Chapter 8

Yanny's head snapped up. She shoved her phone behind her back, her heart suddenly seizing with panic.

Did he see it?

She had felt someone approach and had immediately hidden her phone, so it should have been impossible for him to see anything.

Ethan stood over her, his gaze taking in her panicked expression and the hand she had concealed behind her.

He knew instantly she was hiding something. His face darkened, his expression turning severe.

Yanny bit her lip, the color draining from it due to her anxiety, making her already worn-out face appear even more pallid.

"What are you doing here?" Yanny averted her gaze, not daring to meet Ethan's eyes. A thread of fear coiled in her stomach.

She didn't want him to know about her illness; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave.

"I'm asking you a question. What was in that email?" Ethan's eyes grew deeper, as dark and murky as an abyss.

A chill radiated from him, carrying an intense, oppressive weight. She swallowed hard and shook her head reflexively. "It's nothing."

"Then why are you so nervous?" Ethan scoffed, noticing the unnatural tension on her face.

Didn't she know she was the world's worst liar? Every time she lied, her ears would turn red, a clear sign of evasion.

Yanny immediately powered down her phone, forcing down the chaotic storm of emotions inside her. "I'm not," she replied, her voice faint. "It was just some work documents, nothing special."

"Why did I see the word 'treatment' then? Was that an email from the hospital?"

Ethan had no intention of letting her off the hook. He leaned down, bringing his face close to hers, his dark eyes locking onto her.

Then, his arm shot out and he seized her wrist. The phone was still in her hand, but Ethan's grip tightened just enough to make it impossible for her to hold on, and it slipped from her grasp.

He caught it smoothly, intending to turn it on and see for himself, only to find that it wouldn't power on.

"The battery's dead. It shut down."

"A friend of mine is a doctor and just sent me some information to look over," Yanny said, taking a deep breath as she quickly fabricated an excuse.

Ethan was silent for a half-second. He tossed her phone aside with a cold laugh in his heart, seemingly accepting the lie she had woven.

"Whatever. It's not like I care anyway," Ethan said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a derisive line.

The words were like a sharp spike, driving deep into her body until she was numb with pain.

That's right. He didn't care, so why was she so nervous? Even if she told him she was dying, he would probably think she was just playing the victim, making a sick joke. He didn't love her, so why would he ever care about her?

Yanny suddenly felt she was deluding herself. She had known this all along, yet hearing it from his own lips still felt like a fresh wound.

"I came to find you for something else."

Ethan released her wrist with a look of disgust, then pulled his own phone from his pocket. He held it in front of her, displaying the photo Veda had sent him just moments ago.

"See for yourself. Is this you?" Ethan's tone was harsh, his finger jabbing at the person in the photo as he questioned her.

Yanny's brow furrowed the moment she saw it. She bit her lip, recognizing herself and William in the picture. The angle suggested it had been taken secretly from a distance.

She stared at the image for a long moment, remaining silent.

"Who gave this to you?" After a tense silence that stretched the atmosphere taut, Yanny finally asked in a cool, detached voice. She just wanted to know who had sent it.

Ethan let out a low, humorless laugh, a chilling glint in his eyes as his brow tightened. "Does it matter who sent it to me?"

"Yanny, you've really outdone yourself! Is this why you want a divorce?"

His eyes were glacial, his voice thick with suppressed rage. The thought of Yanny cheating on him was a bitter pill he couldn't swallow.

No wonder she was in such a hurry to divorce him the moment Maisie came back. She had already found her next mark and was ready to kick him to the curb, wasn't she?

"I can't believe you'd be so blatant with another man before we're even divorced!" Ethan roared, the fury burning in his chest. His handsome face was cold, his thin lips pressed into a hard line.

Yanny's fingers clenched. Hearing Ethan's slanderous words, she finally looked up at him.

Their eyes met, and a wave of disappointment washed over her. He saw a photo and immediately thought the worst of her without even asking for an explanation?

Pathetic. It was utterly pathetic.

"Ethan, do you think everyone is just like you?" Yanny gritted out, her body trembling slightly as her voice rose.

She was fighting back, but also venting three years of accumulated grievances.

Hadn't he been the one to immediately cling to Maisie the moment she returned?

He had completely disregarded their existing marriage, letting the rumors spread online and even flaunting their connection without a second thought. What did that make her?

She truly didn't know where Ethan found the audacity to question her about this.

"What did you say? Yanny, have I been too lenient with you?" Ethan's fists tightened, the veins on his forehead bulging as he shouted again.

At his words, Yanny's breathing became ragged and shallow. The anger sent a sharp, stabbing pain through her chest. She clutched at it, trying to stand but finding she had no strength.

"You were so eager when Maisie came back, weren't you? How do you have time to care who I'm with?"

"We're getting a divorce. Where I go and what I do has nothing to do with you anymore."

Yanny's fingers curled tighter into her palms, images of Ethan and Maisie together flashing through her mind, leaving a sour taste.

She was not a person without dignity, nor was she someone who depended on Ethan for everything. She refused to be looked down upon.

"I'm asking you, were you hooking up with this man all along?" Ethan's eyes were bloodshot as he continued to grill her, demanding to know if she had cheated.

In his mind, hadn't she unscrupulously fought for this marriage in the first place? And now she was entangled with another man.

Yanny was speechless, unsure how to even begin explaining. She simply looked away. "I have nothing to say to you. If there's nothing else, please leave."

Ethan's face was contorted with rage. After a beat, he let out a sneer, his words dripping with ridicule. "So you admit it."

Faced with his imperious accusation, she offered no further response. The moment he had seen that photo and stormed in to question her without seeking any confirmation, the truth had already ceased to matter.

Perhaps in his heart, that was the kind of person she had always been.

Three years ago, she had schemed to marry him; three years later, she was hooking up with another man to divorce him.

And him? He was always the high and mighty Ethan, who could do no wrong.

Even his tabloid scandals were her responsibility to clean up. She was never his wife, just a servant to be summoned and dismissed at his whim.

"Yanny, I am so disappointed in you."

"And don't forget how you begged to marry me in the first place!" Ethan spat out the two sentences with brutal force, then turned and stormed out of the break room, leaving the two of them at a bitter impasse.