Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Juliet stepped out gracefully, wearing an elegant dark green V-neck dress. Her beauty was undeniable, her aura poised and confident. Spotting Cliff, she smiled as she approached him. “Is your adorable little cousin here tonight?” she asked, her tone light and playful.
Cliff’s expression darkened slightly, his voice sharp. “Why do you care?”
“I’m just curious. You’ve spent the past month having fun with her while I was stuck managing our parents. Don’t you think you owe me for that?” Juliet replied, linking her arm with his. Cliff gently removed her arm and remained silent.
Juliet’s gaze fell on a small hair tie around his wrist. Its delicate pendant unmistakably resembled Laney’s style. A knowing smile spread across Juliet’s face.
With a sly tone, Juliet said, “You know, when we talked last, you said you needed a few months to figure things out with Laney before moving forward with me.”
“I thought you meant you’d put some distance between you two, but now…” She let out a soft laugh. “It seems like you’ve only grown closer. Tell me, Cliff-when we get married, who do you think will be more heartbroken? You or her?”
Cliff’s features were carved in stone as he declared, “This isn’t something you should be concerned about.”
Without another word, he strode inside, his dismissiveness hanging in the air.
Juliet, ever practical, simply followed his lead, though her mind was filled with questions.
“You haven’t mentioned anything about our upcoming marriage to your cousin?” Juliet probed, unable to contain herself.
“It’s none of your business,” Cliff shot back.
“Why so cold? I just thought if you were struggling to bring it up, I could lend a hand.”
Cliff halted, his gaze sharp as winter frost. “Do you always like to get involved in other people’s business, Miss Foster?”
His emotional display was precisely what Juliet had been fishing for-a crack in his usually impenetrable facade.
With a deliberate toss of her long hair, Juliet replied, “Since you put it that way, I’ll keep my distance. I’ll just wait for you to come and marry me.”
Upon entering the dining room, Juliet shifted her focus from provoking Cliff to charming his parents.
Cliff remained true to form, primarily attending to Laney, though with less intimacy than during their trip. Occasionally, Laney would steal glances at him, a hollow feeling gnawing at her insides, but try as she might, nothing seemed amiss. She consoled herself with the thought that her fears were unfounded. After all, Cliff had never been anything but honest with her.
After dinner, Cliff suggested taking Laney to the theater.
With Kailyn away, the small apartment became their private sanctuary. Cliff’s lips found their way to Laney’s soft ones, again and again.
Her tension from the entire evening dissolved beneath his kisses. His warmth against her skin was undeniable, each kiss a testament to his presence. Cliff hadn’t left her side.
Perhaps it was the wine, but tonight Cliff was unusually possessive, mapping every curve of Laney’s body with devoted attention. Exhausted, her joints protesting, Laney turned his own words against him. “Overindulgence isn’t healthy, Cliff.”
Like previous nights, they hadn’t taken any respite, and while Laney was spent, Cliff, the initiator, showed no signs of fatigue.
Time became fluid, and it wasn’t until much later that Cliff finally carried Laney to the bathroom to clean up.
His eyes remained crystalline, fixed on her with that same penetrating gaze she knew so well. “Did you enjoy our trip together?”
Laney nodded, a smile blooming on her face at the thought of more days like this stretching ahead. “So what made you suddenly start liking me, Cliff?”
Cliff kept his eyes lowered, methodically washing her body. “Because you made a wish this year, and I overheard it.”
“You were eavesdropping?” Laney’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Cliff’s chuckle filled the air. There was no need for eavesdropping when her eyes had been confessing to him every single day.
Something tugged at Cliff’s conscience-the moment felt right to speak certain truths. But her happiness in this moment was pure, untainted. He couldn’t bring himself to shatter it.
“What’s wrong, Cliff?” Laney asked, catching the shadow that passed across his features.
