Chapter 153: You should have died

Chapter 153: You should have died
Third person

Valerie walked into her office, her eyes widening in annoyance as she spotted Adam sprawled in her chair, his legs tangled around the table like he owned the place. “My wife,” he muttered as soon as he saw her.

"Adam, how can I help you?" she asked, her face twisting into a grimace.

“Congratulations, Mrs. CEO,” he smiled. “You keep looking more and more beautiful," he smirked, his eyes roving over her.

Valerie raised an eyebrow, striding over to him. "I can't say the same about you." 

She was standing in front of him now. “Get your legs off,” she snapped and then gestured for him to stand up and take the other seat. 

Adam chuckled. "I like this new spark, Valerie. This fierce nature…”

“I knew we were meant to be from the start. But this whole new look you have... it has made me realize that you're the only one meant for me.” He paused and threw his head backwards. Then he looked up at her again. 

“The fact that I didn’t even know you were my wife and I was still attracted to you.” Adam shook his head thoughtfully. “The soul never lies,” he whispered.

"You're attracted to anything in a skirt, Adam.” She shot him a glare. “It has nothing to do with me."

His smile faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "No, it's different with you, Valerie. I swear."

She shrugged and  rolled her eyes at him. "Tell that to someone who'll believe your lies.” Her frown deepened. “Now get up.”

"Fine, fine, fine." Adam stood, his smirk still intact as he sauntered over to the couch by the side.

Valerie took out a napkin from her drawer and cleaned her chair where he'd sat, her movements deliberate. 

"Wait, Val.” He leaned forward on the couch, his lustful eyes raking her body again. “I hope you know that you're still my wife, legally. And you'll continue to be my wife as long as we're not divorced.”

“Exactly why you should have signed the divorce papers before you went into hiding.” She dipped her hand into her drawer and pulled out some documents. “I've signed my part.” She placed it on the desk, along with a pen.

Adam stood up and began walking towards the desk. He ran a frustrated palm across his face and hair at Valerie's mention of his hiding. 

The thought of how tiring Lucas made it for him to stay hidden all this while, left a sour taste in his mouth. “Your boyfriend is really a troublemak—” He cut his words off when he picked up the document and saw the heading. 

“Divorce papers?" His brows furrowed with shock and confusion. “You really had them prepared?!” For some reason, he'd thought that she was bluffing. 

That maybe she just needed some time to heal.

Valerie's eyes widened in disgust. "Why do you seem surprised?” She snapped. “Sign the damn papers."

“Wow…” He huffed in disbelief at her tone. “What happened to you, Ashley? When did you become so cruel?” Then his face twisted in determination. "I'm not signing anything. We're going to work on our marriage, like we've always done."

“You just need some space to heal and forgive me,” he added.

Valerie's laughter was cold and mirthless. "You're delusional."

“I'm not.” He held up the divorce papers and tore it in half, then tore it into another half, and another, until he had small pieces in his hands. He littered them on her desk. “We're going to work on our marriage and that's final.”

Val shrugged and opened the laptop on her desk. “I'll just have another one prepared for you to sign,” she mumbled.

He lifted her chin up to look at him. “Look at me Valerie, you're my wife,” he said firmly.

Adam said it as though his words were going to somehow hypnotize her and turn her into the Ashley that he knew.

Valerie slapped his hand away from her jaw. "The wife you had was obese and undeserving of your love,” she deadpanned in a self-deprecating tone. “And you killed her."

"No… Please don't say a thing like that. You're not dead, you're right here." He scratched his head. "Forgiveness should be part of every healthy relationship, don't you agree?"

Valerie looked up, her eyes locking onto Adam's. "A man who killed his pregnant wife and unborn child isn't worth forgiving."

He cleared his throat. "Please, Ashley, let's put that behind us.” He pressed. “Don't you see how much I love you?"

Valerie was tired of engaging Aadam. She glanced at her phone yet again, wondering why the cops were taking so long to arrive. They were supposed to be standby in case Adam shows up, and he did. 

Adam's hand caressed the small of Valerie's back. She flinched, shifting back. He reached for her again, holding her shoulders and pinning her in place. “You've probably forgotten what it's like to be with me. That's why you keep resisting.”

Valerie's face twisted in disgust as he leaned forward to kiss her.

She pushed him back, her eyes blazing. "It’s time for you to leave, you sick fool.” Her hands flew to the air and she hit him hard across the cheek. “Coming here was a really dumb idea on your part."

Adam remained in place even though his cheek burned where she'd slapped him. He tightened his jaw to suppress the pain. “Did that make you feel better? You can hit me again,” he offered casually, trying to seem unaffected by the slap.

"And It's never a dumb idea to come see you.” His eyes burned with passion, his voice tender.

Valerie's eyes shifted to the policemen who had just entered her office. She looked back at Adam, a cold smile spreading across her face as she stood up and moved away from him. "Oh, I think it is."

One of the officers stepped forward, his hand on Adam's shoulder. "Adam Smith, you're under arrest for sexually assaulting Ashley."

“Sexual assault?” Adam's eyes widened in shock as the officer cuffed him. "What is this? Is this a joke?"

The officer began to read him his rights. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Adam's face twisted in anger, his voice firm despite the fear pounding in his chest. "She's my wife for Christ sake!! I can have her whenever I want!"

The officers began to drag him away. “She’s my legally married wife! What the hell is this country turning into?” he lamented bitterly.

“Don't forget that there's also charges of attempted murder.” Valerie reminded him. “You tried to kill me, remember?

He turned to Valerie, his eyes blazing with defiance. "It's your word against mine, Ashley. I never tried to kill you."

Valerie's smile was sweet and mocking. "Oh, dear husband, it's not my word against yours. Apparently, there was a witness from that night."

Adam's face paled, his jaw dropping in shock. The officers dragged him out. “Adam,” she called out just when they'd opened the door. They paused, and he turned to look at her. "Also, that strip club… Uhm, what’s it called? The sad hour?”

He frowned. “Happy hour,” he corrected, his scowl deepening.

“That’s your money laundering place, right?” Her lips curled into a knowing smile that sent shivers down Adam's spine.

Adam's eyes widened, his pulse quickening. How did she know about that? He wondered.

Valerie burst out laughing at his reaction. The sound echoed through the room, empty of humor.

"This time, you're going to prison for real," she said, a big grin plastered on her lips. "Because you can be sure as hell that Ashley isn't coming back to bail you out."

The officers dragged Adam away from her office, Valerie watched with satisfaction, her mind briefly wandering to Matthew. She used to call him with updates on things like this. Him and Lucas.

But now... she shifted her mind away, not wanting to spoil her day.

Picking up her phone, she was about to call Lucas to tell him when she remembered he'd said that he had a meeting after lunch. She texted him instead and then returned her focus to her desk.

But before she could start anything, the door to her office burst open.

Mrs. Harrison stormed in, her face twisted in fury. Mr. Harrison followed closely behind.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am," Cassie apologized, a worried expression on her face as she peeked in from behind them. "I tried to stop them."

Valerie nodded, her expression calm. "You can go."

Cassie hesitated for a while, her eyes apologetic, before she finally turned around and left the room.

Valerie's questioning eyes darted to Mrs. Harrison, who was now gliding towards her, "What brings—”

But before Valerie could finish, Mrs. Harrison's hand shot out, slapping her across the face. Valerie's head jerked back, her eyes widening in shock.

"You bitch," Miss Harrison spat with glazed eyes, venom in her tone. "You should have died."