Chapter 129
Chapter 129:
The words entered him like a blade with no resistance at all.
His body went rigid. The air left him in a single, silent rush. Her indifference stripped the mask from his face and exposed the screaming jealousy underneath for exactly what it was — pathetic, impotent weakness. He opened his mouth to retaliate, to reach for something cruel, but his throat had closed entirely.
June stood. She raised one steady finger toward the front door.
“Take your paranoid delusions and get out of my home,” she said. “My lawyer will send you the final divorce papers tomorrow morning p>
Cole stood motionless. His gaze moved to the bracelet on the floor, then to the torn journal against the wall. A sudden, horrifying wave of clarity broke over him. He saw himself — what he had come here to do, what Eleanor had asked him to do, and what his jealousy had reduced it to. He had come to fix things and had detonated a bomb instead.
R𝖾𝖺𝘥 𝘵h𝖾 𝗹𝘢𝘁eѕ𝘁 t𝗿е𝗻𝗱𝘀 о𝗇
His hands hung at his sides, empty and trembling.
He gave June one last, agonizing look. Then he turned, walked to the door, and slammed it behind him with enough force to rattle the windows in their frames.
The room went completely silent.
June sank back against the sofa and closed her eyes. She already knew what came next. A man like Cole would never absorb this humiliation quietly. The real war had not yet begun — but it was coming, and it would arrive soon.
Three days later.
Inside the bright, modern lobby of Apex Bio, June stood near the reception desk reviewing the upcoming quarter’s R&D budget with Silas.
The receptionist approached and held out a thick black envelope stamped with gold foil. “This just arrived by courier, Dr. Erickson p>
June opened it. A VIP invitation to the Sotheby’s Autumn Charity Gala and Auction in Manhattan.
Silas smiled. “The organizing committee sent that as a thank-you for your presentation at the summit. You should go, June. Take a night off p>
June had no interest in socializing with billionaires. She pulled out the glossy auction catalog, intending to drop it in the recycling bin. As the pages fanned open, her eyes caught an image near the back.
Her breath stopped. Her pupils dilated.
She seized the catalog with both hands, fingers trembling as she stared at the high-resolution photograph.
A vintage Cartier orchid brooch, intricately set with crushed diamonds and rare pink sapphires.
A sharp, searing pain tore through her chest. Her eyes filled instantly.
It was her mother’s brooch — the only physical object her mother had left in the world. Seven years ago, desperate to cover June’s medical school tuition and fund her early lab research, her mother had pawned it in secret. June had spent the years since searching every pawnshop and private dealer she could find.
She traced the image of the pink sapphires with one unsteady finger.
Then she snapped the catalog shut and looked up at Silas. Her eyes burned with a cold, absolute resolve.