Chapter 3

Everyone at the table stared at Trina in shock. "You! You ungrateful brat!" Wayne snapped. Jessica snapped out of it first and hurried over, trying to smooth things over. "Trina, if you have something to say, say it calmly. Don't make your father angry..." "It is not your place to speak here!" Trina cut her off sharply. "You were the mistress who clawed your way in. And you think you get to lecture me in this house?" Jessica's face went pale, then flushed, her eyes filling with tears as she looked helplessly at Wayne. Wayne was furious, but when he saw the way Trina looked like she might burn the whole place down, he swallowed his temper and waved a hand, sending Jessica and the frightened children upstairs. "What are you making a scene about this time?" he asked furiously. Trina met his eyes and asked coldly, "Did you use that miracle drug to force Julian into marrying me?" A flicker of guilt flashed through Wayne's eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about?" "You know very well whether it's nonsense." Trina stepped closer, refusing to back down. "Wayne Shepherd, answer me! Did you or did you not do that?" Seeing Trina on the verge of breaking, Wayne knew he couldn't hide from it any longer. Irritated, he gave in and admitted it. "Yes, I did it. So what? I was thinking about you! Julian is capable and has a bright future! He's the kind of man other families would dream of marrying their daughters off to! I got you a perfect match! How is that wrong? "You're my daughter. You think I would hurt you? A man like Julian is the only one who can keep you in line! You will only be happy with him!" "Happy?" Trina let out a bitter laugh. "You want to use a deal and a lie to build a marriage and call that happiness? Let me tell you something, Wayne Shepherd. Men line up for me! I don't need to stoop to cheap tricks to keep a man!" She took a deep breath and stripped away the last shreds of his façade. "And stop pretending this was all for my sake! You just got tired of me fighting you over Mom all these years! You wanted me married off as fast as possible so you could have some peace! "You know I have high standards and don't look twice at most men, so you picked Julian. You made sure I would fall for him, marry him, and have his child. "Then, once I settled down, you could get him to persuade me to stop fighting over the inheritance. That way, you could leave every last cent to the woman you love and the kids she gave you. Isn't that your plan?" Wayne's face shifted through several shades, but he still tried to brazen it out. "You! You're talking nonsense!" "Nonsense?" Trina laughed until tears pricked her eyes, but her pride held. "Fine! Whether that was your exact plan or not, I'm officially telling you right now—I don't want the inheritance!" Wayne froze for a second. A flash of relief and something close to joy flickered in his eyes before he could hide it. Trina caught his reaction and felt her heart sink all the way to the bottom. Everything inside her went cold. "But I have two conditions," she said firmly. "First, you have to give Julian the drug. Second, use every connection you have to push our divorce through as fast as possible." Wayne was still angry, but once he heard her give up any claim to the inheritance, his expression eased almost instantly. He even pretended to care about her like a father. "Fine. A relationship can't be forced. If you want a divorce, then go ahead. I only want you to be happy." He paused for a moment, then added, "But I can't give Julian the medicine just yet." He told the maid to bring paper and a pen, then sat down and wrote out an agreement on the spot. When he finished, he slid it across the table to her. "Once the divorce is finalized, you'll go back overseas and stay there. Don't come back and stir things up again. And you'll put it in black and white that you voluntarily give up all rights to the inheritance. Once that's done, I'll give Julian the medicine." Trina stared at the cold lines of the agreement. It felt like someone was slicing her chest open. This man was her father, but she couldn't find a shred of fatherly warmth anywhere in him. Every calculation he made was for himself and his new family. Her hand trembled as she picked up the pen, but she still pressed it to the paper and signed her name. "Handle the divorce as soon as possible," she said, setting the pen down. Her gaze was icy as she looked at Wayne. "And if I find out you didn't give him the drug..." She paused, her tone turning cold enough to kill. "I'm not as restrained as Julian. I'll blow this place up myself. You, that woman, and those kids won't make it out!" She didn't bother watching the way fury and panic tangled on Wayne's face. She turned, straightened her back, and walked out of the house that made her sick. She didn't go back to the Hauser residence. Instead, she went straight to the club she used to haunt. For three straight days, she lived there, drinking and dancing, trying to drown everything in alcohol and noise. But the more she tried, the emptier and colder her chest felt. A few close friends rushed over as soon as they heard about it. They eventually couldn't stand watching any longer and grabbed her when her eyes had gone glassy from alcohol. "Trin, what on earth happened?" one of them asked. Trina's gaze was hazy. She forced a crooked smile that looked worse than crying. "What could've happened? Same as always. Let's drink! Have fun..." "But you haven't partied like this since you got married," another friend said, worried. "Isn't Julian always… you know… all over you in bed?" "All over me? Do you even know why he's all over me in bed?" The pain in Trina's chest felt like it might split her open. She tossed back the liquor in her glass. The burn scorched its way down her throat and fanned the flames in her heart. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She told them everything. By the time she finished, her friends were furious on her behalf, cursing Julian for being blind and Wayne for being shameless. Trina only laughed. There was nothing but exhaustion and bitterness in her smile. "Look at me. I'm beautiful. If I want a man, I have more choices than I can count. I don't need a man whose heart belongs to someone else." "Exactly! You've got the looks, and you've got your family background. Men who want to marry you could line up from Flarora all the way to Pevora! And Julian still didn't appreciate you!" "Right! With your personality, there is no way you're going back to him! Even if he ends up on his knees begging you one day, it won't matter!" Trina smiled again, but there was only bitterness in her eyes. Beg her? He would never beg her. After she left the country and Wayne gave him the drug, Julian would be celebrating the fact that Sienna could be saved. Why would he ever look for her? Her chest throbbed so hard that it almost hurt to breathe. She excused herself to the restroom, needing a moment alone. She had just stepped out of the restroom when a man reeking of alcohol blocked her path and slid a hand toward her waist. "You're alone? You look incredible! How about a dance with me?" Trina's mood was already at rock bottom. Her eyes turned cold as she drew in a breath, ready to strike back. Before she could move, there was a sickening crack, followed by a scream that tore through the music. The drunk man let out a wail sharp enough to make teeth ache. Trina looked up and froze. The cold face glaring back at her was one she knew all too well—Julian.