Chapter 3 · He Gave My Lifeline to His Lover's Dog

Chapter 3

When the car pulled up to Lane Manor, the butler was waiting at the door with a whole line of staff. "Welcome home, Ms. Lane."

I stepped out of the car, taking in the sight of the house I'd called home for fifteen years.

Three years ago, I'd slammed the door behind me and sworn I would never come back.

But here I was, back again.

It wasn't because I needed my family's protection. It was because I finally understood something.

I didn't owe anyone anything, and Jeff wasn't worth giving up everything for.

The butler took my coat and said quietly, "Ms. Lane, Mr. Lane is waiting for you in the study."

Grandpa?

I froze for a second.

Three years ago, when we had that big fight, he was so upset that he ended up in the hospital.

I always thought he'd never forgive me.

"Is he still mad?" I asked.

The butler smiled. "Mr. Lane sends someone to check on you every month, but since you wouldn't let them get close, they could only watch from afar."

My nose started to sting.

When I walked into the study, my grandpa was sitting in his armchair, holding a cup of coffee.

When he saw me, he set the cup down with a thud. "You're back."

"Yeah," I replied.

"What about Jeff?"

"Divorced."

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"Good." He stood up and walked over to me, reaching out to pat my head, but when he saw the bandages on my neck, his hand froze in midair. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore."

"You're lying." He pulled his hand back and turned away. His voice was a little muffled. "It's good to have you back.

"Starting tomorrow, go to the company with Michael. It's time you learned how things work at the Lane Group."

I watched his back. "Okay."

*****

No one knew I was back in Beloris, but things were already starting to go wrong for Jeff.

On the fifth day after I got back, Michael handed me a report. "Your ex-husband has been looking for you these past couple of days. He went to your former company, the place you used to rent, and reported you missing to the police."

"And then?" I asked.

"The cops found your death record and told him you were dead."

I flipped open the report.

There was a photo attached. It was a security camera shot of Jeff standing outside the police station.

He looked drained, leaning against the wall with a copy of my death record clenched in his hand.

Sophie was standing next to him, passing him a bottle of water.

I closed the report. "Did he believe it?"

"Looks like it," Michael replied. "After he got back, he took three days off. The guys at the station said he holed up in his office and wouldn't see anyone."

I nodded. "Has he reacted to the donations getting cut off?"

Michael smiled. "Oh yeah. Their captain contacted the City Fire Department, which contacted the foundation. The foundation only told them there'd been a strategic change and that the agreements wouldn't be renewed.

"They're scrambling to find a new sponsor, but no one can match the terms you offered. Not anytime soon.

"The heating for that training building will be cut off next month."

I took a sip of my coffee. "None of that is my problem anymore."

Michael looked at me, like he wanted to say something but held back.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "You've changed. Back then, whenever you talked about him, your eyes would light up. Now, you don't react when his name comes up."

I set my cup down. "Someone who's died once isn't exactly going to react the same way anymore."

Michael didn't say anything else, but the next day, he brought someone to see me. "Winona, this is Dave Lambert, a lawyer. Even though you're officially dead as far as everyone knows, your marriage to Jeff has to be legally ended."

Dave pushed his glasses up. "Ms. Lane, you've got two options. First, you can file for divorce under your real identity, but that would expose the fact that your reported death was false.

"Second, you can maintain the current situation and wait two years, after which your husband could apply to have you legally declared dead as a missing person, automatically dissolving the marriage."

"Two years is way too long," I said. "What about a third option?"

Dave paused for a second.

Michael jumped in. "The third option is to make him come to you and beg you to sign the papers."

"How do I get him to beg?" I asked.

"Wait until he realizes you're still alive," Michael said. He leaned back in his chair. "He'll realize he didn't only lose his wife. He lost the lifeline of his entire district."

I thought it over. "Then let's wait. I'm not in any hurry anyway."

*****

The second week after I got back to Beloris, I officially joined the Lane Group.

My grandpa made me the CEO's assistant. On paper, it was for training, but in reality, I got to sit in on every important meeting.

