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Though Declan found Cordelia’s excuse a bit far–fetched, eventually, he didn’t say anything.
Once Cordelia was in the car, they sped toward the remote dock.
It was past 2:00 a.m., and the streets were nearly empty of pedestrians.
Staring out at the streetlights sweeping past, Cordelia was lost in thought.
From what she had observed since her transmigration, her marriage to Declan was already on the brink of collapse.
Even the fact that they had three children together had done little to mend it.
They treated each other with cold indifference, seizing every opportunity to fight. Had they been this way since the beginning?
With parents like them, it was no wonder their children had developed issues.
At this, she couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something crucial.
Raising a hand, she patted her head lightly. What exactly was it?
Declan frowned slightly. While waiting at the traffic light, he reached over and stilled her hand.
“Does your head hurt?” he asked.
She sighed heavily, “With such a high–maintenance son, doesn’t yours?”
She had expected him to respond with a few sarcastic remarks.
After all, he was an expert at delivering the most infuriating words in a perfectly serious tone.
To her surprise, he remained silent. Instead, he simply reached out and ruffled her hair gently.
Before she could react, his broad hand had left the top of her head.
If it weren’t for the residual warmth, she might have thought she had imagined it.
Who knew? Declan actually comforted her.
Both of them were used to being at loggerheads.
This sudden moment of warmth actually left them flustered and at a loss.
Cordelia couldn’t help but ask, “Declan… why did we get married in the first place?”
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Declan’s hands, clutching the steering wheel, froze.
Her question had caught him off guard.
He struggled to summon the memories from twenty years ago.
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Just then, she said, her voice barely audible, “Declan, can I say something? I just want you to know… whatever the reason was that we got together, we have three kids now.
“As their parents, it’s our responsibility to guide them.
“Let’s work together to pull them back on the right track, OK?”
Declan hesitated to speak. Suddenly, his phone rang.
Cordelia’s gaze dropped subconsciously and landed on the name flashing on the screen–Belinda.
The faint trace of affection that had just begun to warm her heart instantly vanished.
Declan answered and asked casually, “What’s up?”
A barely perceptible sneer touched Cordelia’s lips.
In truth, Belinda Baldwin was a significant reason her relationship with Declan had become so strained.
The Fernandez and Beasley families had been friends for generations, and their parents were extremely close. Conse- quently, she and Declan had been childhood sweethearts.
Cordelia could be a bit willful sometimes, which was true, but in the past, Declan had always humored her.
But Belinda’s arrival completely changed everything.
Gentle and considerate, Belinda seemed to attract trouble, often bullied by some punks.
Once, spotting Belinda cornered in an alley, Cordelia had charged in with two bricks and driven the bullies away.
From that day on, they became friends, and Cordelia became her fierce protector.
But Belinda’s attention was always fixed on Declan.
She’d even sow discord between Cordelia and Declan, seemingly unintentionally.
At first, Cordelia was completely oblivious, continuing to treat Belinda with kindness. Until one day, she came home from school early and overheard Declan complaining to her father.
He said she was too spoiled, always picking on Belinda behind everyone’s back.
Fuming, she stormed inside and questioned him, “I picked on Belinda? When? What are you talking about?”
Back then, Declan had been far fiercer than he was now. The warning in his gaze was utterly undisguised.
“You tore her papers to shreds and had those punks corner her in the alley,” he stated, his tone icy. “How is that not
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Chapter 6
picking on her?”
It was in that moment that Cordelia realized Belinda was a total angelic bitch.
She played the harmless, innocent victim in front of Cordelia, using her as a shield against trouble.
At the same time, she acted pitiful around Declan, all while smearing Cordelia’s name.
Cordelia and Belinda had a massive fight after that day and parted ways for good.
To Cordelia’s surprise, after all these years, Declan was still in contact with Belinda.
Suddenly, something became painfully clear.
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Though Declan was in his forties, he was undeniably handsome, wealthy, and maintained a physique that rivaled any model or young heartthrob. Women, many far younger than him, were constantly vying for his attention.
Perhaps he had long grown tired of this marriage in name only and had already turned to Belinda, who was so gentle and considerate in his eyes.
Cordelia’s thoughts spiraled into extreme speculation. She was even wondering if Declan had already had children with Belinda.
She was so consumed by these poisonous thoughts that she didn’t even hear Declan call her name three times after he had hung up the phone.
It wasn’t until he slammed on the brakes, bringing the Rolls–Royce Cullinan to a jarring halt at a secluded intersec- tion, that she finally snapped out of it.
Declan turned to her. “That was Belinda. She said Darry called a bunch of friends and is about to get into a fight with some punks from the next class. She can’t stop them all by herself. Let’s go. Quick.”
She picked up the wooden stick and snorted coldly.
“My, my, Belinda is as concerned about you as ever. She used to bring you milk and snacks all the time, and now she even knows your son is getting into a fight in the middle of the night.”
Declan frowned slightly, picking up on her sarcastic tone.
After a few seconds, he explained patiently, “She’s Darry’s teacher.”
Cordelia arched an eyebrow slightly. What a convenient coincidence–Belinda just happened to be the teacher of De- clan’s son?
They had only taken a few steps forward when she saw a woman in a pristine white dress running toward them.
No, wait.
To be more precise, she was running directly toward Declan.
“Declan! You’re finally here!
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“Another minute and the fight would have started.
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“They’re all edgy teenagers. If not stopped in time, there’s no telling what kind of mess they would have caused,” she said, still slightly out of breath.
Declan said politely, “Darry can be a handful. Thank you for looking out for him.”
She lowered her head and offered a bashful smile. “Don’t mention it. Between us, you know you don’t have to thank me.”
Standing behind Declan, Cordelia studied Belinda’s face.
Time had aged her, but her features were unmistakable.
Though not as stunning as Cordelia, she possessed a certain charm.
Now, there was even a faint, lingering sadness in her eyes that seemed to easily trigger a man’s protective instinct.
Declan really had poor taste.
After all these years, he still couldn’t see through this angelic bitch and was still attracted to her.
Still slightly breathless, Belinda looked at Declan with an eagerness that was almost palpable. Seeing this, Cordelia couldn’t help but step forward slowly.
“It’s been a while, Belinda.”
Too busy gazing at Declan, Belinda hadn’t noticed that anyone else was there. Her expression changed drastically as she heard Cordelia’s voice.
Her gaze jerked from Declan to Cordelia, her face a mask of utter disbelief.
After a stunned silence, she said, “Cordelia?
“Why are you here?”
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Utterly pissed off, Cordelia let out a derisive laugh.
Belinda was talking as if she were Declan’s wife.
