0 Chapter 10
During her university days, Penelope had a vibrant social life with numerous close companions. However, after tying the knot and becoming a homemaker, she gradually distanced herself from her social circles and lost touch with her old friends. 1
Killian felt as if he might faint. His lungs seemed to constrict, reminiscent of a fish out of water. With shaky fingers, he unfolded the divorce papers.
In the section detailing the grounds for separation, Penelope had scrawled a brief note: “Due to infidelity on the husband’s part…”
Killian’s eyes grew large with disbelief.
Exposed. Penelope had uncovered his romantic entanglement with Anastacia.
But how? She had always behaved so normally, as if oblivious to everything.
His pulse quickened, thudding in his chest like a thunderous beat. He mentally retraced the events of the past month, desperately attempting to connect the dots.
It all began the day he accepted the fan and allowed the diamond necklace to be draped around his neck. Penelope had offered a faint smile, which he had mistaken for joy. Now, he understood it was a smile laden with anguish–the kind only someone deeply wounded could muster.
He remembered the evening Anastacia burst into their home. Penelope had asked him, her voice quavering slightly, “Do you recall our wedding vows?”
With a sinking feeling, he had recited, “Between us, there shall be no betrayal, no change of heart, no deception.”
Yet Penelope’s expression wasn’t one of happiness. It was a look of restrained grief, tears held back by sheer willpower.
“She’s aware… She’s known all along!”
Killian crumpled to the ground, enraged at himself. He struck the floor in frustration, unable to contain his emotional outburst.
Teardrops splattered onto the divorce agreement, smudging Penelope’s signature.
He hastily wiped away the tears, terrified of damaging the last remnant she had left him. This document, this contract, was the final piece of her that remained, and he couldn’t bear to let it
vanish.
But it was too late.
His tears had blurred Penelope’s handwriting, and for a moment, it felt as if the very foundation
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10 Chapter 10
of their relationship had crumbled by his own actions. Killian clutched the paper to his chest, weeping uncontrollably. “Ali, Ali, don’t abandon me, don’t leave me…”
Time passed in a blur, and when he finally regained composure, he stumbled out of the villa in a daze. Night had fallen, and the tears on his face had long since dried, leaving behind a cold emptiness. Only one question lingered unanswered: How had Penelope discovered the truth? He had been so cautious, so meticulous–she shouldn’t have known.
His feet carried him silently to the rear of the car. Inside, Anastacia occupied the passenger seat, lowering the window and casually scrolling through her phone. Despite the distance, Killian immediately noticed something–on the left side of the chat window on her screen, there was Penelope’s profile picture.
A chill ran down his spine, and with growing suspicion, he inched closer, trying to remain undetected. As he approached, the content of the messages on her screen became more distinct. His heart raced.
It was an image of a pregnancy test result. A photograph of her and him in bed… The messages were primarily from her, with no responses from the other party, yet there was no rejection
either.
A sharp pain shot through his head, and the world seemed to crumble around him.
It was her! It was this treacherous woman who had revealed everything to Penelope!
Anastacia had betrayed him–she had been the one to disclose everything to Penelope.
Engrossed in her own self–satisfaction, Anastacia was reveling in the chaos she had caused. As she admired her message thread, her phone was suddenly wrenched from her grasp.
Startled, she spun around, ready to lash out, but her eyes widened in shock at the sight before
her.
“Killian?”
Killian’s face was twisted with fury. His jaw clenched, his voice low and seething, “Who gave you permission to address me by name?”
Without a word, he scrolled through the conversation between her and Penelope, piecing together the truth.
Anastacia gazed at him, her face draining of color, and stammered, “Mr. Barnes, this is all a misunderstanding, please, allow me to explain…”
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