Chapter 21
Valentina slowly turned around to find Daniel standing just a few steps away, his uniform wrinkled and heavy dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t slept well in ages.
His gaze was locked on her face, his eyes wild with joy.
“It really is you…” Daniel’s voice shook as he stared at her without blinking. “They said you’d come back, but I didn’t believe it…”
He lunged forward and grabbed her hand. “Where have you been all this time? Why did you divorce me?
“No… None of that matters. Val, what matters is that you finally came home…
“You still love me, and you missed me, didn’t you? That’s why you came back here…”
But Valentina’s reaction was nothing like what he expected. When she saw him, her expression was completely indifferent.
After he rushed toward her, that look turned to disgust. She yanked her hand away, frowning. ” Let go!”
But Daniel gripped her even tighter, his voice pleading. “Val, I know I was wrong. I really know I screwed up…
“Forgive me for how I treated you before, and I’ll forgive you for disappearing without a word. We can work this out and have a good life together, can’t we?”
“Daniel!” Valentina finally reached her breaking point. “You and I are over!”
“How can we be over? Who said we were over?” Daniel’s eyes turned red. “You’re still my wife!
“Ex–wife.” A cold voice came from the doorway.
Before Daniel could react, a strong hand clamped down hard on his wrist. The grip was powerful enough to force him to release Valentina.
“How dare you disrespect your sister–in–law?” Marcus stood backlit in the entrance, the stars on his shoulders gleaming.
Daniel looked like he’d been struck by lightning. “Sister–in–law?”
His face turned white as a sheet as he looked from Marcus to Valentina. “Marcus? You’re not dead? How are you… Why are you two here together?”
“As you can see,” Marcus stepped protectively in front of Valentina, his voice cold as ice.
er 21
“I survived and made it back. And Val is my wife now.”
Daniel stumbled backward, then suddenly started laughing. “Come on, Marcus. What are you talking about? How could Val be your wife?
“Stop joking around. Don’t you remember? You were my best man when I married her.”
“I haven’t been your wife for a long time.” Valentina stepped out from behind Marcus, her voice eerily calm.
“From the moment you cheated on me with Camille, you stopped being my husband in my heart.”
She looked directly into Daniel’s eyes, her gaze unwavering. “Besides, we’re already divorced. Legally, we have no connection whatsoever.”
Daniel seemed to deflate completely, sinking to his knees on the floor. His eyes darted back and forth between them, finally settling on their clasped hands.
“So that’s it…” he mumbled. “No wonder you never came back. You two have been sneaking around behind my back…”
Marcus frowned but didn’t dignify the accusation with a response. He took Valentina’s hand. ” Come on. Let’s pay our respects to Mom.”
The main parlor fell dead silent. Everyone was stunned by this turn of events.
Valentina followed Marcus toward the casket, catching a glimpse of Camille in the corner, whose face was white with shock. She was staring at Marcus with a mixture of terror and regret, as if she’d seen a ghost.
But no one was paying any attention to her. The two of them walked past, hand in hand, with quiet dignity.
