Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Yolanda spent the next few days at the villa here.
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Charles finalized the government project, always leaving early and coming home late. It wasn’t until the last night that he finally had her get in the car with him.
Yolanda had already checked in with Ian and knew he’d headed back with the crew a day ahead of schedule.
Plus, Ian was still sulking about it. Even though he didn’t say a word, Yolanda could tell from his whole vibe.
‘He acts all normal, but I can totally feel he’s got a grudge, Yolanda thought to herself.
With Ian’s birthday pretty much here, Yolanda totally planned to pick up a present for him and cheer him up once they were back in Beloris.
Yolanda leaned against Charles’s shoulder, half-dozing with her eyes closed.
Her face was delicately oval, her skin so pale it pretty much glowed. Curled up against his shoulder, she looked just like a little bird, super adorable and fragile.
Jack caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror-he swore something was definitely different about the way Charles was acting around Yolanda.
He kept quiet, hands steady on the wheel.
When they arrived at Moonbay Estate, Yolanda was just about to open her eyes when Charles scooped her up, carrying her in his arms before she knew it.
He laid her down on the bed, and the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, waking her up with a kiss.
Yolanda couldn’t help but feel that Charles was way more into it tonight than usual.
She pushed him away and tugged the blanket over herself. “I’m tired, and my arm hurts.”
“Relax, sweetheart. I won’t touch your arm,” Charles murmured.
But he leaned in again, and Yolanda instantly buried herself even deeper under the blanket.
Charles tried to coax her out, but she was clammed up tight like a locked shell.
Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he held himself back. In the end, he snatched up his pajamas and quietly left the room, frustration simmering beneath his calm.
Yolanda waited until she heard the door click shut before she shot up in bed.
‘This is weird,’ she thought to herself. ‘Charles used to act all distant, barely ever touching me, but now he’s suddenly so into me-like, what changed?’
‘Seriously, what’s going on here?’
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After chasing after him for all these years-and considering everything that’s happened lately—it just didn’t make sense. No way would Charles, that charming but unreliable heartbreaker, suddenly have real feelings for her… right?
Unable to make sense of it, and wiped out from a whole day on the road, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, she was woken up yet again by Charles’s kiss-he felt as if he was burning up with desire right next to her.
Groggy and half-awake, she curled up instinctively, trying to wriggle away from his lips.
But she just couldn’t take his intensity anymore. She opened her eyes, and tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Charles stiffened, grabbing her chin, surprise flashing across his face. “Why are you crying?”
“The thing between you and Vivian… it’s real, isn’t it?” Yolanda asked, her voice trembling.
He stayed silent, just brushed her tears away with his finger, a complicated look in his eyes.
Yolanda turned her head, her voice wavering, barely making a sound.
Charles didn’t admit or deny anything, but deep down, he was honestly getting fed up with Vivian.
He hated when Vivian started drama and made his life harder.
Yolanda burrowed deeper into the blanket, not saying another word.
Charles didn’t say anything else, just pressed a gentle kiss to her hair.
The next morning, after getting ready, Yolanda headed downstairs alone for breakfast.
All the staff in the villa were loyal to Charles. Even though she’d laid down the law before, now they just made sure not to rat out her whereabouts to him-everything else was still all about his preferences. Seeing a table full of Charles’s favorite dishes, Yolanda lost her appetite. She grabbed a couple slices of bread to fill up and didn’t bother sparring with the staff anymore.
For the next couple of days, Yolanda wasn’t planning to go to Starlight Entertainment. She needed to act like she was still shaken up from the attack.
When Charles got home that evening, he handed off his suit jacket to one of the staff and overheard someone say, “Mrs. Sinclair seemed a little out of it today. She didn’t go out even once.”
Charles stopped mid-movement, glancing over at Yolanda.
She sat quietly on the couch, curled up with a throw pillow in her arms, her eyes glazed over as she stared at
the screen.
Charles gently loosened his tie, stepped over, and asked, “What’s up?”
Yolanda bowed her head, her vulnerable nape showing. “Nothing,” she said softly.
