Chapter 4
571words
Elara noticed his change but remained silent. She simply grew more weary.
The invisible tumor in her brain—a ticking time bomb—had grown increasingly aggressive. Headaches and dizzy spells struck more frequently, and several times only her iron will prevented her from collapsing in public.
She knew her time was running out.
She needed to secure Adrian's future before she collapsed completely.
That day, Ella slipped away alone to the downtown law firm.
"Attorney Allen," she slid a document across the desk, her face pale with pain, "I need you to modify this trust appendix. If I... that is, if for any reason I become incapacitated, all my shares in the Grayson Group transfer automatically and unconditionally to Adrian."
Allen adjusted his glasses, expression grave. "Ella, are you certain? This essentially surrenders all the protections you have under the agreement."
"I'm sure." Ella rubbed her throbbing temples, her tone allowing no argument. "Also, regarding the termination clause of our marriage agreement, I need you to—"
Before she could finish, the office door burst open with a bang.
Adrian stood in the doorway, chest heaving, eyes red with fury and pain. He looked like a cornered animal, his gaze fixed on Ella.
He'd followed her.
From the moment she'd left the house, he'd been trailing her. That scar tormented him like an unsolvable puzzle. He needed to know what this woman was plotting behind his back.
Then he heard it.
Through the door, he'd clearly caught the cold phrases "terminate the marriage," "asset division," "core interests."
In that moment, he felt like the world's biggest fool.
Just days ago, he'd actually wavered because of that scar, because of that phantom sense of intimacy. He'd foolishly imagined there might have been something real between them.
It turned out that from start to finish, it was all just his delusion.
This woman didn't love him at all. She only loved Grayson money and power! She was already eagerly planning divorce and asset division!
"Adrian?" Ella's face drained of color when she saw him.
"I truly underestimated you, Ella." Adrian entered slowly, each step crushing his own heart. He forced an ugly smile, his voice raw. "Must be exhausting to act, right? Playing the devoted wife while calculating how to bleed me dry."
"It's not what you think—" Ella attempted.
"Then what is it?" Adrian shouted. "Am I not thinking badly enough? Don't you hope I never recover my memory so you can empty the Grayson coffers and throw me away?"
His words were poison-tipped daggers, each one deadly.
Ella saw the naked hatred in his eyes, and suddenly a desperate thought surfaced.
Perhaps... this was for the best.
Let him hate her. Let him despise her. When she was gone, he wouldn't suffer as much.
With this thought, she straightened her spine, swallowed every explanation, and donned her most practiced mask of cold indifference.
"Are you finished?" She raised her eyes, meeting his gaze calmly. "Since you've heard everything, I won't deny it. Yes, I'm preparing for divorce. Adrian, surely you're not naive enough to think I'd play nursemaid to a nineteen-year-old man-child for the rest of my life?"
Adrian staggered as if physically struck.
He stared at her, lips trembling, unable to form words.
He had lost. Completely and utterly lost.
***
