Chapter 10
He walked slowly to the guest room door and raised his hand. Just as his knuckles were about to graze the wood, he caught sight of the pillow lying abandoned on the floor. He pressed his lips into a tight line, lowered his hand, and turned to head downstairs.
Inside the guest room.
Maeve stood with her back pressed tightly against the door, listening to the roar of a car engine starting up below. Her nails dug fiercely into her palms, but the tears fell anyway.
It turned out that even sleeping with her was just an afterthought for him now.
If Zoe hadn’t felt wronged today, he wouldn’t have even bothered coming home tonight.
This was the man she had defied her parents to marry, crossing state lines just to be with him.
And this was what she got in return p>
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late.
Maeve wiped away her tears, went to the master bedroom to grab her phone, and sent another message to her lawyer.
[Mr. Giles, can you expedite the divorce agreement? I’m in a hurry p>
That night, Maeve drifted through a series of bizarre, disjointed dreams.
She dreamt of walking hand-in-hand with Frederick through the quaint streets of Silveridge.
She dreamt of him driving through the night just to see her, kissing her under a blooming gardenia tree.
She dreamt of their wedding day, Frederick slipping the ring onto her finger, promising to love her for the rest of his life.
Gradually, those sweet memories warped into twisted nightmares. Frederick’s impatient voice began intruding into the dream: ‘Stop throwing a tantrum. Can you be reasonable for once p>
By the end of the dream, Zoe was pushing her down a flight of stairs. Covered in blood, Maeve looked up to see Frederick standing next to Zoe. With the hand bearing his wedding ring wrapped around Zoe’s shoulder, he looked down at Maeve with absolute disdain.
‘Don’t you get it, Maeve? I stopped loving you a long time ago p>
‘You don’t deserve to have my child. Only Zoe can give me a child p>
“Ah p>
Maeve jolted awake in sheer terror. She reached up to touch her face; it was drenched in tears, and her pillow was completely soaked.
She pulled a tissue to wipe her face, slowly drawing her knees up to her chest as she huddled against the headboard.
The scenes from the dream flashed relentlessly through her mind like a slideshow.
It felt too real.
It felt so real that it was as if she had already lived it, her soul dying all over again.
Given how heavily Frederick favored Zoe, a scenario like that wasn’t entirely impossible. Thank god she had never intended to keep this baby.
At that thought, Maeve remembered that Mr. Giles still hadn’t replied to the message she sent last night.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand just as it vibrated in her hand. It was a reply from the lawyer.
[I’m out of town on a business trip. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m back p>
Maeve ran a hand through her hair, anxious but completely out of options.
[Please make it as quick as possible p>
[Understood p>
For the next two days, Maeve was in a depressive slump, staying cooped up in the house painting and reading.
While watering the plants in the morning, she received a call from Lydia.
“Maeve, there’s a family dinner at the estate today. Grandmother wants to see you. I’ve already sent a car to pick you up, so get ready p>
Maeve had absolutely no room to decline.
“I understand p>
After hanging up, she walked into her walk-in closet to pick out an outfit.
As much of a bastard as Frederick was, his grandmother had always been incredibly kind to her.
Maeve was exhausted, and her complexion looked awful.
She finally settled on an elegant teal dress that brought some color back to her face and applied some light. makeup. Only when she was suite she didn’t look completely tragic did she get into the car Lydia had sent.
Before long, she arrived at the family estate.
Maeve stepped out of the car. Just as she walked through the gates, the joyful sound of a child’s laughter reached her ears.
She looked over. Frederick was flying a kite with Charlie, while Zoe sat nearby, her chin resting in her hands as she watched them with absolute adoration.
As if sensing her presence, both Frederick and Zoe looked over in unison.
The bright smiles on their faces vanished without a trace the moment they saw her.
She felt exactly like an intruder crashing into someone else’s perfect world.
She felt like a pathetic clown, ridiculous to the very core.