Nathan didn't waste breath. He drove a sharp kick into Delgado, sending him stumbling toward the hallway. "With how pathetic you are, I don't know how Lexi was ever blind enough to fall for you."
I watched Delgado, feeling nothing but cold indifference. The fear was gone.
"It's not too late to see clearly now," I said. "Nathan, throw him out. Don't let him ruin our appetite."
Nathan grabbed Delgado by the collar and dragged him out like a sack of trash.
Delgado flailed, screaming as he was hauled away. "Alex! You want to dump me for him? Unless you come back and serve Yolanda during her confinement, forget it! If you make me happy, maybe I'll sign the papers! Otherwise, as long as I'm alive, you're mine! I'll drag this out until you're dead!"
The door slammed shut, cutting off his voice.
I stood there, shaken—not by his threats, but by the revelation of his true nature.
Ten years of marriage. We'd had our frictions, our arguments, but I'd never seen him look so vicious, so devoid of humanity. For a decade, he'd hidden behind a mask of gentility.
If this divorce hadn't enraged him enough to tear that mask off, I might never have known the monster sleeping beside me.
No wonder my father had warned me before the wedding. He'd seen past the charm I was too blind to question.
My own fault. Back then, I was a love-struck fool, so desperate for affection I insisted on jumping into the fire pit.
Now, I had to climb my way out.
After Nathan dropped me off that night, I paced my apartment until the answer solidified. I had to go back.
As the saying goes, you have to walk into the tiger's den to catch the cubs.
My only desire was freedom. The thought of staying by Lucas's side another minute made my stomach churn, but I needed leverage.
I called Nathan to explain my plan. His voice came through tight with tension.
"Are you sure you want to go back there?"
"I have to," I murmured, staring at my reflection in the darkened window. "The evidence we have isn't enough. You know Lucas's personality—he's rotten to the core. Getting him to agree to a divorce without a fight will be impossible."
I took a breath, steeling myself. "I don't want to be entangled with him a second longer than necessary. My best option is to feign compliance, play the submissive wife, and collect the evidence I need to bury him."