I hung up the phone, my body weak, and stepped out of the restroom–only to run right into Lynzee, who was touching up her makeup at the door.
It was as if she had known I’d been hiding there all along. The moment she saw me, her lips curved into a taunting smile.
“Agnes? You finally decided to come out?” she said lightly. “You saw how much Ridley dotes on me and our son. I thought you’d be crying in the restroom all day,”
I met her gaze without flinching, forcing a faint and brittle smile.
“Relax” I said flatly. “What you want isn’t necessarily what I want. It’s just a man. If you want him, he’s yours.”
Her cold laugh cut through the air.
“Oh, drop the act. You think I don’t know today’s your tenth wedding anniversary with Ridley? I made sure to hold our son’s fifth birthday party today on purpose. And guess what–your husband agreed without hesitation.“”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, but maybe it was because I’d already endured too much in a single day; the feeling quickly dulled into numbness.
When I stayed silent, her smile grew even more arrogant.”
Oh, and one more thing–next week, Ridley and I will be holding the wedding and registering our marriage. I’ll make sure to send you an invitation. You absolutely must come.“”
My brows drew together so tightly it hurt. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
Grinding my teeth, I snapped, “As long as Ridley and I are still married, you two can’t be together!”
Her laughter burst out suddenly, rich with mockery.l
“You don’t know? You really don’t know? Your marriage certificate with Ridley is fake! If I want to marry him, I can. You’re the real mistress here!”
Her gloating expression hit me like a blow.
I stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief.
Fake? Our marriage certificate? Impossible! We’d been married for ten years–how could it possibly be fake?
But her certainty left no room for doubt. Fury surged through me.
I stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar, my voice shaking.
“What the hell are you talking about? Make it clear!”
Her eyes flicked toward the doorway–and in the next instant, she let out a loud and pitiful wail.S
“Stop hitting me! Agnes, please stop! I swear I’m not trying to steal Ridley from you. He’s just here for the party. It has nothing to do with me!!
She wrenched free of my grip and deliberately threw herself to the floor.
Before I could even react, Ridley burst in like a gust of wind.
He didn’t even glance at me. Instead, he went straight to Lynzee, carefully gathering her into his arms.
“Lynzee, are you alright?” he asked, his voice low with concern.
Only after checking her over did he turn to me. For a moment, I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes–quickly smothered by anger.
“Agnes!” he snapped. “How could you lay a hand on Lynzee? When did you become such a vicious person?”
His words hit harder than any slap.
Vicious. He was calling me vicious?!
A trace of sorrow welled up in my eyes before I could stop it.
Perhaps he noticed it because his expression shifted–just slightly–as if realizing he might have gone too far.!!
But before he could speak, the woman in his arms interrupted with a soft, trembling voice.
“Ridley, Agnes must have misunderstood something. She probably saw us standing together and got the wrong idea. You were only here for the party. I just didn’t get a chance to explain before she ”
Her voice trailed off, and right on cue, she revealed a fresh–looking scrape on her leg.
Ridley’s brow furrowed deeply. His gaze toward me turned cold.
“Agnes, how could you do this? If you had questions, you could have come to me. I could have explained.”
He looked back at Lynzee, hesitating before adding, “Lynzee is my good friend’s wife. I’m only here for their child’s fifth birthday. Was there any need to make such a scene? Apologize to her. Once you do, leave first–I’ll come home after the
2.16 AM P P
party.”
It was like he thought I was a fool.
I laughed at the insult and looked at him with a mocking smile.”
“How come I didn’t know you had such a good friend? Could it be that the friend is yourself?“%
A flicker of panic crossed his face, as if I had struck a nerve.!!
He instinctively loosened his hold on Lynzee and stepped toward me, as though to placate me.
But in Lynzee’s eyes, a flash of venom appeared.
“Agnes,” she cried suddenly, “how can you say that? If you’re so set on ruining my reputation, then I’ll just prove my innocence with my life!“&
And before anyone could stop her, she lunged toward a nearby pillar.
“Lynzeel” Ridley shouted, diving forward to catch her.
Once he had her safely in his arms again, he frantically checked her for injuries. When he found none, his shoulders sagged in relief.[
Then he stood and turned his icy gaze on me.
A slap reverberated on the walls.
His hand came down hard across my face, the force knocking me to the floor.
A gasp tore from my throat. I clutched my cheek, staring at him in disbelief.
Towering over me, he looked at me with a blank expression.
“Have you had enough, Agnes? You almost drove a mother to her death! You can’t have children yourself, so you children to lose their mom, too?”
He demanded, “Apologize to Lynzee. Now!”
I bit down hard on my lip. “I won’t. I’m not the one in the wrong!”
A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes before he spoke again, his voice like ice.
“In that case, go home by yourself.”
Just like that, he helped Lynzee to her feet and turned to leave.”
I tightened my grip on the medical report in my bag, holding onto one last shred of hope.
“Ridley, I called after him, my voice trembling, “if I told you I was pregnant too… would you choose her or me?”
He didn’t even pause.!!
want oth
other
“Enough, Agnes. Ten years without conceiving, and now the moment I ask you to apologize, you’re suddenly pregnant? Even
if you were, I’d still choose Lynzee. You’re just too unreasonable!”
And with that, he walked away without looking back.
As I stared at his retreating figure, a bitter smile curled my lips.
Silently, I whispered, “Ridley, we’re done. Completely done.”
Agnes’s POV