Cliff’s throat tightened, but the words remained trapped inside. Which cut deeper-never having tasted happiness, or having it slip through your fingers once you’d known its sweetness?
For Cliff, the answer was clear: better to have loved and lost. That was why he chose to fulfill Laney’s wish without conditions, even though his impending marriage to Juliet loomed at year’s end. At least Laney had these memories of happiness. But when news of his marriage eventually surfaced, Laney’s heart would break. He hoped the pain wouldn’t persist.
Cliff remained vigilant at Laney’s bedside until sleep claimed her, his mind a battlefield of conflicting thoughts. He’d always detested making choices, yet this year had become a labyrinth of decisions and compromises, leaving his soul restless.
Life resumed its relentless pace. Laney returned to the theater while Cliff immersed himself in company affairs, their paths barely crossing in the rush of days.
True to her nature, Laney kept her distance from his professional world, waiting for his invitations rather than appearing uninvited at his company.
Only when the ache of missing him became unbearable would she send a message, though his responses were as rare as stars in the city sky, arriving only in the hushed hours of the night.
Their encounters, too, belonged to the darkness inside the Hopkins residence.
Cliff would slip into her room to find Laney suspended between sleep and wakefulness, her drowsy requests for kisses met with a newfound restraint-his touches light, almost hesitant, never delving too deep. The exhaustion etched in his features stirred guilt in Laney’s heart. “Cliff, maybe I should just stay in the apartment from now on.” She knew the truth-he needn’t rush home. Staying at the company or his private residence after work would spare him precious time.
Cliff’s silence stretched between them before he agreed, his voice barely above a whisper. “Take care of yourself, practice your dance, and eat well.”
Laney nodded, her movements laden with reluctance as she gently pushed him away. “Go get some sleep.”
With his parents in the house, sharing a bed wasn’t an option. The separation gnawed at Laney-it had been too long since she’d last seen him, and her heart ached with longing. But proximity bred danger, and they both knew it.
After Laney’s retreat to her apartment, even their casual encounters ceased entirely. The sudden void in her life left her reeling, struggling to find her footing in this new reality.
“How can he possibly be that busy?” Kailyn questioned, suspicion coloring her voice. “Isn’t he deliberately avoiding you?”
Laney replied, “Why would he avoid me?” The thought seemed absurd-he hadn’t avoided her even when his heart was cold to hers. Kailyn paused, weighing her words carefully. “I just feel like Cliff might be the type who would walk away after getting what he wanted.”
Laney’s mind had wandered down similar dark paths in her weakest moments. But then she remembered… “We didn’t go that far.” Laney had faith in Cliff. During the month they spent together, whether in tender moments between sheets or in daily life, he’d shown nothing but consideration for her feelings. How could someone so attentive be capable of hurting her?
Alone in her room, Laney wrestled with the gnawing doubt eating away at her peace of mind. Was it her inability to be there for Cliff, or had his heart never truly been hers from the beginning? The questions tormented her. If she meant nothing to him, why pursue a relationship? Why whisk her away on that memorable trip? Yet, if his feelings were genuine, how could he bear this distance between them?
With trembling fingers, Laney pored over their photo album, desperate to decode the truth hidden in Cliff’s expressions. Every image showed them in perfect harmony, but the longer she studied them, the more her heart felt like a hollow drum. Her strength ebbed away until she could no longer lift the pages.
After letting her turbulent emotions settle like sediment in still water, Laney steeled herself and dialed Cliff’s number. The rings echoed through the void, each one more distant than the last, making her feel like a stranger in her own story.
It took three attempts before someone finally answered. Laney composed herself, only to hear his assistant’s clinical tone. “Miss Collins, Mr. Hopkins is currently at a business function. Is it urgent? I can go in and find him.”
The words hit Laney like a splash of cold water, leaving her momentarily mute. A business function. But why did his assistant have his phone?
“How long will he be?” Laney managed to ask.
