Chapter 54
Lily suddenly knelt down with a thud.
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“Yolanda, I’ve never asked you for anything before. Now I’m begging you, just take me nearby. I want to see him. I heard he’s going to die. I want to see him one last time! I’m begging you, please!”
Her voice was hoarse too. Even though she had just been through that kind of ordeal, all she could think about was another man.
Women throw themselves into love like moths to a flame.
Yolanda’s throat was sore, but she finally gave in. “Aunt Lily, I can only take you nearby.”
“Okay, the Lawson family sent someone to watch me. I don’t dare ride with anyone else. I have to trust you, Yolanda.”
Yolanda drove over and parked near that address, by the bridge over the river.
She parked in a hidden spot under the bridge, where a bunch of cars were parked so no one would notice.
After Lily got out of the car, she scrambled and crawled up onto the bridge.
It was late and quiet now. Besides a shadow lying on the bridge, the only sound was Lily’s piercing voice.
Yolanda looked under the bridge. There was a path beneath it, so she went that way and heard the voices coming from above.
“Lily, do you think this man is your salvation? I was the one who sent him to seduce you. I gave him money. You women of the Grant family are so laughable, still believing in love–how ridiculous! I’ve wanted to divorce you for a long time, but I couldn’t. So I had to use this method.”
This is the voice of Lily’s husband.
Besides that, there was the bodyguard’s voice, and he said, “Mrs. Lawson, I’m sorry.”
The simple mention of Mrs. Lawson felt like a thousand arrows piercing the heart.
Yolanda heard a heavy object fall into the water. Her chest tightened, and she looked down toward the bridge.
Lily had already sunk.
Dominic spoke to his bodyguard, “You’ve slept with her; that’s more than enough to brag about. When you were with her, she was still clean, only I had been with her before.”
“It’s because Mr. Dylan Sinclair treated me well.”
“Hahaha, but you can’t stay in Beloris anymore. Take a sum of money and leave.”
When Yolanda got back into the car, she pressed her lips together, still able to recall the desperate emotion
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Chapter 54
Lily showed when pleading with her.
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Despite losing her dignity and kneeling to beg, she ended up humiliated again. This hurt even more than being toyed with by a homeless man.
In a fit of anger, she jumped into the river.
Yolanda received notice the next day that Lily’s body had been pulled from the water, hastily cremated without a proper funeral, and that her ashes had been thrown into the trash bin by Wyatt Sinclair.
Yolanda had been running a fever since last night, dreaming of Lily gently teaching her to speak, dreaming of her standing silently on the bridge, and after hearing those words, despairingly throwing herself into the
river.
She thought that if Aunt Lily could choose again, she definitely wouldn’t have become a woman of the Grant residence.
Yolanda felt like she was trapped in a sea of fire, with someone feeding her medicine.
She opened her eyes and saw Charles’s face.
She was leaning against him, and his other hand was holding a bowl.
He had probably just come back and, hearing she had a fever, came to check on her.
Her face looked pale, and her head was groggy as she slowly pushed him away.
She now felt like vomiting whenever she saw a man–these men really were heartless and cruel.
Charles raised an eyebrow and set the bowl aside. “What tantrum are you throwing this time? I just asked you to apologize to Vivian. You haven’t answered your phone or replied to messages since this morning.”
She was too dazed to even understand what he was saying.
Her chin was grabbed, and Charles looked at her face.
Her face was undoubtedly beautiful; now flushed red, she looked fragile and vulnerable.
For some reason, his heart softened. “I’ll postpone the meeting to tomorrow. You meet with her once. Primecrest is an important partner for me right now, and I still need her help with BlueWave Shipping.”
BlueWave Shipping was a project given to him by Dylan. Its later–stage profits were considerable, and it involved cooperation with the government. Vivian happened to have the right background, especially in maritime transport.
The Sinclair family had been powerful for three generations, but few were involved in politics–too flashy and easily scrutinized.
Although Vivian was a scoundrel, she had a very influential family.
Yolanda lowered her lashes and leaned against the edge of the bed.
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Charles looked at her, as if transported back to when she had fallen into the water–a small, pitiful little thing.
He chuckled softly, leaning down to kiss her, but she dodged. “Careful not to catch my cold.”
For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy inside.
He had been busy lately but noticed she wasn’t as enthusiastic as before.
Yolanda had loved for fifteen years; she couldn’t have stopped loving him.
“Honey, get some rest.”
Yolanda murmured “mm” and closed her eyes.
When Charles left the room, he called Vivian.
Vivian was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t help but smile, “Mr. Sinclair, are you missing me?”
“You haven’t ever mentioned us in front of Yolanda, right?”
Vivian started laughing. “What could I say? You think I’d fight with the official Mrs. Sinclair out of jealousy? Mr. Sinclair, you are charming, but I’m not going to cling to just one man.”
She pretended to be carefree because she knew Charles disliked emotional entanglements.
Charles felt relieved. “I’ll organize a meeting tomorrow and have her apologize to you. Don’t make things hard for her.”
Vivian laughed from the side, “Is she willing?”
“She listens to me.”
Vivian raised an eyebrow, feeling this woman was truly pitiful. Her husband slept with her, yet she still had to step forward and apologize. It was surprisingly straightforward.
“Fine, I’ll just go through the motions. After all, that slap was witnessed by others. If I do nothing, I lose face.”
The incident where Yolanda tried to hit her was known by a few people in the circle.
As Mr. Sinclair, she really couldn’t afford to just stand by.
Since Charles organized the event himself and gave her a way out, she wouldn’t be talked about behind her
back.
As for Yolanda, no one cared about her fate.
The next morning, Yolanda got up to wash up and got into Charles’s car.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers, “Is your fever gone?”
In the past, whenever he did this, her heart would race.
