Chapter 8
Our eyes met, and Leo froze for a moment.
I let out a small, bitter laugh. “What a coincidence.”
Everyone has a limit to their tolerance for pain, and once you reach it, the pain seems to vanish. Faced with the absurdity of this moment, I realized I could feel nothing but calm.
A flash of discomfort crossed Melody’s face, quickly masked as she gave a gentle smile. “Sorry, Laura. I was only joking just now. You don’t mind, do you?”
I looked directly at Leo, my voice quiet. “I don’t think it was a joke. After all, he didn’t even come with me to my prenatal checkup because he was here with you.”
Only then did Leo seem to remember that today was my checkup. His chest tightened with guilt as he rushed to explain, “I’m sorry, I didn’t check my phone…”
As he stepped closer, I instinctively took a step back. “It’s fine,” I said, and even smiled again. “You two can carry on.”
With that, I turned and walked away, my pace quickening with each step.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop and look back.
Leo’s gaze
softened as he took in the redness around my eyes. His voice was gentler than before. “I’m sorry, I was just too busy to check the time, and Melody had a fever. She’s alone here with no one to rely on, so I couldn’t leave her…”
In that moment, Leo’s apology cut deeper than any of his cold words ever had. Melody was his friend, but wasn’t I his wife? Wasn’t I carrying his child?.
The December chill seeped through me, draining the last bit of warmth from my body. My voice came out low and hoarse. “No need to apologize. Go keep her company.”
Leo was taken aback.
I managed a smile, one tinged with an indescribable bitterness. “Leo, have you ever heard
Lis of three, the one who isn’t loved is the true third party?”
Chapter
“In your eyes, am I nothing more than a third party?”
My question was sincere, but Leo’s brow furrowed tightly. He denied it instinctively. “Stop talking nonsense. There’s nothing between us anymore.”
I almost laughed.
I was exhausted from laughing in just these few minutes.
If anyone was spouting nonsense, it was him.
I shook my head and spoke slowly, each word clear. “You told me to think carefully about divorce before making a decision. Well, I’ve thought it through.”
“After the Christmas, let’s get a divorce.”
We could each retain some dignity, and this would grant my love for him a final grace
period.
With that, I walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Leo watched my determined figure retreating against the flow of people, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in his heart. Yet for some reason, he couldn’t make himself take a single step toward me.
The sky was dark and heavy the next morning.
Early on, I received a notice for a board meeting.
As I entered the conference room, I paused, my gaze sweeping across the directors who were already seated. Leo was at the head of the table, with Melody by his side. Everyone wore a serious expression, as if they had been awaiting my arrival.
A sense of foreboding washed over me.
After I took my seat, a board/member immediately spoke up. “Laura, there has been a report accusing you of taking kickbacks during last year’s Forest Light Hotel project. Do you have anything to say?”
My mind went blank for a few seconds before I responded in disbelief. “Kickbacks? Really?“.
Chapter 8
Suppressing my initial shock, I replied coolly, “I don’t know who made the accusation.
audited when it closed, and I handed over all
However, the finances for that
it were
the reports to Melody afterward.”
I paused, scanning the room.
“I have always worked diligently. Even if I have no great achievements, I’ve put in hard work. Yet here we are, with such a grand setup to accuse me without any evidence.”
At that moment, Melody spoke up. “Actually, I never received the Forest Light Hotel documents. Laura, you didn’t hand them over to me.”
I looked at Melody’s calm expression and immediately understood. This woman had orchestrated the entire setup.
I let out a cold laugh. “Melody, be careful with your words. Are you prepared to take responsibility for what you’re saying?”
Melody’s expression faltered briefly before she replied in a soft, hurt tone, “Laura, I’m just a newcomer. There’s no need to be so aggressive toward me.”
My vulnerable demeanor only made me appear more unreasonably hostile.
Not wanting to argue pointlessly, I turned directly to Leo. “Mr. Reed, I have never made a mistake with my files. Since the documents vanished after I handed them over to Melody, shouldn’t she bear the responsibility?”
Melody’s face turned pale.
All eyes turned to Leo, who sat at the head of the table, his expression unreadable.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice cold. “Laura, you’re suspended pending investigation. Don’t come to the office for the time being.”
Chapter 9
