He Buys Her a River-View Apartment While I Pay the Bills

Chapter 7

With the recording in hand, I had a solid advantage in the second trial. I nailed Lionel and Elaine for their affair, and on top of that, I accused Elaine of intimidation. I wasn't letting either of them off easy.

Lionel ended up paying even more money, and Elaine was sent to the detention center for a few days. Word was, when she got out, Lionel beat her up, and she miscarried their child. Things got even messier when Elaine lost it on Lionel and sent him packing.

But the drama didn't stop there. My ex-mother-in-law and Elaine got into a full-blown street fight, spitting, cursing, ripping each other's hair and clothes off. It was a chaotic mess. The cops had to step in to break it up. Honestly, none of it was my problem, but it was a hell of a show.

As for me, I walked away with a nice chunk of change. Most of it went into investments, but I didn't forget to treat myself, Pilates classes, new skincare products, a few spa days. It felt good to finally enjoy life.

At work, things were looking up. I was killing it in sales, and my manager even took me out to celebrate my promotion. We had a great dinner, and afterward, I stepped outside to wait for my ride.

That's when I heard my manager yelling at someone. I turned around to see a guy hunched over, practically bowing to the ground. My manager caught me looking and shot me an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the scene, ma'am."

I gave a polite nod, but when I looked back at the guy, I realized who it was. Lionel. Of course.

I walked over to him after my conversation with my manager. "You work here?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

He looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah… I have a criminal record. Got fired. Now I can't find a job, so I'm stuck waiting tables."

I was dressed to kill in a tight black dress, red heels, and flawless makeup. He glanced up at me cautiously.

"Emma, I was wrong…" His voice cracked, and I could hear the guilt in it.

I wasn't really listening. I was still thinking about the party and whether I should transfer to the capital office for better opportunities.

"I know, Emma. It's all my fault. I didn't realize how much money a family would spend on dinner, or how much the mortgage and car payments were. I didn't know cleaning would be so exhausting… I didn't know. I messed up, Emma. Please forgive me."

His voice trembled with a hint of tears, but honestly, I didn't feel a thing.

I took a step back, gathering my long hair and keeping my distance. "There's no shame in being a waiter," I said coolly. "I've done housework myself. Every job has its worth."

He kept going, desperation creeping into his tone. "I don't love Elaine, Emma. She kept seducing me after she came back to Aglary. She used our past to guilt-trip me. I was forced, Emma. I broke up with her. Can you forgive me?"

I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. In the span of ten years, he'd gone from being the proud man I once loved to this selfish, hollow version of himself standing in front of me. He was no longer the man who'd been my rock.

Forgive him? I shook my head slowly. "I don't blame you anymore," I said, my voice flat.