“Stop pretending, Alannah. You’d really want to leave me?”
He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and self-assured. “You schemed your way into marrying me, remember? I gave you everything you wanted—the resources, the connections. Everything you have comes from me. Basically, our marriage has always been transactional.”
Alannah lowered her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if I said I never used you? Would you believe me?”
His Adam’s apple shifted as he paused before saying coldly, “Enough. I wouldn’t believe that.”
“I can’t divorce you yet,” he continued. “It’s simple—I just took over as president of Dinnigan Group. If there’s even a hint of trouble in my marriage right now, the board will seize the chance to tear me apart right away.”
He hesitated, then added in a more measured tone, “Besides, I’ve never thought of being with Pearl. She’s Coraline’s sister. I just want to take care of her.”
At that, Alannah’s lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.
The day she was discharged, the sunlight was warm and bright, but it couldn’t melt the cold that had long settled in her heart.