Chapter 3

“But she’s still your legal wife. If she shows up and you take me on stage, won’t that look bad?” Natasha spoke with fake sadness.

She knew exactly who she was. She knew she was the outsider who didn’t belong.

“Don’t worry. I already have a plan. Calling her here tonight is part of it,” Daniel said, sounding pleased with himself.

A sharp worry rose in my chest.

“I bribed a waiter. He’ll make sure Celeste drinks the ‘special’ champagne. After that, Hansen will take her to the room we prepared. They’ll record everything. Then later, I’ll have a clean excuse for divorce. Cheating.”

“She’ll leave with nothing. My name stays clean and the company won’t be hurt. And of course…”

He paused, pulled Natasha closer by the waist, his voice dropping into a soft, intimate tone.

“The best part is, after this, we can finally be together openly. I can introduce you everywhere as my wife.”

“Oh, stop. You haven’t even proposed. Who says I’m your wife?” she giggled, punching his chest lightly. Even that small touch made him lose control for a moment.

“Alright, I’ll go check if Celeste is here yet.” Daniel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

The moment I heard that, I lifted my dress and hurried toward the buffet area, pretending I had just arrived.

Just as expected, a waiter walked toward me with a glass of champagne.

“Ma’am, would you like a drink?”

I waved my hand. “No, thank you.”

But he didn’t move. “This is a special cocktail for every VIP tonight. If you don’t take it, I’ll get in trouble.”

What a terrible excuse. I almost rolled my eyes.

When Daniel noticed the waiter couldn’t pressure me, he finally walked over.

“Celeste, you’re here. Why didn’t you text me?”

“Heh.” I let out a cold laugh.

“You probably don’t like champagne. Here, drink mine. This is your favorite. The taste is great. Try it.”

For a moment, I didn’t know whether to feel touched that he still remembered my preferences, or to feel stupid for ever loving a man who planned so carefully to destroy me.

I took the glass, lifted it and drank a large sip. Then I smiled.

His eyelid twitched. His shoulders loosened. He thought everything was going according to plan.

I drank about half of it in front of him, then turned and walked to the restroom.

Inside, I leaned over the sink and spat everything out. Then I opened a small packet of vomiting powder I had prepared. I forced myself to throw up more until sweat covered my forehead and tears stung my eyes.

After rinsing my mouth and fixing my makeup, I walked out.

I walked slowly, pretending to be drunk and dizzy.

At a corner, I bumped into a chest. The strong smell of cigarettes made me want to gag.

“Tsk, tsk… Daniel really went all out. Look at you, sweetheart. You can barely stand. Come on, I’ll take good care of you.”

He slid an arm around my waist and led me down a hallway. I pretended to resist weakly.

He shoved me into a private room and pushed me onto the bed. Then he started undressing.

Just as he tried to get close, I shoved him back hard.

“Oh? Still that strong after being drugged? Wild one.”

“Dirty… shower…” I forced out, sounding drunk and confused.

“Oh, right. I should wash up first. Then I’ll come ‘handle’ you properly.” With that, he grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom.

The moment the bathroom door closed and the heater turned on, I grabbed my heels, ran to the door and slipped out silently.

***

When I finally got home, exhaustion crashed over me. I fell asleep the moment I touched the bed.

The next morning, loud ringing jolted me awake.

As soon as I answered, Daniel’s angry voice exploded through the speaker. “After drinking last night, where did you go? Why didn’t you go to the room I prepared?”

“I didn’t go. I went home.”

“Why didn’t you go? Do you know because of you, Natasha….”

His voice held heavy anger, stronger than ever, but for some reason, he was holding it back, like something was forcing him to stay controlled.

Then suddenly, he asked quietly, “Celeste… have you been wanting to divorce me for a long time?”