Leaving those words behind, Isla turned and rushed toward Cassian without a second thought. I watched as she gently held him, whispered something to comfort him, then took his hand and walked away, without even glancing back at me.
I stumbled back to the car, and the tears I had been holding finally fell.
Isla, there was nothing left for us to say.
That same afternoon, Monroe Group released an official statement.
“If anyone continues to slander Mr. Reed, the Monroe legal team will file a defamation lawsuit and make sure the other party pays the price.”
When I heard the news, I was standing at the door of Isla’s study.
She hated being interrupted while working, and that room had always been off-limits to me.
“Sign this paper,” I said.
She was still on the phone, her voice soft and gentle.
“What do you want to eat after the movie? Okay, I’ll come pick you up right now.”
Maybe because she was in a good mood, she didn’t seem bothered by my sudden appearance. Without even looking up, she signed the papers right away.
After ending the call, she stood up and reached for her coat. As she walked toward the door, she turned to me and said, “Landon, I’m glad you finally came to your senses. I’ll tell my assistant to give you a card with no limit. Buy whatever you want; you don’t need my approval anymore. Consider it compensation for your fall from the cliff.”
She had no idea the papers she just signed were our divorce agreement.
My eyes moved toward the small bed in her study, and I noticed part of an ornate box sticking out from underneath.
When I pulled it out and opened it, a bitter laugh escaped me. Inside was a life-sized doll, made to look exactly like Cassian.
No wonder Isla never let me into her study. So while I spent those long, sleepless nights drowning in loneliness, she was right next door, satisfying her desires with another man, even if it was just a doll of him.
After putting the box back, I ignored the calls from her assistant and threw away those useless raincoats and gloves. It didn’t take long before I moved out of the house we had shared for five years.
That afternoon, a bar owner I knew messaged me about a masked party that night. He said they were launching a new wine and asked me to come.
When I arrived, the first thing I saw was Cassian arguing with a waiter. “The private room upstairs is empty, so why can’t I have it? I want that one!”