CHAPTER 36
ROBERT’S POV
“No Robert…” Scarlett shook her head desperately as tears streamed down her cheeks. But I should know better they were crocodile tears. “You can’t be saying all this. I love you…I came back because I truly love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“If you truly loved me then you wouldn’t have hidden the truth from me.”
I wanted to get up from bed and kick her out of the room like the vermin she was but she held me back on the wrist to stop me.
“Can’t you see? Can’t you see that bitch Lily is the one doing all this? She’s out of prison by now and is properly orchestrating all these to get back at us for trying to secure her a death sentence and locking her away. Open your eyes and see the big picture, Robert!”
“Let go of me,” I forcefully freed myself from her grip, causing her to crash back on the bed. “The only big picture I’m seeing right now is how much you’re going to suffer for what you have done. She was innocent. She was my company’s greatest asset and you made me fire her all because of some fucked up beef you have with her. Now the company I worked my ass off to acquire is on the verge of collapse all because of you!”
I was breathing hard, my chest rising and falling like a feral beast about to unleash its fury. For a long time, I haven’t felt like this. This wasn’t the way I wanted to go about this but she was driving me insane, pushing me to my limits.
“At least I’m not a cold-blooded murderer like her,” she sniffled in a heavy sob, putting on a defiant look. “Have you forgotten so soon what she did to your grandpa? How she stabbed him twenty times in the chest right where his heart was with that knife?”
Images of that horrific scene flooded my mind, but I did my best to erase it. I couldn’t believe she was bringing that up now and trying to use it as a means to manipulate me and redeem herself. I scoffed in disbelief. “You do realize you’re a stupid and senseless woman, trying to manipulate me with my grandpa’s death.”
“Call me stupid, call me senseless, call me whatever you want. But just know I did what any reasonable woman in my position will do. That bitch was an obstacle, a threat to our relationship. It was either I got rid of her or she did the same to me. I had to strike first.”
I scoffed some more in disbelief, my brows pinching as I stared at her. Frank was right. This proves she did all that to Lily because she was jealous.
“The funny thing here is that all that while I never saw her as anything more than my personal assistant and marketing executive of the company…”
“But you were married to her,” she blurted out helplessly. “Even though the marriage was based on a contract, I have seen moments where strangers fall for each other and grow in love after some time in fake marriages. I was afraid that you would develop feelings for her. I was afraid she’ll take you from me so I had to do what I did and I don’t regret it one bit.”
“We had plans to take things slow, Scarlett. I had eyes only for you. I loved you very much. I loved you to the extent I was ready to burn the world to the fucking ground for your sake. But you let your jealousy and insecurities get the best of you. Even after everything I did for you, you repaid me by hiding the truth from me. You made me believe Jake was my son…my blood…You know how bad I have always wanted to have kids yet you took this away from me…” I had to stop briefly because saying all that, remembering all that was making my heart break in my chest.
“I will never forgive you for this.” I tightened my jaw and said with a firm resolve.
“Robert, hey, listen to me,” she said with a soft, earnest voice as if to tell me a secret. “I love you and I know that you still love me. It’s never too late. Let’s just put our differences and all these problems aside and make things work again. Send Raphael away, along with Jake. I don’t mind. Let’s run away together. Just the two of us to another city or country, away from all these, away from your family. I don’t mind trying to get pregnant and having quadruplets for you.”
“What?…” I grimaced in shock and disbelief at what I just heard.
“Yes honey…” stealthily, she was crawling closer to me on the bed. “You heard me right, love. Let’s get away from this place, let’s get away from all this meddling from family and Raphael and just live our lives in the company of each other…”
“Stay the fuck away from me!” I warned, bringing my hand forward to prevent her from coming any closer and touching me. “You’re delusional. It’s pointless talking to you.”
Angrily walking to the door to the door, I pulled it open. “Get out,” I said to her in a cold emotionless tone. “I can’t bear the thought of sleeping on the same bed with another man’s wife. Just looking at your face fills me with so much disgust I want to throw up, so get the hell out! Tomorrow morning, you’re going to sign those divorce papers. Raphael will be coming to pick you up and you will be living with him. If you refuse, then my family and I will be more than willing to sue you for what you did and throw your sorry ass in jail.”
“No….” she cried out, shaking her head in an agonizing despair. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you, Robert. We made a vow at the altar, remember, till death do us part…”
“Till death do us my foot!”
With mounting impatience, I strode toward her on the bed, seizing her wrist. I yanked her up and dragged her toward the door, throwing her out before slamming it shut behind her.
She pounded on the door, each thud making me angrier and more irritable. If she continued like that then she was going to wake everyone in the mansion up and I didn’t want that. That was when I heard her voice, frantic and desperate, crying out. “Robert…. I’m naked… let me back in…”
I was so angry I forgot she wasn’t wearing any clothes. Frantically looking around the room in search of anything she could use to cover herself up, I found her nightgowns in the closet where she usually kept them. I bundled as many as I could into my arms and rushed back to the door. Opening it, I shoved the garments into her hands.
She looked at them and back at me with eyes that were large and swollen with tears like she was being maltreated in the worst possible way. “Robert please…don’t do this to me. Where do I sleep this night?”
“That’s none of my business,” I said nonchalantly with no vestige of sympathy. “You brought this upon yourself so you’re going to suffer the consequences that come with it. Don’t bother coming back here. The servants will pack your belongings and have them delivered to you first thing in the morning.”
I wanted to close the door but something else came to mind. Something important.
“And I will be needing my ring back,” I said with a stone-faced expression as I brought my hand forward.
She shook her head as if to tell me no, taking a step back away from me.
“Don’t make me say it again or else I’ll rip it off your finger,” I warned with lethal intent.
She sniffled in a sob, her eyes bright and pitiful with tears but I wasn’t moved one bit. “Robert, please I’m begging you. Don’t do this to me. It’s still me, the love of your life…”
“Your pleas, your tears, your love mean absolutely nothing to me. Now, hand the ring over.”
Reluctantly, she took out the ring from her finger and dropped it in my palm.
“You don’t deserve to wear something this special and expensive,” I said before slamming the door shut in her face.