Chapter 11

Catherine froze for a second—damn, she hadn't thought of that. Quickly recovering, her eyes shifted as she said, “It was… your mom who told me. She seemed really pissed off.” At the mention of his mother, a tired look crossed William's face. He didn't seem suspicious, just rubbed his temples and sighed, “She wants me to get a divorce.” Then why the hell haven't you divorced her yet? Things are already this messed up! Catherine screamed internally, so close to saying it out loud. Without meeting her eyes, William just muttered, “Take care of her for me,” and walked off. On the hospital bed, Elizabeth had heard every word from outside the door. Her eyes welled up again with tears. Catherine slowly walked in, jealousy practically dripping from her eyes. “William's mom knows about your so-called cheating now. Won't be long before he files for divorce. Elizabeth, get ready to be kicked out for good.” Elizabeth, staring at Catherine's smug face, showed no emotion whatsoever. “You're seriously pathetic.” Catherine looked like she'd just been slapped. “Look at yourself—you're falling apart, and you still call me pathetic?” “That photo… you sent it to me... or maybe to William's mom, right? And those lab reports from three months ago—you tampered with them too, didn't you?” Elizabeth's voice was cold, detached. She'd already pieced it all together from what she had overheard. “You—what nonsense are you spouting?!” Catherine panicked, quickly glancing toward the door. Only when she saw William was gone did she calm down. She stormed forward, face twisted in anger. “What else do you know?!” Elizabeth, barely able to sit up, glared at her through the pain. “You've gone so far—don't you think karma will catch up with you?” Catherine just laughed, voice full of scorn. “Come on, Elizabeth. Still dreaming? Are you thinking of telling William? You really think he'd believe you?” Elizabeth collapsed onto the bed, her whole body weak. Her eyes lost all light. “No… I won't tell him… not anymore…”With William's power and connections, if he'd trusted her even a little bit, if he'd dug just a little deeper, how could Catherine have pulled all this off without being caught? What stood between her and William wasn't just Catherine—it was like an entire ocean, endless mountains stretching out forever between them. She loved across a sea of mountains, But even after crossing them all, He still didn't love her. Hearing this, Catherine lit up inside, her tone smug and sharp. “You know why William hasn't divorced you yet?” Elizabeth's eyes didn't move, but her fingers tightened slightly. “He wants to keep torturing you. Because I'm not done being mad, and neither is he. He wants you and your parents to pay for the humiliation they dumped on him.” Elizabeth suddenly turned her head, glaring. “What did you just say?” Catherine's face flushed with excitement, her voice rising. “Do you really think he would've married you if your parents hadn't forced him to, just because he slept with you? And your mother-in-law—please. If she hadn't cared about your family's status, why would she come to me in secret and beg me to leave William? To break us up? Now that the Turner family doesn't need the Smith name anymore, even your mother-in-law dares support the divorce. You think William still respects your parents like he used to?” “Catherine!” Elizabeth snapped. “They raised you for nearly twenty years—how could you treat them like this?” Catherine sneered, “If they were really my biological parents, do you think I would've lost my spot as Mrs. Turner? Yes, they were good to me, but they shouldn't have had a daughter like you. You wreck your own kid's life and now you're dragging down your parents too!” “Ah…” Elizabeth broke down, a miserable mix of laughter and sobs tearing at her voice. So this was the truth. The cold husband she loved, The demanding mother-in-law she tried so hard to please— It had all been a damn business deal. Looking up again, her eyes were bloodshot, her expression teetering on madness. “You want to be Mrs. Turner, Catherine? Dream on. I'm never signing those divorce papers. I'm taking both of you down with me.”