The Doormat Wife’s Ultimate Glow-Up novel Chapter 248

Leslie and her crew were cornered this time was doomed this time.

When Reese got home after work, she went straight to sorting through the files she’d need for court the next day. She couldn’t tell if it was just nerves about the trial or something else, but lying there in bed, sleep refused to come. Every time she shut her eyes, all she could think about was how Sebastian would react tomorrow and what she was supposed to say back.

It was nearly midnight when she finally switched on her bedside lamp and grabbed her medication. Usually, it worked in minutes, but tonight, nothing. If anything, she felt even more restless.

Then her phone lit up. A message from Matthew.

[Tracking’s on schedule. Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.]

[Get some rest, goodnight.]

He added a little bunny-in-bed emoji at the end.

Reese stared at his message, a small smile tugging at her lips. The anxious knot in her chest loosened just a little. She turned off the light and closed her eyes.

Really, what was there left to worry about?

She’d done everything she could.

Tomorrow, she’d finally break free from Sebastian.

Downstairs, Matthew watched the light go out in Reese’s bedroom. He slipped his phone away, smiled to himself, and headed home.

—

Morning sunlight slipped in through the curtains, warming Reese’s face as she woke up feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks.

After a quick shower, she put on her favorite cream skirt suit. When she looked in the mirror, her eyes were steady. No more second-guessing.

She grabbed her folder and made it to the courthouse a full thirty minutes early, meeting George right outside.

She bit back the snide comment she was about to make, settled for a glare of her own, and turned away.

Sebastian looked back at Reese. His voice softened a little, but the stubborn set in his eyes didn’t budge. “Do we really have to do this?”

“I know you’re upset, but we still have Robbie. We have years together. You can’t just walk away from all of that.”

“Love?” Reese repeated, like it was the world’s cruelest joke. She let out a low, cold laugh. “Sebastian, tell me—was there ever any love between us?”

She stepped closer, her gaze locked on his. For once, she let herself say all the things she’d been holding back for years.

“In this marriage, you’ve always been on top. You trapped me in that gilded cage you call the Ratcliff estate, took away my chance to study abroad, forced me to quit working, and never once admitted to anyone that I even existed. Even now, how many people in Bridger Lake know I’m Robbie’s real mother?

“You treated me like your property. Like I was just here to have your child. You thought the clothes I wore, the house I lived in, everything I had was your charity, so I should be grateful, obedient, wag my tail and do whatever you wanted. Just a dog waiting for scraps, right?”