I sat frozen, phone still in my hand, dazed as if trapped in a nightmare. None of it seemed real. If that man hadn’t stormed into my life, I would never have believed Victoria—the woman who had once staked everything on me—was unfaithful.
How could the wife who had emptied her savings to send me to a world-class hospital now betray me? My chest tightened as if torn in half. With trembling fingers, I messaged Susan Emerson, my father’s most trusted lawyer:
“I want to preserve the assets. Check Victoria’s accounts. She’s cheating.”
The moment I sent it, pain tore through me, sharp and suffocating.
That night, Victoria finally came home. She sat across from me, silent, stiff, her eyes cold.
I stared at her, searching for her face. My mind replayed a distant memory—her at eighteen, plucking wildflowers by the roadside and handing them to me with a radiant smile:
“I’ll always give Lucas Emerson flowers, just as I’ll always love him.”
The memory cut deep. My eyes burned red with grief, the pain unbearable.
Victoria’s gaze faltered. The arrogance drained away, replaced by guilt. Her lips trembled, her eyes helpless. Finally, she whispered:
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
The words hung heavily in the air. She looked into my eyes only for a fleeting moment before lowering hers, crushed under the weight of guilt.
“Is this really what you’re telling me?”
I forced a calm expression, but my voice cracked, and tears blurred my vision.
“Andrew doesn’t want a formal relationship. I’ll do my best to balance things between you two,” she said.
The words stabbed me like knives.
She actually wanted two men to share one wife? My lips trembled. There was no sense in arguing about not being loved. I swallowed the fury, steadied my tone, and said,
“Let’s divorce, then. I’ll make it easy for you.”
She stiffened, panic flickering in her eyes, and shook her head with fierce resolve.
“If I married you, I’ll never divorce you. Never.”
“You were paralyzed for three years after saving me overseas. I’ll spend my whole life repaying you. Just… please don’t make things difficult for Andrew.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Repay me? By sleeping with another man?”
Her face went pale. My words crushed her into silence, leaving her staring at the ground in shame.
Finally, she whispered, “I’m sorry. The truth is, I love you and Andrew. I can’t give up either of you.”