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Charles, who’d never shown this kind of patience before, crouched down beside her, reached out and softly pinched her cheek-almost awkward in his gentleness, like he was trying to comfort but not knowing how.
“Nothing? It’s written all over your face,” he murmured.
Yolanda dropped her chin onto the pillow and let her lashes fall softly.
From where Charles knelt, he could see her petite lips, her straight, upturned nose, and those delicate lashes quivering against her cheeks.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he asked, “Are you still scared about what happened that night?”
Yolanda stiffened, staying silent.
“I’ve handled everything. What are you still worried about? You can tell your husband,” Charles said gently.
“I’m scared of Cedric,” she whispered.
She shot him a quick glance, then dropped her lashes again. “I’m scared of Grady too. When he handed me that room key, the way he looked at me still gives me chills.”
All Yolanda needed to do now was to let her fear show; as long as she remained Mrs. Sinclair, any man who showed interest in her would be seen by Charles as a threat to his authority.
Sure enough, the smile in his eyes slowly faded.
Yolanda knew Charles had this set system for weighing things. Like, between her and Renee, he’d always choose Renee.
And between her and the company, it was always the company over her.
But when it came to the little things that didn’t really matter, Charles never minded looking out for her in those minor ways.
So before that smile vanished fully, she leaned in and let her head rest on his shoulder. “Vivian’s words really stuck with me. I even had a nightmare about it last night.”
Charles’s irritation toward Vivian hit a whole new level.
In Charles’s mind, Yolanda was the most well-behaved, easygoing woman in all of Beloris. If she wasn’t, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry her in the first place.
For her to say something like that meant Vivian must’ve talked crap to her before. Yolanda didn’t let on because she trusted him.
Charles narrowed his eyes, thinking, ‘Maybe she did, but I was too oblivious back then to notice.
Like when she made the staff toss her clothes out, or switched to sleeping in a separate bed.
Now, as all those little things finally clicked into place, he understood she’d been quietly resisting him this
whole time.
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He always thought women throwing tantrums were just annoying, but someone who swallowed their pain, kept it bottled up, and still came to him so fragile, seeking his protection… Even he couldn’t help but feel a
rare trace of softness in his heart.
He lifted his hand and gently patted her back. “I’ll handle it. Jack will get you a black card-go spoil yourself a bit tomorrow, alright?”
Her lashes trembled, and she just mumbled an “Okay” from beneath her breath.
Charles chuckled and patted her on the head. “Gotta get back to work.”
****
The next morning, when Yolanda opened her door, she found Jack standing respectfully outside, holding out the black card.
“Mrs. Sinclair, the CEO asked me to give you this,” Jack said.
No limit this time-she could spend however much she wanted.
Before, Charles only gave her 60 thousand a month. Most of it went straight to the orphanage, and she had to put some away for maintaining relationships, leaving her with barely a couple bucks at the end of each month. Sure, he’d been a bit more generous lately, but even then, there was always a cap.
Now, he was handing her the black card.
Yolanda took the card and murmured a quiet thanks.
She wasn’t about to turn down money just to prove some point.
In this business, without cash, you can’t get anywhere.
She threw on some simple jeans and a white silk blouse, pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and got ready to hit the mall. She needed to find a birthday present for Ian-his birthday was coming up in two days.
Just before heading out, Yolanda paused for a moment, then fired off a quick update on Twitter.
[Out shopping!]
Yolanda hardly ever posted on Twitter. When she first married Charles two years ago, a bunch of people had added her just to get close to him.
But once they realized she wasn’t exactly in his good graces, they stopped reaching out.
The few posts she did make were always about Charles’s birthday or their wedding anniversary,
But this year, she skipped the anniversary post.
Now, this shopping post got a ton of likes-mostly from people in Charles’s circle. Everyone was all smiles and support on the surface.
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But Yolanda wasn’t trying to put on a show for that crowd-her post was aimed straight at Vivian.
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Rumor had it, after Charles dropped the partnership, Vivian caught hell for days. You could bet she was fuming and just itching to find someone to blow off steam on.
To Vivian, Yolanda was nothing but her punching bag—an easy target, a nobody she could mess with whenever she felt like it.
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Chapter 118
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.
