Chapter 189 Gratitude and Concern

Chapter 189 Gratitude and Concern

"Okay."

I pressed my lips together lightly. William had stepped in to help me this time, so I had no reason to keep turning down his invitations.

Besides, I had promised Madison before she died that I would never let Jane set foot inside the Spencer manor.

The scandal that had blown up across the internet had done exactly what it needed to do.

Daniel and Jane's affair was completely exposed, and the conflict between Jane and Thalia had erupted in public, pulling out all kinds of details that no one had known before.

On my way to the Spencer Group, I calmly sorted through everything. The fact that William had been able to pinpoint the connection between Daniel and Jane so precisely showed that he had never fully trusted that mother and daughter.

I decided that today, I would lay out every truth I had been holding back.

The real reason behind Madison's death, and the hidden circumstances of William's mother's fatal accident years ago—maybe all of it could finally be cleared up and put to rest today.

The weight I had been carrying for years suddenly lifted, and I felt a wide, quiet sense of relief open up inside me.

Once everything from the past was settled, even if William refused to sign the divorce papers, I planned to leave Silverlight City for a while.

When the two years were up, the divorce would go through automatically whether he agreed or not.

Because our marriage had been kept secret, I rarely visited the Spencer Group building, and only a handful of senior staff inside the company knew who I was.

The entire office building felt heavy and suffocating, the air thick and still.

It was especially bad when the elevator reached the executive floor—the pressure hit you the moment the doors opened, making it hard to breathe.

Andrew was already waiting at the elevator. He walked me toward the office, and when he noticed how calm I looked, he slowed his pace and lowered his voice.

"The online backlash has hit the group much harder than just a small drop in stock price. Several major deals that were almost finalized have been put on hold, and every partner and investor has gone into wait-and-see mode."

I frowned slightly, a little surprised. "It's gotten that serious?"

I knew the Spencer family had weathered plenty of public controversies before, and they had always been shut down quickly without causing much damage.

But this scandal had kept spreading across the internet for days and hadn't been contained.

And this was only Alvin's first move—it had already hit the Spencer family this hard. That said a lot about how sharp he was.

"It really is bad," Andrew said.

He stopped in front of the executive office door and looked toward it with a worried expression.

"Mrs. Spencer, forgive me for saying this, but Mr. Spencer hasn't slept at all since this started yesterday. If you can, please try to get him to rest. His health matters more than work."

I stayed quiet. I didn't agree, but I didn't say no directly either.

I couldn't take that on. For one thing, I had already left Stellar Innovations, the Spencer Group subsidiary I had worked at—I had no role in the company anymore. For another, my marriage to William was already over in everything but name.

Arranging for Olivia to have a VIP room had been an emotional decision on my part, but I had already made up my mind to cover all the costs myself.

I knocked lightly on the door, waited for permission, then stepped inside.

The executive office was large and quiet. William was standing with his back to me in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, taking a work call. He stood straight and composed, his presence cool and controlled.

The room was dim. The cigarette between his fingers glowed on and off, smoke drifting slowly around him.

"I won't make any concessions. Tell them the Spencer family doesn't respond to threats, and we won't tolerate anyone trying to take advantage of the situation."

His voice was hard. He ended the call and dropped his phone onto the grey velvet carpet.

He caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye and turned around. The tension in his eyes softened, and his expression settled.

"You're here."

The anger from a moment ago was gone from his voice. He sounded calm and steady now, but rough and tired in a way he couldn't quite hide.

"Yeah."

I walked over and sat down on the sofa. He handed me a bottle of water, and I thanked him quietly. "Thanks."

At that, his body went briefly stiff before he gave a slow nod.

"Sure."

He sat down beside me on the sofa. Up close, I could clearly see the red in his eyes—the exhaustion was hard to look at.

Andrew hadn't been exaggerating. He really hadn't slept.

The moment he sat down, I caught something small.

He was holding a cigarette burned almost to the end, and without thinking, he started to raise his hand toward the inside of his left wrist. Then he noticed me watching and stopped. He pulled his hand back stiffly and pressed the cigarette out in the ashtray.

My chest tightened. I asked him directly.

"Is that how you got the old scars on your wrist?"

I had seen the scars at the Spencer manor last time, and he hadn't explained them. I had assumed they were accidental burns.

But watching what he had just almost done, I knew—his depression hadn't gotten better. It had been getting worse all along.

"What?"

A flash of panic crossed his eyes. He knew he couldn't hide it anymore, and he answered quietly.

"Yes."

He pulled himself together quickly and changed the subject, keeping his voice steady.

"How's your aunt doing?"

"She's fine. You took care of everything."

I gave him credit for it honestly.

"Thank you for the VIP room. I'll cover all the costs myself. There are a few project bonuses and payments that hadn't been settled before I left—you can deduct it from those, and I'll make up the difference."

"And thank you for the security detail. The nurse just messaged me—they're doing round-the-clock shifts, so David won't be able to cause trouble again anytime soon."

"Right."

William glanced at his watch and added in a flat tone, "I've arranged for an oncology specialist to go to the hospital. Your aunt's condition can't be reversed, but it can be managed to extend her time and keep things stable."

I was caught off guard. "When did you set that up?"

I hadn't expected him to go through Olivia's medical records carefully, let alone arrange everything in advance.

Honestly, I wasn't used to him being this thorough about something that was my business. He rarely paid this much attention to anything in my personal life.

"Don't look so surprised."

He gave a short, self-deprecating smile. "Your reaction just makes me sound like I'm completely cold and selfish the rest of the time."

"It depends on the situation," I said, relaxed and straightforward.

Now that I had made up my mind about the divorce, I could say what I actually thought when I was with him. I didn't have to tread carefully anymore.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"By the standard of a husband, your self-assessment just now is completely accurate."

His expression went cold before I even finished, and he was about to say something back.

I kept going before he could.

"But outside of that—as a person—you're pretty much beyond criticism most of the time."

He let out a short, dry laugh. "So I'm not a good person?"

"No." I shook my head, and I meant it. "You're a decent person."

William went still. Something complicated moved through his eyes.

After a moment, he lit another cigarette and said nothing.