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Chapter 54
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Now, feeling the dead silence in her heart, she suddenly realized with sadness that feelings can really vanish
in an instant.
She had spent fifteen years on him and recently saw clearly the rules in this circle.
Survival of the fittest, the strong prey on the weak.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Part 1: The Discovery of BetrayalYolanda Grant’s marriage was built on patience, sacrifice, and quiet endurance — but that illusion shattered in one night. It was late when she arrived at a dark, empty alley after receiving a mysterious message with an address. At first, she thought it was a misunderstanding. After all, her husband Charles Sinclair — a man of wealth, power, and refined taste — would never lower himself to something so vulgar. But when she saw him holding a young woman in his arms, kissing and touching her like a man possessed, every ounce of denial drained from her. Charles, the proud and disciplined businessman, was cheating — and in a filthy alleyway, no less.Part 2: The Scene of HumiliationFrom the safety of her car, Yolanda watched as the scene unfolded. The woman clinging to Charles was frail, trembling, and emotional, like a flower blooming in the mud. The surroundings — the stained floor, damp walls, and suffocating darkness — mocked everything Charles had always claimed to be. This wasn’t just infidelity; it was degradation. Yolanda’s mind swirled with disbelief. Her husband, who obsessed over class and perfection, had become a man of impulse and dirt. She didn’t confront him or make a scene; she didn’t even cry. Instead, she leaned back in her seat, numb, realizing that her marriage was already over in spirit.Part 3: Two Years of DevotionAs she sat there, flashes of the past flooded her mind. Two years of marriage — two years of her trying to please him in every way. She had known from the start that Charles didn’t love her. On their wedding day, he had made it painfully clear that his heart already belonged to another woman. Still, Yolanda married him out of hope, out of love, out of the foolish belief that devotion could melt even the coldest heart. She gave up her career, her ambitions, and her independence, just to prove she was worthy of him. She cared for him like a nurse for her patient — cooking his meals, planning his wardrobe, and tending to every detail of his life. And in return, she got nothing but distance and silence.Part 4: The Breaking PointNow, watching him entwined with another woman, everything she had built inside her — the patience, the sacrifice, the illusion — collapsed. The man she had once called her husband had become unrecognizable. He had torn off his noble mask and revealed himself as nothing more than a beast driven by desire. Yolanda felt like she’d been slapped, her dignity shattered into pieces. But instead of screaming or crying, she felt an eerie calm. Her pain was too deep to express. All she could think was: This marriage must end.Part 5: Charles’s UneaseWhile Yolanda drove home, Charles suddenly sensed that something was wrong. The headlights of a passing car illuminated his face, and a chill ran down his spine. He didn’t know whose car it was, but unease stirred in his chest. The girl in his arms whimpered for his attention, but his mind was already elsewhere. Straightening his clothes, he pulled away coldly. “That’s enough for tonight,” he said flatly. “The company’s got big projects. I can’t afford divorce rumors right now.” His words revealed not love, but calculation — every move guided by image and control. The girl, blinded by her feelings, agreed softly, claiming she would wait. But to Charles, it was just another temporary indulgence.Part 6: The Return HomeWhen Yolanda returned home, the villa felt colder than ever. She had just come out of the shower when Charles entered the bedroom, carrying his jacket. He looked as immaculate as always — tall, handsome, commanding — but tonight, his arrogance seemed cruel. On his pristine white shirt, Yolanda noticed a faint smear of pink lip gloss. She had never worn lip gloss; she hated its stickiness. That small, shiny mark told her everything she needed to know. As she dried her hair, she kept her expression neutral, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain.Part 7: The Cold ConversationCharles glanced at her and asked casually, “When did you get back?”“This afternoon,” she replied.He loosened his tie, unbuttoning his shirt as if nothing had happened. “I was out playing golf tonight,” he added. The lie rolled off his tongue effortlessly. Through the reflection in the window, Yolanda saw the dirt on his back — proof that golf wasn’t the only game he’d been playing. With quiet fury, she shot back, “Then I guess you scored plenty of holes. Congrats.”Her sarcasm caught him off guard. For the first time, he frowned, slightly unsettled. He wasn’t used to this tone from her — the woman who once worshiped him now sounded indifferent, almost mocking.Part 8: His Cruel ArroganceInstead of apologizing, Charles smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Are you mad? I told you when we got married that I didn’t love you. If you’re that unhappy, find someone else to cheat with.” His words cut through her like a blade. It wasn’t just betrayal anymore — it was humiliation. He treated her heartbreak as an inconvenience, as if her pain were irrelevant. Inside, Yolanda’s chest felt like it was being strangled with wire, every breath searing. Yet she stayed silent. Her quietness, once a sign of love, now turned into armor.Part 9: The Memory of InnocenceIn that moment, Yolanda’s mind drifted back to when she first met Charles. She was young, freshly adopted into the Grant family, and he was already the picture of perfection — disciplined, confident, untouchable. Back then, she looked at him with admiration and love. To her, he was everything she aspired to be. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that this same man would someday make her feel worthless. All those years of love, of marriage, of giving — they now felt like a cruel joke.Part 10: A New Beginning Hidden in the Word “Fine”Charles chuckled when she finally said, “Fine.” To him, it was just another empty threat, another outburst that would fade with time. He kissed her cheek, confident that her love would keep her shackled to him forever. What he didn’t realize was that this time, “Fine” wasn’t surrender — it was goodbye. Behind her calm eyes, Yolanda had already made her decision. The love that once bound her had turned to ash, and from that ash, something new was forming — strength.Chapter 1 ends with Yolanda’s quiet determination to take back her life. She won’t cry or beg anymore. This time, she’ll walk away — not as a broken wife, but as a woman reborn through betrayal.
