inexplicable irritation surged within him. Without thinking, he pushed Lilliana back, his voice gruff.
“You’re only a few weeks pregnant. Be careful.”
Lilliana, sharp as ever, sensed he was distracted.
“Joshua, what’s wrong?” she asked gently. “Don’t you want to get divorced?”
Joshua’s response was instant.
“Of course I want to divorce her.”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him.
“Then why don’t you seem very happy?”
Joshua offered a quick excuse, his voice steady but distant.
“My father’s condition has worsened. He doesn’t have much time left, and Caden returned last night. He’s likely here to claim his inheritance. I need to figure out how to handle him.”
Lilliana blinked, momentarily thrown.
“Caden? Your brother from your father’s first marriage? He doesn’t even carry the Yates name anymore. What right does he have to fight you for the inheritance?”
Joshua’s expression darkened.
Lilliana’s eyes flickered with shadowy intent, her lips curling into a faint smile.
She wasn’t foolish enough to show her cards now, so she waved it off with an effortless excuse.
“During your two-year marriage, she’s lived quietly in the shadows as a mere housewife, disconnected from your world. Where you’re assertive, would she dare to say a word?”
Joshua pursed his lips into a hard line.
During the past two years, Alicia had indeed done everything for him-given him support and solace. She had loved him fiercely, but in the end, what value did love truly hold?
Against all odds, he had clawed his way to the top, and he had finally grasped the power he craved.
That success, however, hadn’t come easy, and it wasn’t love that had secured his position-it was alliances with the powerful.
The prestige of the Green family daughter, that title alone, was worth far more than Alicia’s devoted love.
As these thoughts plagued his mind, Lilliana suddenly pressed her luscious, red lips against his.
“Joshua,” she purred, her voice like velvet, “congratulations on escaping the grind. Shall we celebrate?”
For a moment, Joshua’s gaze flickered down to her, but Alicia’s indifferent face suddenly flashed before his eyes.
Since leaving the house earlier, Alicia hadn’t once called to ask for his whereabouts.
Before, if he had been upset with her, she would’ve called him in a panic.
A sharp, inexplicable irritation surged within him. Without thinking, he pushed Lilliana back, his voice gruff.
“You’re only a few weeks pregnant. Be careful.”
Lilliana, sharp as ever, sensed he was distracted.
“Joshua, what’s wrong?” she asked gently. “Don’t you want to get divorced?”
Joshua’s response was instant.
“Of course I want to divorce her.”
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him.
“Then why don’t you seem very happy?”
Joshua offered a quick excuse, his voice steady but distant.
“My father’s condition has worsened. He doesn’t have much time left, and Caden returned last night. He’s likely here to claim his inheritance. I need to figure out how to handle him.”
Lilliana blinked, momentarily thrown.
“Caden? Your brother from your father’s first marriage? He doesn’t even carry the Yates name anymore. What right does he have to fight you for the inheritance?”
Joshua’s expression darkened.
A sharp pang hit Alicia’s chest, her eyes stinging as she fought back the urge to cry. Quickly, she pressed her hand to her eyelids, refusing to let the tears fall. It was only then that she noticed something startling.
Stunned, she stared at her hand.
The wedding ring-something she had once held onto so tightly-was gone.