Chapter 76
Chapter 76:
The corners of her mouth lifted in a small, emotionless smile. “He won’t get jealous,” she said. Her voice was crystal clear, carrying across the marble floor.
Sarah tilted her head. “Why not? Is he that confident p>
June looked straight ahead at the glass doors. “Because my husband is dead. I am a widow p>
The women gasped. Hands flew to mouths. The playful energy vanished, replaced by shock and pity.
𝘚hа𝗋𝖾 у𝗈u𝘳 𝘁𝗵ough𝘁𝘴 𝗼n ѕ.со𝗺
“Oh my God, June, I’m so sorry,” Sarah stammered, her face turning red. “I had no idea. We shouldn’t have pried p>
A heavy silence fell over the group.
It was into this sudden quiet that the automatic glass doors slid open.
Cole stepped inside, breathing hard, his eyes wild as they swept the lobby for June. Alycia clung to his left arm, complaining loudly about her foot.
Cole’s hearing was sharp, and the lobby acoustics caught everything. He had walked in just in time to hear the echo of her words.
Because my husband is dead. I am a widow.
The words struck him like a bullet to the chest.
His boots stopped moving. He stood frozen on the marble floor. The air around him seemed to turn to vacuum. The blood drained from his face, then rushed back in a violent wave of heat.
Alycia hadn’t heard it. She tugged at his arm. “Cole, come on — I need to sit down p>
He didn’t hear her. He slowly turned his head, his eyes locking onto June’s back.
His legal wife. The woman who wore his ring. The woman who carried the Compton name. She was standing in a public lobby, telling her colleagues he was dead.
It was the ultimate rejection. A complete erasure of his existence.
The last remaining shred of Cole’s self-control shattered.
He wrenched his arm away from Alycia with such force that she lost her balance and crashed hard to the floor. He didn’t look down at her. He marched across the lobby, his long strides eating up the distance, the dark aura radiating from him enough to make nearby guests step back in alarm.
June heard the heavy footsteps. She turned around.
She found herself staring directly into Cole’s bloodshot eyes.
She didn’t flinch. She didn’t step back. She looked at him with the same dead, empty gaze she had worn in the restaurant.
Cole stopped inches from her. He loomed over her, his chest heaving.
“What did you just say?” His voice was a low, dangerous growl that seemed to vibrate through the floor. “Say it again p>
The researchers scattered, frightened by this massive, furious stranger.
June looked up at him, her face a mask of ice. “I said that my husband is dead. In my heart, and in my life, he is a corpse p>
Cole’s pupils dilated. A muscle in his jaw jumped. His large hand shot out, aiming for her wrist.
June anticipated the move. She took a quick step back, letting his hand close on empty air.
Without breaking eye contact, she turned and walked straight toward the VIP elevator.