Chapter 37 Not Wasting Time on Worthless Men
Isabella let out a cold laugh.
"The woman who wants to be your Mrs. Montagu is sitting right outside. If you proposed to her right now, she'd say yes without hesitation."
Laura was with William precisely to climb the social ladder and become Mrs. Montagu, wasn't she?
Isabella couldn't care less about that title—she'd be thrilled if Laura and William tied the knot sooner rather than later, finally leaving her and Olivia alone.
She had no desire to continue being a pawn in William and Laura's twisted games.
"I've already wasted the best years of my life on you. What makes you think I'd be stupid enough to make the same mistake twice with a worthless man like you?"
This marriage had been rotten to the core long before Laura came along. William's affair was just the catalyst. Even without this betrayal, their fundamental differences would have torn them apart eventually.
Isabella looked at William with complete emotional detachment—not even a trace of hatred remained in her eyes.
Their feelings for each other had never run that deep anyway. If not for the pregnancy, Isabella would never have considered marrying William in the first place.
Isabella pressed her hands against William's chest, struggling to push him away.
Just as she was about to jump down from the counter, she heard commotion outside—someone was heading toward the restroom.
The sound hit Isabella's chest like a drumbeat, making her heart race.
If someone discovered her and William together in the restroom, there'd be no explaining their way out of this.
"Anyone in there?"
The girl outside was clearly drunk, her words slurred and drawn out as she called loudly.
Getting no response, her stubborn personality kicked in, and she continued banging on the door.
Isabella opened her mouth to speak, but a warm hand covered her face, once again silencing her as William blocked any sound.
"Shh." He leaned down slightly, his warm breath falling against Isabella's ear, making that patch of skin burn.
Isabella could clearly smell William's faint sandalwood scent.
Someone must have come to lead the drunk girl away, because the noise outside gradually died down.
Isabella struggled again in displeasure, pushing away the hand William had placed over her mouth.
What kind of intimate relationship did he think they had?
The restroom lighting was dim and golden, casting a soft glow on Isabella's face that made her skin look even more delicate. William found his gaze lingering.
They'd been married for six years, yet William had never really looked at Isabella before.
He'd never realized how beautiful she was.
Compared to Isabella, Laura's sickeningly sweet style was like an artificial sweetener.
Isabella's eyes seemed to speak—when she looked at someone, they were full of emotion, shimmering like water.
William's scrutinizing gaze made Isabella deeply uncomfortable.
She turned her head away and jumped down immediately after breaking free from William.
Deliberately stepping on his expensive leather shoes, she left a gray-black footprint.
Isabella felt satisfied—the dark cloud hanging over her heart instantly lifted. Looking up at William, her apology was completely insincere: "Sorry, I stepped on you."
The disdain and disgust in her heart were actually about to overflow.
Who told William not to keep his distance and stay away from her?
Making sure no one was outside, Isabella finally pushed open the door and walked out, then thoughtfully closed it behind her.
As for how William would explain being caught coming out of the women's restroom if he ran into someone—well, that wasn't Isabella's problem to worry about.
When Isabella finally returned to the private room, Richard breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't appear to have been mistreated.
But her cheeks were still flushed, and her lipstick was slightly smudged.
Combined with William having followed her out earlier, it was easy to imagine some intimate scenarios.
Seeing Isabella return, Joshua naturally vacated the seat beside Richard, returning to mingle with the others.
"William didn't give you any trouble, did he?" Richard asked with concern.
Isabella shook her head gently, giving him a reassuring smile. "He's not quite that awful."
Though William's behavior had been inappropriate, she'd gotten her revenge before leaving the restroom.
Isabella glanced at her watch—it was already eleven PM. Very late.
But the others showed no signs of wrapping up, so she could only wait patiently.
Since she'd come with Richard, leaving early seemed somewhat impolite and might affect him negatively.
Richard noticed her restlessness and asked with concern, "Anxious to get home?"
Glancing toward the center, where Joshua and the others were having a great time with no end in sight, Isabella smiled. "Olivia's still at home waiting. I'm worried she might be scared alone."
Isabella was also concerned about leaving Olivia by herself.
"I'll take you home," Richard offered.
"Won't that affect you?" Isabella asked, surprised.
Richard chuckled. "It's just a casual get-together with friends. Leaving early or late doesn't make much difference."
Besides, Richard lived in Seaside City permanently—they could arrange another gathering whenever they wanted.
This party served no real purpose for Isabella anyway, so Richard didn't mind accommodating her by leaving early.
They intended to slip out quietly, but Joshua caught up with them just as they reached the door.
"Leaving so early?" Joshua asked.
Richard nodded, looking past Joshua to politely acknowledge his friends with a gentle nod.
"You guys keep having fun."
Joshua laughed. "I heard you covered the tab downstairs earlier? What about our private room upstairs?"
None of this crowd was short on money—he was clearly just joking around.
Unexpectedly, Richard took the question seriously, chuckling before casually responding, "Sure, I'll cover it."
Cheers erupted from inside the room as people raised their glasses in appreciation.
"Thanks, Mr. Spencer!"
The energy picked up again as Joshua saw Richard and Isabella outside before returning inside.
Since Richard had been drinking, he couldn't drive, so he called for a designated driver through an app. The two stood outside the bar, letting the cool air clear their heads.
Isabella looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.
Richard tilted his head and found himself looking at Isabella's perfectly sculpted profile.
If she didn't pursue research, the entertainment industry might be a good option for her, Richard thought randomly.
The driver arrived quickly and walked with them toward the parking garage.
Seeing Richard's white Cayenne, the driver's eyes lit up.
Richard opened the passenger door, gentlemanly gesturing for Isabella to get in first.
Just as she was about to lean into the car, Isabella suddenly froze.
Behind her, a hand pressed down on her shoulder, gently but firmly pulling her back.