The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Wife He Can’t Dismiss
I stared at my phone screen in disbelief. Seventeen missed calls from Alistair since I’d left that restaurant with Vera. The audacity of this man knew no bounds.
“You’re not seriously going to call him back, are you?” Vera asked, sipping her latte across from me at our favorite coffee shop.
“I have to,” I replied, gripping my cup tightly. “We need to finalize the company transfer. I want everything in writing before his wedding to my dying stepsister.”
The words tasted bitter even now, two days after the hospital confrontation. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ivy’s smug face as she’d stroked my wedding dress with her bony fingers.
Vera narrowed her eyes. “Let me call him.”
“What? No—”
But she’d already snatched my phone and hit redial before I could stop her.
“Hello, traitor,” she answered sweetly when Alistair picked up. “This is Vera Vance, speaking on behalf of the woman whose life you destroyed.”
I lunged across the table, but Vera deftly avoided my grasp.
“Oh really? You think Hazel should be more understanding?” Vera’s voice dripped with venom. “Understanding of what exactly? Your inability to keep your dick in your pants even when your fiancée spent six years donating blood to keep your pathetic ass alive?”
Several coffee shop patrons turned to stare. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“Vera,” I hissed, “give me the phone.”
She ignored me. “No, YOU listen,” she snarled into the receiver. “Hazel gave you everything. Her time, her blood, her love. And you repaid her by—”
I finally managed to grab the phone. “I’m sorry about that,” I said, though I wasn’t. “We need to meet. Today. To discuss the company.”
Alistair’s sigh crackled through the speaker. “Fine. Civil affairs bureau at 3 PM. We can handle both matters at once.”
“Both matters?”
“The company transfer and the divorce,” he clarified. “Might as well get everything done in one go.”
My stomach dropped. Of course. The divorce. In all the chaos, I’d nearly forgotten we needed to legally end our marriage.
“Fine. 3 PM.” I hung up without saying goodbye.
Vera stared at me, concern etched across her face. “You okay?”
“Peachy,” I muttered. “I’m getting divorced and losing my fiancé to my stepsister all in the same week.”
“At least you’re getting the company,” Vera reminded me.
I nodded, attempting a smile that felt more like a grimace. “At least there’s that.”
—
The civil affairs bureau was crowded when I arrived at precisely 3 PM. Alistair was already waiting, looking irritatingly handsome in his tailored navy suit. The same suit I’d helped him pick out last month for our honeymoon.
“Hazel,” he greeted, stepping forward with an outstretched hand.
I ignored it. “Let’s get this over with.”
He sighed, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. “I’ve prepared all the paperwork for Evening Gala. My lawyer will send over the final documents after you sign the preliminary agreement.”
“Fine.” I took the folder he offered without looking at him.
We approached the counter together, an uncomfortable silence stretched between us. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with tired eyes, looked up from her computer.
“How can I help you?”
“We need to file for divorce,” Alistair stated.
The clerk’s gaze flickered between us. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No,” I replied. “We weren’t aware we needed one.”
She clicked through her computer system. “I’m afraid you’ll need to schedule one. And there’s a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period after filing before the divorce can be processed.”
My heart stuttered. “Excuse me?”
“It’s a new regulation,” she explained, not looking up from her screen. “All divorces require a 30-day reflection period. And our next available appointment to even start the process is…” She squinted at the screen. “Two weeks from now.”
Two weeks. Plus thirty days after that. I did the math quickly in my head.
“But that means…” I turned to Alistair, horror dawning on me.
His face had paled slightly. “That means you’ll still be my wife during my wedding to Ivy.”
The cruel irony of the situation hit me like a physical blow. I’d still be legally married to Alistair while he exchanged vows with my stepsister. The humiliation burned through me, white-hot and unbearable.
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The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters)
This had the potential to be a really good read, unfortunately it is inconsistently contradictory and all over the place....