"Nobody's going to bother us with that nonsense ever again."
Florence nodded on cue, her voice soft and soothing. "Chester, don't think about those unpleasant things anymore."
From start to finish, neither of them suspected a thing.
Not a flicker of grief.
Not the faintest inkling of who had actually died.
I looked at him standing there, so heartless, so utterly devoid of human feeling, and suddenly I laughed.
Laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks.
The sound unnerved Chester. He snapped at me, voice sharp. "Have you lost your mind?"
I wiped the tear from the corner of my eye.
My expression was calm. My gaze was ice.
I looked straight at him and spoke slowly, deliberately, each word quiet but cutting to the bone.
"Chester. You're going to regret this."
Chester seized the front of my shirt and slammed me against the wall.
"What are you laughing at? Ella, have you actually gone insane?"
"Your mother's dead. What the hell do I have to regret?"
Florence hurried over as well.
"Chester, don't stoop to her level. She's just jealous of us. Jealous that you treat me so well."
"Three years of marriage, and what has she done besides spend your money?"
"If you ask me, you spoiled her rotten. That's the only reason she dares act like this."
Her words were gasoline on the fire. Chester's rage surged hotter.
He released me with a violent shove, then backhanded me across the face.
My head snapped to the side. But that still wasn't enough for him. He turned to the servants and bodyguards standing in the living room and made his declaration, every syllable bitten off like a verdict.
"Listen up. All of you."
"This woman schemed her way into the Henson family to get her hands on my money and my name."
"For three years, I provided for her. I gave her everything. And she repaid me with ingratitude and venom. She even dared to curse my own family."
"From this day forward, I, Chester Henson, am done with Ella Swanson. We're through."
"Divorce. Immediately. She doesn't get a single cent. She leaves with nothing."
The servants kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound. The bodyguards stood expressionless.
Florence chimed in from the side, her voice soft as silk.
"Ella, sweetie, just accept it. You were never good enough for Chester. The sooner you leave, the better off you'll be."
"The Henson family's door was never meant for someone like you."