Chapter 9
Kane' s pupils constricted, his face a mask of utter shock as my words, broadcast live, resonated through the conference hall. The reporters, sensing blood in the water, surged forward, their questions a barrage. He stood frozen, his mind a blank, unable to process the total dismantling of his carefully constructed narrative.
His bodyguards moved quickly, forming a protective wall, practically dragging him out of the room. He stumbled, a man suddenly adrift, stripped bare in front of the world.
Once in the car, he frantically pulled out his phone, dialing my number. The message flashed back, cold and uncompromising: "Message not sent. You have been blocked." He tried again, and again, the same infuriating exclamation mark appearing next to each undelivered text. I was gone.
He arrived back at the villa, his shoulders slumped, his usual swagger replaced by a defeated shuffle. He tried calling, texting, emailing, every avenue blocked. I had erased him.
Cristy, oblivious to the true nature of his distress, skipped towards him, her face alight with triumph. "Kane, darling! Did you see? She actually did it! She divorced you! Now we can be together, truly together!" She threw her arms around him, pressing herself against his chest, her head nestled in his neck.
A flicker of something-not love, but a raw, desperate confusion-crossed Kane' s face. He still couldn' t believe it. Anastasia, gone? Anastasia, who had always been there, always the steady anchor, always loyal?
He gently pushed Cristy away. "Go to your room, Cristy. I need to think." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
Cristy, who had never seen him so removed, so utterly distant, felt a chill creep into her heart. "But… Kane, about our wedding…?"
He didn' t answer, his gaze fixed on some distant, unseen point.
She retreated, her earlier joy replaced by a growing unease.
Kane immediately barked orders into his phone. "Liam! Get me everything on my marriage to Anastasia. Every legal document, every detail. Five minutes!"
Liam, his voice tight with discomfort, didn' t question it.
The five minutes stretched into an eternity for Kane. He paced, then slumped onto the sofa, the silence of the villa mocking his frantic thoughts. Finally, his phone buzzed. A document, and a voice message.
Liam' s voice, hesitant, came through the speaker. "Mr. Powell… I' ve checked all the records. Your marriage to Mrs. Powell… it' s officially dissolved. She filed unilaterally a month ago, under a new provision in Cayman Islands law."
Kane froze. A new provision? He remembered boasting about the complexity of their marriage, the legal labyrinth designed to cement their union. He snatched his laptop, frantically searching for the legal updates. There it was, a recent amendment, allowing for unilateral divorce under extreme circumstances, especially when there was documented infidelity and abandonment of a gravely ill spouse. He had been so blind, so arrogant.
The night was a dark, suffocating shroud. Kane called my number over and over, a hundred times, two hundred. Each call went straight to voicemail, a stark reminder of his isolation. He finally gave up, slumping onto the sofa, his phone almost dead. He opened his browser, the internet ablaze with his downfall. Hashtags trended, memes mocked him, articles dissected his betrayal and my triumphant escape.
"CEO Powell: From Tech Titan to Trashy Cheater. Anastasia Harvey deserved better."
"Cristy Taylor: The mistress who got a divorce… for her lover' s wife."
"He thought he was untouchable. Anastasia Harvey just proved him wrong."
The humiliation was a raw wound. Cristy, smelling faintly of cheap perfume, appeared at his side, her dress a flimsy scrap of silk. She leaned in, her hand on his arm. "Kane, darling, you should rest."
He recoiled, the scent of her cloying and artificial. All he could think of was my scent, clean and subtle, the way I used to smell after a long day at the office. He remembered the quiet comfort of my presence, my steady hand, my unwavering support. He remembered my strength, my intelligence. He remembered how I used to soothe his frustrations with a quiet word, a gentle touch.
He stood abruptly. "I' m sleeping in the guest room tonight." His voice was cold, distant.
Cristy' s eyes widened, her carefully constructed vulnerability shattering. "Kane? What' s wrong? Don' t you… don' t you love me anymore?" Her voice was choked with desperation.
He just stared at her, his face a mask of stone. "It's late, Cristy." Then he walked away, leaving her reeling.
You may also like
