Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 410

"Frieda, where did you even hear that rumor this time?"

Hanley tried to laugh, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The curve of his lips was strained, making the attempt seem even more forced.

He reached out, wanting to take Frieda's hand, but she yanked it away without hesitation.

"Hanley, we've been married for years. Back then, to be with you, I walked away from my family—the very people who cherished and adored me my whole life. And this is how you treat me?"

Her voice shook as she screamed, her eyes filling with tears before either of them realized it.

Watching Frieda lose control, Hanley's face darkened.

"Who told you these things?"

Frieda unlocked her phone, pulling up photo after video, and shoved them in Hanley's face.

"You all lied to me before, told me it was fake. What about these? Are you really going to say these are fake too?"

She tried to laugh, but it came out hollow—almost pitiful.

"You and Violet and Gennifer, you all teamed up to make a fool of me, to play me for a complete idiot!"

She hurled her phone to the ground. The screen shattered instantly, splintering the frozen faces of Hanley and Violet into something grotesque.

Hanley's patience was wearing dangerously thin, but then he remembered the wedding dress hidden away in the attic. He drew a steadying breath, forcing a smile onto his face as he looked at Frieda.

"Frieda, yes—this is all my fault. I’m sorry."

Those words landed like a stone in Frieda’s chest.

She stumbled back a few steps, her whole body suddenly drained of strength.

"You’re admitting it?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, raw with grief.

Hanley stepped forward, grabbing her hand.

"Frieda, I’m sorry. The photos and videos—they’re real. But listen! The woman in them isn’t Violet. I can have her explain it to you, if you want."

Confusion flickered across Frieda’s face as she glanced down at her shattered phone.

It had been so many years, Violet’s face had blurred in her memory, grown distant and indistinct. But the moment she saw that face on the screen, she was thrown right back to that awful, rain-soaked night over a decade ago—a night that had haunted her dreams ever since.

Hanley suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Frieda.

"Frieda, I’ve wronged you. But please, just hear me out…"

He reached for her hand again.

Frieda was stunned, frozen in place.

When she’d first met Hanley, he hadn’t had much to his name, but there was always a quiet pride about him—a confidence that drew her in, especially as someone who’d grown up as the golden child of her family. Now, years later, he was kneeling before her.

Her emotions were in turmoil, but she kept her face cold and waited for him to go on.

"Her name’s Selma. I met her on a business trip overseas. The only reason I even noticed her was because she reminded me so much of Violet, the way she looked. I never expected things to go this far. She’s—she’s manipulative, good at getting under people’s skin. And before I knew it, I was drawn in. I’m sorry."

Hanley bowed his head, his voice thick with guilt.

But Frieda was still struggling to process it all.

"So what you’re saying… this woman is your affair. You cheated on me, but it wasn’t with Violet?"

Finally, Frieda bit her lip.

"I think we should spend some time apart."

Hanley blinked, caught off guard. Then he nodded quickly.

"Fine. As long as you don’t want a divorce, let’s just… take a break. You stay at the house. I’ll crash at the office for a while."

Frieda stared at him for a long moment, then turned and walked away. That was answer enough.

Watching her retreat, all traces of guilt and caution melted from Hanley’s face.

His eyes dropped to the shattered phone on the floor.

He stooped to pick it up, pausing as he noticed the anonymous email still open on the screen. His gaze hardened, turning cold and dangerous.

Whoever thought they could tattle to Frieda and ruin his plans clearly didn’t know who they were dealing with.

He clenched the phone so tightly it was a wonder it didn’t shatter further.

…

Coffee shop.

Ruby and Fanny had booked a small private room.

"Need me to intercept it?"

The question came from a woman in sleek black, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She glanced at Ruby, fingers flying across her laptop keyboard.