Chapter 2

The other end of the line went silent at once. I couldn't tell whether Isabel was too shocked or simply too excited to speak. After all, only if I divorced Steve would she be able to take my place. I ended the call and sat in front of the coffee table, waiting quietly for Steve to come home. I waited the entire night, but Steve never came back. Instead, his assistant, Lily Jobb, showed up. The moment she stepped into the villa, I sensed her hostility toward me. She had been working as Steve's assistant for three years now. I'd long felt that her feelings for him were anything but professional. Seeing me pale and exhausted after a sleepless night, she looked almost pleased. With her chin lifted, she spoke arrogantly. "Mr. Griffin has kept you around for nearly four years. Now that Ms. Stone is about to become Mrs. Griffin, you must be feeling pretty miserable, huh?" What did she mean by Steve was keeping me around? I almost laughed out loud. Well, Steve and I had kept our marriage under wraps extremely well. Four years ago, every elder in the Griffin family had fiercely opposed my marriage to him because of my lowly background. In the end, I had been the one who compromised by agreeing to register the marriage but skipping the wedding ceremony. Aside from our closest circle, no one knew we were married. Back then, Steve's eyes had been full of guilt and tenderness. He stroked my hair and apologized to me for putting me through all this. He had sworn to me that once he secured his position at Griffin Group, he would give me a grand and spectacular wedding. But the truth was, he had already secured the position of CEO long ago. Still, that wedding had yet to happen. As a result, Lily believed I was nothing more than a kept woman. She looked down at me and continued, "Mr. Griffin asked me to investigate the rumors. It turns out that yesterday's article about Ms. Stone came from your company. As the Entertainment Editor-in-Chief, there's no way you didn't know about it." If someone wanted to accuse another of something, they would always find a reason. Steve cheated on me but never offered a single word of explanation. And now, the first thing he did was pin the blame on me. With an expressionless face, I said, "It wasn't me." Lily let out a cold snort. "The evidence is right here. You should just admit it and part on good terms with Mr. Griffin. Don't wait until you're kicked out unceremoniously. That would be embarrassing." The moment she finished speaking, I shot up from the couch and slapped her across the face. Lily froze and clutched her cheek while staring back at me in disbelief. I tossed the divorce agreement onto the table in front of her and turned around. "What happens between Mr. Griffin and me is none of your business. Get out." When she saw the divorce papers, her pupils visibly contracted as she whispered, "Y-You're married to Mr. Griffin?" But then she suddenly remembered that Steve was with Isabel now. Gritting her teeth, she forced out a cold smile. "Mr. Griffin said I have full authority in handling this. If you refuse to admit that it was you who leaked the news, go kneel before Jesus and reflect behind closed doors. You can get up when you come to your senses. Ms. Stone is still crying right now, you know?" I was so exasperated that I nearly laughed. Steve cheated on me, yet I was the one who had to reflect. This was utterly ridiculous. Lily continued lightly, "You don't have to go. But don't forget that the cardiopulmonary support device your comatose mother uses was developed by Griffin Group. It won't be officially released for another month. Mr. Griffin can have it shut down at any time. "If he does that, what awaits your mother is death." Steve was far crueler than I had imagined. He knew perfectly well that my mother, Leah Dreyfus, was my only blood relative left in this world. In the end, I bent my knees and knelt on the cold floor. The faint scent of ambergris incense filled the private chapel. It was the same scent that always clung to Steve himself. It enveloped me from every direction. Never had I been clearer than I was at that moment that I had to divorce Steve. My housekeeper, Maria Lawson, panicked and pleaded on my behalf when she saw me kneeling. "Ms. Jobb, Mrs. Griffin can't kneel! She has weak knees! This will do her harm!" she cried. Three years ago, after our child died, Steve had offered only a few lukewarm words of comfort before continuing to fly all over the world. He claimed it was for work. What he didn't know was that on countless nights, I knelt alone in this very private chapel, asking the heavens whether my child could be returned to me. I should have been resting in bed after childbirth. Instead, I knelt here day after day, unable to eat or sleep. That was when the illness took root. During a long spell of rainy weather, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Even the doctor was puzzled. He wondered how someone so young could have this condition. With a woeful sigh, he informed me that it was irreversible and that I would have to manage the pain with medication on rainy days. Maria knew about this, but Steve didn't. When her pleas failed, Maria couldn't take it anymore. "I'll call Mr. Griffin right now!" Gritting my teeth and enduring the searing pain in my knees, I ordered, "Maria, don't call Steve." I hadn't told him about my condition before because I didn't want him to suffer with me. But now, I thought there was simply no need because he wouldn't even feel bad for me. Maria didn't listen and insisted on dialing his number. But once again, it wasn't Steve who answered. From the other end came a child's soft, innocent voice. "Who is it? Daddy's shopping for clothes with Mommy right now!" I smiled self-deprecatingly. At some point, I didn't know when, Steve had changed his phone password and almost never let me touch it. I thought it was because he valued his privacy. But then, his mistress and his daughter could use his phone freely. I was the only one who couldn't. Maria froze. She hurriedly looked at the phone screen and confirmed that she hadn't dialed the wrong number. When she saw my expression, she instantly understood what was happening. She quickly ended the call. I smiled faintly at that sight. It wasn't until blood seeped from my knees that Lily finally let out a cold laugh and turned to leave. As she walked out, she said in a warning tone, "The way you atoned for your mistake is acceptable. I won't report this to Mr. Griffin." After she left, Maria hurried over and helped me back to my room. Every step I took made me gasp involuntarily as pain coursed through me. Feeling indignant on my behalf, Maria choked up as she spoke. "Mr. Griffin has gone too far! You knelt there for hours, and he was out there shopping with another woman. And that little girl. She…" She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. All she could do was look at me with deep worry. I smiled weakly and said, "Please get me the first aid kit, Maria." Not long after, I heard familiar footsteps outside the door. Steve was back. His conversation with Maria reached my ears as well. "What do you need the first aid kit for?" he asked. "Mrs. Griffin knelt in the chapel all night. Her knees are completely torn up," Maria replied. "Has she always been so delicate?" he said coolly. The tone made it clear. He thought Maria and I were putting on an act to gain sympathy. Summoning her courage, Maria replied, "Ms. Jobb bullied her and kicked away the cushion. Mrs. Griffin knelt on the cold, hard floor for hours." Steve's voice turned icy. "Who told her to do that?"