Chapter 5

Sophie started crying again, giving Edward a pleading look, but realized he never took his eyes off me the whole time.

"Ms. Bennett, if you don't have the money, borrow it. If you can't pay up, I'll sue you for breaking into my place," I said.

Sophie sniffled quietly, tugging at Edward's sleeve, looking all pitiful. Edward frowned and said coldly, "Do you really have to do this? Can't you let it slide?"

I smirked coldly, meeting Edward's gaze with a blank expression.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. I'll get the divorce papers to you soon. After the divorce, you can bring whoever you want into our apartment," I said.

When I mentioned divorce, Sophie's eyes lit up, while Edward's face fell.

"Come on, you're blowing this way out of proportion. I was helping her find a place to stay. And that kiss in the ward? It was only so her mom wouldn't freak out and have another heart attack," Edward tried to explain.

"Oh, really? So all those hotel runs these past two months were you being a good Samaritan? What, is she cursed with some love bug that only you can fix?" I shot back.

Edward's face went ghostly pale, his lips trembling. "You know everything?"

I didn't want to deal with him anymore and started walking back toward the hospital. But Edward grabbed my hand, and when he realized my finger was bare and his eyes grew misty with emotion.

"Are you serious?" Edward asked, his voice trembling.

I pulled my hand away, expressionless. I didn't want to say another word to him.

Divorce is all that's left for us now.

Suddenly, Edward's voice came from behind me, sounding totally ridiculous.

"If you're so tough, then don't regret it. There are plenty of women dying to take the Mrs. Lane spot," he barked.

I laughed, speechless. The cheater was still barking madly.

Mrs. Lane? Seriously, he acted like it was some royal throne.

*****

It wasn't until my bestie showed up at the hospital that I could finally relax and leave.

I planned to head home, grab my things, and figure out where I'd crash next.

Before I even opened the door, I could hear a party going on inside. Edward never used to bring them over to our place, so I had no clue what he was planning this time. I called the police right away.

The place was so loud, nobody even noticed me coming in. I stood quietly by the door, didn't say a word, and started recording on my phone.

Suddenly, the music cut off and someone let out a sigh.

"Hey, Ed, where's your wife? She's still not back yet? Is she really gonna divorce you?"

"Man, you can't let women walk all over you. My wife used to pull the same stuff. We messed up. But every guy does, right? It's not like we stopped taking care of the family. Is it really worth making such a fuss?"

"Ed, seriously, ignore her for a few days. Once she leaves and realizes she can't live as well without you, she'll come crawling back."

"Come on, Ed's not like you guys. He's totally wife-whipped. He'd even risk his life for her."

I let out a cold laugh. I knew all these guys. Some were Edward's business partners from his startup days, others from different ventures.

None of them had any morals. They all kept mistresses on the side and barely spoke a kind word to their wives.

Edward took a drink, his voice rough as he said, "You guys are right. You can't spoil women. This time, I'm gonna teach her a lesson."

Hearing that, the guys who'd been talking finally relaxed and started partying again.

I figured the cops would show up any minute, so I walked in like I owned the place. Everyone stopped dead when they saw me.

One of them grinned and called out, "Mrs. Lane, you're back! We couldn't book a private room, so Ed brought us here for a victory party. Hope you don't mind?"

When Edward saw me, his expression finally eased up, and he quietly stubbed out his cigarette.

I glanced around and spotted several girls in barely-there outfits, cozying up to the guys and drinking.

"Mrs. Lane, don't take it the wrong way. These girls are business associates too," one of them said.

"Yeah, Mrs. Lane, Ed's been waiting for you all night. Come on over and sit with him," another guy added with a grin.

I let out a cold laugh, couldn't even be bothered to expose their lies.

"Don't worry about me. Edward and I are already divorced. I'm here to grab my things. You guys go ahead and keep partying," I said.

Edward's face darkened again, his brows knitting together. "Are you done? How many times are you going to bring up divorce? Enough with the drama already."

I couldn't be bothered to respond. With all this chaos, there was no way I could pack my things, so I turned and walked out.

Behind me, I heard the crash of a glass and Edward's voice, teeth clenched in fury.

"Fine, you're dead set on divorce? Then meet me at the civil affairs office at ten tomorrow morning," he spat.

Before I could say a word, the wail of sirens cut through the noise. The cops had arrived, knocking on our door.

Everyone froze, wide-eyed and staring at each other. I quickly opened the door.

The cops took one look at those so-called "business associates" and immediately got the picture. They rounded up everyone involved and left me alone in the mess.

I glanced at the trashed place, then headed upstairs to pack my things.