Chapter 32
Her mother’s victorious tone echoed through the phone. “Wendy! It’s done! Liam swore to marry you right in front of all those journalists!”
Wendy’s fingers clenched the bedsheet. “Have you lost your mind? Making a public spectacle…”
“Why are you so scared? I’m helping you! That Isabella…”
Everything tilted. The phone dropped from her hand. Darkness swallowed her vision. She fell hard against the mattress.
It was finished. All of it.
She knew Liam. Pressure made him stubborn. Her mother’s aggression would only fuel his hatred.
Once the baby arrived, he might discard her completely.
The lamp light glowed over the divorce papers. Liam’s signature was still wet.
The clerk gave us the filing receipt. His voice was monotone. “Return in thirty days to finalize after the cooling period.” After pulling Isabella from the roof, I didn’t let Liam delay. I drove directly to the courthouse to submit the divorce. Liam’s fingers drummed the table. His gaze locked on me. “Isabella, these thirty days…”
“We have nothing left to discuss.” I tucked the receipt into my purse and rose.
He followed me outside. He blocked my path on the courthouse steps. “At least let me drive you.”
“Unnecessary.” I moved past him toward the idling cab. “Mr. Sterling, tend to your expecting girlfriend.”
News of the divorce filing brought a relieved sigh at the Sterling mansion. “Thirty days? Ideal. Enough to arrange suitable matches for you.”
Liam yanked his tie loose. “Father, the entire city knows about Wendy now. Who would possibly—”
“Meetings are set with the Zimmer, Carter, and Scott families,” his father cut in coldly. “With sufficient incentive, many will overlook… indiscretions for a beneficial union.”
Liam didn’t argue. He attended the meetings reluctantly, praying for disinterest.
He still saw himself as the coveted, devoted husband he’d once been.
The first match asked immediately, “Mr. Sterling, is it true your wife left due to infidelity?”
His fork screeched against the plate.
“Simply curious,” the woman said, tilting her head. “How does one manage affairs with two women simultaneously and incite a public feud?”
The second woman remained standing. “My father values this merger, hence my presence. But frankly…”
She turned, her eyes icy behind her shades. “I don’t share public facilities.”
After seven consecutive rejections, Liam slammed his front door. Rage burned in his eyes.
What was wrong with these society women?
They’d once called him the most eligible bachelor in the city!
Had I been there, I would have laughed.
They said those things because his devotion to me had seemed real. Everyone envied my perfect husband.
But that “perfect husband” was just a filthy lie.
Victoria descended the staircase. Red wine swirled in her glass. Her silk robe flowed with each step.
“Rejected again?” A soft laugh escaped her. “How pathetic.”
“Leave me alone.” He snatched the bottle and drank deeply. “If you hadn’t—”
“If I hadn’t, what?” She moved closer, her finger tracing his chest. “Did I force you into Wendy’s bed? Or make you betray Isabella repeatedly?”
He shoved her away violently. “You know I was drunk that night!”
“But you were sober later.” She advanced, pushing him toward the sofa.