Chapter 64
Oscar looked at me with a complex expression, then nodded slowly. “Thanks, Irene.”
I guessed he was starting to get it now. Like why took the muddy road when life had offered you a shortcut?
“Trene, gotta head out.” After a while, Oscar got up with the kitten to say goodbye, “Later”
“Okay, I’ll drive you” I stood up too.
Oscar shook his head, “No need, I’ll just grab a cab. It’s too cold outside and the roads are slippery. Not safe to drive, you should stay inside.”
I didn’t argue, watched Oscar leave, then hugged Boomer and showered him with kisses before taking him upstairs to play the piano.
Boomer was way more behaved than Neil. He never complained when I play.
As the snow outside got heavier, I played a few tunes then took Boomer to the window to watch the snow. It was getting dark and the lights in the estate were on, casting a cold hue on the snow.
Suddenly, a servant ran downstairs to open the front door. Neil’s car pulled up. He got out, slammed the door shut in annoyance, and headed inside.
I was startled, Neil’s words echoing in my head, “You’ll see.”
did h
He didn’t just drive all this way to settle scores, did he? I freaked out a little. In my past life, I couldn’t wait for him to come home and fight with me. I wanted to tell him about all the things I’ve sacrificed, hoping he’d feel guilty and stay. But now, I was pretty bad at fighting with him. At most, I can only retort briefly.
“Where’s Irene?” I just left the piano room when I heard Neil’s voice from downstairs. I looked down from the hallway and saw him looking up at me.
I quickly rushed downstairs and headed towards the master bedroom on the second floor. Neil also hurriedly went upstairs, attempting to intercept mé. He was tall and fast, caught up to me in a few strides. By the time I opened the door, he already grabbed my hand.
“Why are you back?” I tried to play it cool.
“Did I interrupt something?” Neil was clearly not in a good mood, his icy stare filled with anger.
Not wanting the servants to hear us arguing, I lowered my voice, “Let’s talk inside.”
Neil opened the door and pulled me in. I steadied myself, sat on the edge of the bed, then rubbed my hand that he held too tightly, looking up at him.
He paced back and forth in front of me, finally stopped and asked, “Irene, what are you trying to do?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I was angry too, “What do you want? Nothing happened between Oscar and me, we’re just friends. You’re clearly pursuing Bonnie, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
“From the day you met me, you should’ve known I’ve never lacked women. Didn’t you consider this when you married me?” Neil looked at me with a gloomy expression.
“So I should just bend over backwards to please you, is that it?” I scoffed, stood up and stared back at him, “I’ve told you, I’m not playing that game anymore. You chase Bonnie, I make boyfriends, and we mind our own business, okay?”
I opened a drawer, took out several documents, showed them to Neil, and calmly said, “There are three divorce agreements here. One, I leave with nothing. Two, you give me 3% of Whitmore Co. shares. Three, you give me 8% of shares. Take your pick and sign.”
I must be the most considerate wife in the world, even prepared three different versions of the divorce agreement for him to choose from.
But Neil didn’t appreciate my thoughtfulness, instead, he got even angrier. He tore up the agreements, threw them in the trash, took off his coat and threw it on the bed, then went to the window to smoke in silence.
“What’s the holdup? We should’ve settled this a long time ago,” I said lightly, watching his back, “I’ve brought up divorce several times now. If you agree, we could be free right now.”
He didn’t respond, just kept smoking one cigarette after another. His silence made me feel a bit sad.
Stella didn’t want to get married, Barbara found an average guy, Alicia threw herself into her work. They all knew that marriage in our circle was just a trade of interests.
Practically all rich men cheated. Even if they were impotent, they would find other ways to have fun. So a man like Neil could never be faithful to me. When we got married, my mom asked me if I regretted it. I was still dreaming about love then, so of course, I didn’t.
I thought, “If my dad could stay with my mom for nearly thirty years, why can’t I win Neil over to spend the rest of his life with me?”
“Tomorrow’s my mom’s birthday. You’re coming with me,” Neil said, changing the topic.
I knew he was not ready for a divorce yet, not because he loved me, but because he’d weighed the pros and cons and decided Bonnie can’t replace the benefits our marriage brought yet.
“Okay,” I nodded. Neil was trying his best to control his temper now, if I pushed, a fight might break out. So I went with the flow. If he was not in a hurry about the divorce, I was not either. But if he bothered me again, I would bring up divorce. This strategy was pretty effective so far.
Neil went to take a shower. I let out a sigh of relief, changed into my pajamas, and laid on the bed playing with my phone. Bonnie posted a selfie from a rehearsal an hour ago, but she looked pretty down.
Was she upset because Neil came home? Just as I was about to scroll down, she messaged me, “Irene, is Mr. Whitmore home?”
I was surprised, she was talking about Neil with me?
I replied, “He’s home, taking a shower.”
She was silent for a few minutes, then replied, “That’s good, he’s a good man. He said it’s his mom’s birthday tomorrow, so he had to go home.”
12:22
Chapter 64
I was a bit confused, unsure of Bonnie’s intention here. She didn’t even clarify her relationship with Neil, just jumped straight into these personal topics. After mulling it over for a minute, I figured maybe Bonnie thought I already knew about her thing with Neil, so she didn’t feel the need for a showdown between the wife and the mistress.
I quickly typed back, “Yeah, he’s certainly a good man.”
Bonnie shot back, “Irene, you’re quite the charmer. Heard you and Oscar hit up a pet store today?”
I wondered how she found out. Could it be that when I sent the video to Russel, not only was Neil present, but Bonnie as well? Why didn’t he tell me?
Before I could even figure out a response, Bonnie dropped a bombshell. “I always sensed something different about Oscar’s feelings for you, which is why I broke up with him. Looks like I made the right call.”
