Her lupus had been hereditary, something Cedric had known from the moment they met. He had researched the condition and had been careful with her, reminding her every day to take her medication. And yet, here he was, speaking like that.
He had said it countless times, how sorry he felt for her, tormented by the illness, wishing he could offer her his own flesh to ease her pain. Yet now, to hear him say holding her was like clutching a dried corpse felt like a knife in her heart.
Ten years of marriage, how had their love soured so dramatically?
Then Ophelia handed over Cedric’s wedding ring, her gaze flaunting as she watched Dione’s reaction.
“Cedric never wears this when he’s with me,” Ophelia said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “He says it’s bad luck. But you seem to like it, so I brought it back for you.”
The ring had been bought with Cedric’s first earnings. He had rented the grandest LED screen at Emerald Harbor, displaying her name in lights, and had set off a breathtaking fireworks show to make up for their missed proposal.
Even though Cedric later earned a fortune, the ring held a meaning that couldn’t be matched. For both of them, it was irreplaceable. He wouldn’t even consider resizing it, let alone replacing it. He wore it constantly, never taking it off, not while bathing, not even while sleeping.
“Dione,” Ophelia began with a sly smirk, “Master said you don’t own a single lace-trimmed piece of lingerie. I didn’t think you’d be so… old-fashioned.”
She unbuttoned her top deliberately, exposing faint marks on her skin and the delicate lace peeking underneath.
“Do you know how thrilled Master was when he saw me in this? These marks? They’re all his doing. You can’t even imagine that when he’s with me, he’s like a ravenous wolf.”
Her words were venomous, each one a poisoned dagger plunging deep into Dione’s heart. Her hands balled into fists, her entire body trembling as waves of pain and anger surged through her.
Unable to restrain her fury, Dione struck out, her fists and slaps raining down mercilessly on Ophelia. The younger woman was left battered and crying for mercy. If the neighbors hadn’t rushed over after hearing the chaos, Dione might have beaten her to death.