Chapter 4
Her gaze fell upon the diamond ring on her ring finger, the large stone glinting coldly in the sunlight.
She removed the ring lightly, leaving a reddened ring mark, ugly as a scar.
That was right—she was getting a divorce.
It wasn’t an impulsive decision. In fact, she had been considering a divorce for nearly a year.
She had been hesitating–until the moment she bled out, dialing a call that would never be answered.
As she lay in the pool of blood, listening to the familiar mechanical voice on the phone, memories of this five–year marriage flashed across her mind.
Perhaps her baby had been spared–no innocent soul deserved to be trapped in this loveless family.
She glanced around, realizing nothing really belonged to her.
Even the room was decorated by Damian’s ex–wife.
Once women learned to let go, they could see a lot of things clearly.
Damian had never truly thought of her as his life partner.
Now, she was done living in fantasy, trying for something impossible.
She opened the dresser drawer, taking out her auctioneer’s license and all sorts of awards she had won.
They had once occupied the pride of place at home. Yet after she married Damian, they were exiled to a forgotten
corner.
Despite being out of the workforce for years, she had meticulously renewed all certificates every year, so they re- mained valid.
She carefully dusted off each trophy and certificate before placing them in her suitcase.
Aside from these, the only thing she took away was the card Damian had given her last night.
After all, that was rightfully hers.
The diamond ring remained on the dresser as she dragged her suitcase through Belmont Estates‘ gates.
Darlene spent the afternoon in Damian’s office.
The burn on the back of her hand had long stopped hurting. But when Lindsay told Damian about what had happened,
0.0 %
03.50
Chapter 4
she still squeezed out a few tears while nestling in his arms.
Holding her tenderly, Damian carefully applied ointment to her hand.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
Fathers tended to spoil their daughters, and he was a textbook example of this indulgence.
She shook her head, enjoying snacks while propping her little feet on his thigh with a grin.
In fact, she had long forgotten what had happened in the morning.
But Lindsay wouldn’t miss any chance to tell on Claudine.
會
288 (Vouchers
“Mr. Barrette, I’m just your assistant, and I know I’m not in a position to say this. But … Mrs. Barrette really needs to pay more attention to take care of Darla.”
She recounted what had happened, exaggerating in every possible way. But seeing the impassive expression on Dami- an’s face, the more she spoke, the more uncertain she became.
Darlene was the apple of his eye. She assumed he’d fly into a rage upon hearing the story–maybe he’d divorce Clau- dine in a fit of anger.
But he didn’t react as she imagined.
Damian asked, “Darla, is what Lindsay said true?”
Darlene’s eyes instinctively flicked to Lindsay before snapping to Damian.
She knew Damian hated children who lied. However, what Lindsay had told her on the way here echoed in her mind. “This is the only way he’ll take you on his next business trip.”
She hung her head, burying her face in the crook of Damian’s neck.
“Daddy… It hurt so much…”
Damian doted on her the most. The tears on her face broke his heart, and he could no longer keep a straight face.
“Don’t cry, Darla. With the ointment, you’ll be fine in a second. Be more careful from now on, alright?” he coaxed gently.
Darlene knew it meant he had taken her words for it.
Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, she saw Lindsay giving her a thumbs–up while Damian wasn’t looking.
But she wasn’t happy at all. Instead, Claudine’s blistered forearm constantly resurfaced in her mind.
49.2 %
