The Marriage That Never Existed novel Chapter 12

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I told her the only thing I wanted was to get my internship certificate and leave this toxic place behind as fast as possible.

What I didn’t expect, was to be betrayed by the one person I considered a friend.

I ended up being the only intern in the entire team who didn’t meet the requirements.

I refused to accept it and went straight to the department supervisor to ask why.

He simply said, “It was Victoria’s decision.”

At first, I thought Victoria had found out about my identity and was targeting me on purpose.

But then, Molly came clean.

“That day when I called Victoria a ‘side piece‘… I don’t know who overheard me, but word got out. All that overtime we’ve been doing? It wasn’t Thompson’s idea. It was Victoria punishing us. I was basically done for. But because you stuck with me and helped me every night…”

She broke down in tears.

“I really needed this job. I’m not as pretty as you, I’m not as smart, so I went to Victoria and blamed the ‘side piece‘ comment on you.

I thought… I thought maybe she just wouldn’t let you stay, but I didn’t expect her to refuse you the internship certificate too. I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to ruin things for you…”

I laughed, but it was pure anger.

Anger at her betrayal, but more than that, anger at Victoria’s arrogance–how she held power over everything and everyone.

“It’s fine. I forgive you. Stop crying. Thank you for being a good friend while it lasted. I wish you all the best going forward.”

I picked up the folder I’d prepared and got ready to leave.

Molly grabbed my arm, her expression full of guilt and hope. “What about the whole Victoria thing…”

I said quietly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take the blame for it.”

Then I looked up, and raised my voice loud and clear across the entire office.

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“She is his side piece. What, are we not allowed to say that now?”

The entire office froze.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at me.

Every face was full of shock.

And I, with that failed internship report in hand, marched straight into the conference room.

At that moment, all of the company’s senior executives and department heads were in the middle

of a morning meeting.

My sudden arrival was obviously out of place.

The executives frowned, their faces filled with annoyance and disapproval.

After all, I was just “that intern girl.”

Even Victoria didn’t recognize me.

No one at Lewis’s company knew what Mrs. Carter actually looked like.

Not even Victoria.

Only Lewis looked surprised when he saw me.

But he didn’t say a word.

The first to speak was the meeting’s host–Victoria.

Head held high, her elegant, mature face showed nothing but disdain and impatience.

“What is it that’s so important you had to barge in right now?”

I didn’t hold back. “Victoria, are you refusing to give me an internship certificate just because I called you Mr. Lewis’s side piece?”

There was a ripple of surprise in the room as everyone looked toward Victoria.

Her expression froze.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected a no–name intern to confront her like this.

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She narrowed her eyes and replied coldly, “Since you already know the answer, why bother

asking?”

She didn’t deny it.

There was no point.

Rumors had already spread throughout the company.

To silence the gossip, someone had to be made an example of.

And to her, that someone was me.

I met her eyes and raised my voice.

“Victoria, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you a side piece.”

Her expression wavered slightly, but she still crossed her arms and stood tall.

“It’s too late for apologies now.”

I turned to Lewis.

His face had darkened. He looked clearly annoyed.

But really, what right did he have to be upset?

He was the one who brought this shame on himself.

I sneered. “Too late? No, it’s not. I can fix it right now.”

I reached for the door behind me and flung it wide open.

Then I raised my voice even higher.

“Victoria is his side piece. Because in this family, even someone he’s casually involved with knows to defer to my role as Mrs. Carter. She’s just a woman he’s had a fling with, nothing more!”

My words hit like thunder.

Victoria’s face turned pale, then flushed red, then pale again.

The others in the room began to realize who I was.

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Victoria did too.

All eyes turned to Lewis.

He was livid. Beyond livid.

We had dated for a year and married for three.

And this–this was the first time I had ever seen him truly furious.

“Have

you

As if I had.

lost your mind?!”

I wanted to be dignified.

But they were the ones who made that impossible.

“I only have one request,” I said. “Give me my internship certificate.”

Lewis’s chest heaved as he struggled to hold back his anger.

He gritted his teeth and tried to defend Victoria.

“Intern performance is evaluated by department supervisors. If you have an issue, you should take it up with your direct manager, not Victoria.”

Victoria swayed slightly, but hearing Lewis back her up gave her some strength.

“Exactly,” she said. “I’m just Mr. Lewis’s secretary. I don’t make decisions about interns.”

What a fake. Both of them were full of it.

This entire company belonged to Lewis.

Whether or not an intern got a certificate was up to him.

He just didn’t care about me–about my pride, my side of things.

All he wanted was to protect Victoria’s image in front of everyone.

In that moment, I understood.

Lewis had never once planned to stand by my side.

Fine.

I looked Lewis straight in the eye and said firmly, “What if I trade you the divorce agreement?”

I pulled out the divorce papers and placed them on the table.

“I’ll walk away in divorce with nothing.

All I want in return is that certificate.

It’s a fair deal for you, isn’t it?”