On my first day, Michael took me around to meet several of the company's vice presidents.

There were six people in the conference room, and when I walked in, their reactions ranged from polite to indifferent to downright dismissive.

The woman sitting on the far left looked to be in her early forties. Her makeup was flawless, and she looked me up and down like she was inspecting a product.

Chapter 3

When the car pulled up to Lane Manor, the butler was waiting at the door with a whole line of staff. "Welcome home, Ms. Lane."

I stepped out of the car, taking in the sight of the house I'd called home for fifteen years.

Three years ago, I'd slammed the door behind me and sworn I would never come back.

But here I was, back again.

It wasn't because I needed my family's protection. It was because I finally understood something.

I didn't owe anyone anything, and Jeff wasn't worth giving up everything for.

The butler took my coat and said quietly, "Ms. Lane, Mr. Lane is waiting for you in the study."

Grandpa?

I froze for a second.

Three years ago, when we had that big fight, he was so upset that he ended up in the hospital.

I always thought he'd never forgive me.

"Is he still mad?" I asked.

The butler smiled. "Mr. Lane sends someone to check on you every month, but since you wouldn't let them get close, they could only watch from afar."

My nose started to sting.

When I walked into the study, my grandpa was sitting in his armchair, holding a cup of coffee.

When he saw me, he set the cup down with a thud. "You're back."

"Yeah," I replied.

"What about Jeff?"

"Divorced."

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"Good." He stood up and walked over to me, reaching out to pat my head, but when he saw the bandages on my neck, his hand froze in midair. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore."

"You're lying." He pulled his hand back and turned away. His voice was a little muffled. "It's good to have you back.

"Starting tomorrow, go to the company with Michael. It's time you learned how things work at the Lane Group."

I watched his back. "Okay."

*****

No one knew I was back in Beloris, but things were already starting to go wrong for Jeff.

"And then?" I asked.

"The cops found your death record and told him you were dead."

I flipped open the report.

There was a photo attached. It was a security camera shot of Jeff standing outside the police station.

He looked drained, leaning against the wall with a copy of my death record clenched in his hand.

Sophie was standing next to him, passing him a bottle of water.

I closed the report. "Did he believe it?"

"Looks like it," Michael replied. "After he got back, he took three days off. The guys at the station said he holed up in his office and wouldn't see anyone."

I nodded. "Has he reacted to the donations getting cut off?"

"They're scrambling to find a new sponsor, but no one can match the terms you offered. Not anytime soon.

"The heating for that training building will be cut off next month."

I took a sip of my coffee. "None of that is my problem anymore."

Michael looked at me, like he wanted to say something but held back.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "You've changed. Back then, whenever you talked about him, your eyes would light up. Now, you don't react when his name comes up."

I set my cup down. "Someone who's died once isn't exactly going to react the same way anymore."

Dave pushed his glasses up. "Ms. Lane, you've got two options. First, you can file for divorce under your real identity, but that would expose the fact that your reported death was false.

"Second, you can maintain the current situation and wait two years, after which your husband could apply to have you legally declared dead as a missing person, automatically dissolving the marriage."

"Two years is way too long," I said. "What about a third option?"

Dave paused for a second.

Michael jumped in. "The third option is to make him come to you and beg you to sign the papers."

"How do I get him to beg?" I asked.

"Wait until he realizes you're still alive," Michael said. He leaned back in his chair. "He'll realize he didn't only lose his wife. He lost the lifeline of his entire district."

I thought it over. "Then let's wait. I'm not in any hurry anyway."

*****

The second week after I got back to Beloris, I officially joined the Lane Group.

My grandpa made me the CEO's assistant. On paper, it was for training, but in reality, I got to sit in on every important meeting.

On my first day, Michael took me around to meet several of the company's vice presidents.

There were six people in the conference room, and when I walked in, their reactions ranged from polite to indifferent to downright dismissive.

The woman sitting on the far left looked to be in her early forties. Her makeup was flawless, and she looked me up and down like she was inspecting a product.