Wife You Discarded is a Billionaire's Crush novel Chapter 4

"I'll see you at City Hall. Nine o'clock tomorrow morning," Liliana replied, her heart clenching at the irritation, the anger, the sheer disgust in his voice.

"I'm busy. If you want a divorce, you can schedule it with my assistant. And don't say I'm not being considerate—if you change your mind before the appointment, I'll pretend tonight never happened."-

He glanced at her overflowing suitcase. She had packed the framed photo from the nightstand and the two small figurines he'd won for her at a carnival once. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, the same feeling he got when a valuable employee threatened to quit. It was ungrateful. Did he not give her everything she could possibly want? For two years, he had given her unlimited access to his funds and trusted her completely with the household. He couldn't understand what this was all about, but he was certain she would be back. The Prestons wouldn't let her go through with a divorce. She'd go home, get an earful, and come crawling back.

The thought that she could survive on her own was laughable. A pampered girl like Liliana, endure the grind of a nine-to-five job?

Still, he couldn't shake the bitter taste of defeat as he watched her walk away with such unwavering resolve.

He followed her out of the bedroom and stood at the top of the stairs, watching as she took her car keys from the hook in the foyer. His voice was low and hard. "I bought you that car."

It wasn't an expensive car, just a modest forty-thousand-dollar sedan. When she had first learned to drive, she'd been afraid of scratching something pricey, so she'd picked out the most practical one she could find.

Cedric had paid for it.

He could buy Sylvia a six-figure gift, but he wouldn't even let her keep a simple car.

The late autumn wind howled outside, scattering dead leaves across the barren yard. A chill went through Liliana that had nothing to do with the weather. Her hand tightened on the keys for a moment before she tossed them onto the entryway table. Without a backward glance, she picked up her suitcase and walked out the door.

The night air hit her, whipping her dark hair around her face. Her slender figure was quickly swallowed by the shadows.

Cedric stared after her until the heavy front door slammed shut. The sound made him flinch. He turned and went back to the bedroom, standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the lonely figure under the distant streetlight.

On the phone, Liliana had only said she was divorcing Cedric.

Juniper was bursting with questions, but seeing the lost, shattered look on her friend's face, she didn't know where to start.

She cranked up the heat, and the warm air instantly melted the frost on Liliana's eyelashes.

The moisture misted around her eyes, and the dam she had so carefully constructed inside her finally broke.

Tears ran down her face, dropping onto her frozen hands. They were so hot they burned.