“He’s halfway through,” the assistant replied with practiced smoothness. “Mr. Hopkins just took over, so he has to handle many things personally. Please understand.”
Her heart clenched. “Will he drink a lot?”
“That’s unavoidable.”
“Could you please give me the address? I’ll bring him a homemade remedy for hangovers.”
The assistant’s pause spoke volumes. Cliff had entrusted him with the phone specifically to screen unwanted calls, and he knew Laney wouldn’t leave without seeing Cliff once she arrived. Today’s proceedings were too vital for any disruptions.
The assistant fumbled for an excuse, ended the call, and wracked his brain for a diplomatic way to refuse Laney’s request.
Just then, Kira returned from the restroom and caught the assistant’s troubled expression. “What’s wrong? Is there something at the company?”
The event, hosted by Juliet, had brought Kira along as a learning opportunity.
The assistant’s face brightened at the sight of Kira-his unexpected salvation. “Miss Foster, could you please tell Mr. Hopkins that Miss Collins wants to see him? If he’s willing, he can call her back.” The assistant passed Kira the phone.
“Why is Laney being such a nuisance?” Kira rolled her eyes. “Cliff’s in the middle of business.”
The assistant held his tongue, noting the irony of Kira calling Laney a nuisance when she was no better.
Kira was riding high today. Emboldened by the support of her sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law, she felt brave enough to challenge Laney directly. She asked, “What’s her reason for coming?”
When the assistant mentioned the hangover remedy, Kira’s lips curled into a smirk. “If she wants to play errand girl, let her. Give her the address.”
Kira snorted. Laney didn’t believe Cliff and Juliet were dating, did she? Tonight, Kira would ensure Laney got a front-row seat to the truth.
The exclusive venue where Cliff was dining required proper credentials for entry.
Despite Laney proving her connection to Cliff, the staff remained firm-she would need Cliff himself to escort her inside.
Laney, ever considerate, chose to wait quietly in the reception area, rather than interrupt his meeting.
The dinner’s complexity kept Cliff engaged far longer than expected. When he finally emerged, Juliet and Kira flanked his sides.
Kira scanned the reception area for Laney but found no signs of her. “What a shame,” she whispered with barely concealed satisfaction. “She missed quite the performance.”
The wine had left Juliet in a pleasant haze, making Kira’s words float past her. “What was that, Kira?”
“Nothing, Juliet.” Kira sighed, disappointed her scheme had fallen flat. Juliet massaged her temples before turning to Cliff with concern in her eyes. “How are you holding up? You took quite a few drinks on my behalf tonight.”
Despite his poor tolerance for alcohol, Cliff’s athletic constitution kept him steady, though a dull throb had settled behind his eyes. “I’m fine,” he responded with arctic politeness.
Juliet recognized that his drinks had been mere social courtesy, yet she couldn’t help feeling touched. She drifted closer to him. “After tonight’s success, the tunnel situation should resolve itself. The construction can begin when the timing’s right.”
The evening’s true purpose had been to secure a high-ranking official’s assistance with certain delicate matters.
The recent tunnel collapse had claimed lives, and when Juliet took over the project, she inherited its ghosts. Some bereaved families refused monetary compensation, necessitating the use of influence to navigate the situation. Such was the nature of business in their world.
A question nagged at Cliff’s mind. “Miss Foster, you’re hardly a philanthropist. The tunnel collapse wasn’t your cross to bear. What made you take on this burden?”
Juliet’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “You think just anyone could handle a project of this magnitude? Sometimes, you have to embrace the losses to seize the opportunity.”
Cliff’s eyes narrowed to razor-sharp focus. “Is that the real reason?”
Juliet met his gaze without flinching. “What exactly are you implying?”
“Just making conversation,” Cliff replied, his casual tone masking deeper suspicions.
The temperature plummeted as they reached the ground floor. Wine and towering heels conspired against Juliet’s balance, making her sway precariously.