Chapter 40 Chapter 40: Checking for Validity
Catharine's P.O.V
Xavier's hand clamped down on my wrist with such brutal force that I gasped in pain. His fingers dug into my skin like iron claws and I was sure, absolutely certain, that this would leave bruises. Dark purple marks that would bloom across my skin tomorrow as a reminder of this night, of what Xavier had become.
"Cathy, stop this right now," Xavier hissed in my ear, his voice low and threatening.
But Hunter was already moving. He signaled for the guards at the door, who immediately walked to stop the Hawthorn’s before they could leave. The elderly couple looked back in horror, realizing their only exit route was now closed.
By that time, Hunter had walked over to the bar and was speaking urgently to the bartender, gesturing toward the security camera I had pointed out. The bartender nodded quickly and disappeared into a back room.
The crowd seemed eager to know the truth now. They pressed closer, their earlier entertainment turning into genuine curiosity and concern. I could see the expressions on their faces changing as they began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I had been telling the truth all along.
Xavier's face went pale as he realized what was about to happen. His grip on my wrist tightened even more and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.
"This needs to stop," Xavier said urgently, his eyes darting between me and the bar where Hunter was waiting. "Cathy, please. Our business will suffer greatly if this continues. Think about what you're doing."
I looked up at him, at this man who I had loved for six years, and I felt something inside me finally break free. All the doubt, all the guilt, all the self-blame I had been carrying around for weeks just evaporated like smoke.
"Is your business really more valuable than your own wife's dignity?" I asked, my voice getting stronger. "Is your business more valuable than my safety? Than the truth?"
Xavier opened his mouth to respond but before he could say anything, the bartender returned carrying a tablet. He handed it to Hunter, who took it with a grim expression on his face.
"I've got it," Hunter announced loudly, his voice carrying across the now silent room. "The footage from tonight, time-stamped to when the incident occurred."
The crowd pressed even closer, everyone wanting to see. Hunter held up the tablet so that the screen was visible to as many people as possible. I could see Xavier's face from the corner of my eye and he looked absolutely terrified.
Hunter pressed play.
On the small screen, I could see myself standing at the bar, clearly visible even in the recording. The camera angle was perfect, capturing everything that had happened. I watched as Mr. Hawthorn approached me, saw myself try to move away, saw him block my path.
The video had no audio but it didn't need it. Everyone could see Mr. Hawthorn grab my wrist, could see me trying to pull away, could see the aggressive way he leaned in close to speak to me. The body language alone told the entire story.
But Hunter had thought of that. He turned up the volume and to my surprise, faint audio came through. The bar's security system apparently recorded sound as well, though it was muffled and hard to hear.
Hunter played it again, this time with the volume at maximum. And this time, everyone could hear Mr. Hawthorn's slurred voice saying those horrible words.
"My contribution is very important for your husband's business ventures... if you want your husband's business to keep running smoothly, then you better do as I say..."
And then, crystal clear despite the poor audio quality, came the most damning words of all.
"It's not like you have anything to lose. You can't even get pregnant anyway."
The crowd erupted. Gasps of shock and outrage filled the air. People started talking all at once, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of disbelief and anger.
"I can't believe he said that!"
"What a horrible man!"
"Poor Catharine, how awful!"
"Did you hear what he said to her?"
Xavier had released my wrist at some point during the video and I rubbed the sore skin absently, already feeling the tender spots where bruises would form.
Mrs. Hawthorn, who had been standing frozen near the exit, suddenly moved. She marched back with fury blazing in her eyes. She walked right up to her husband, who was looking pale and sick, and slapped him hard across his uninjured cheek.
The sound of the slap echoed through the foyer and everyone fell silent again, watching.
"Twenty-three years," Mrs. Hawthorn said, her voice shaking with rage. "Twenty-three years of marriage and this is who you really are? A man who harasses young women and throws their personal pain in their faces?"
Mr. Hawthorn tried to reach for her but she stepped back, disgust written all over her face.
"Don't touch me," she spat. "Don't ever touch me again. I'm filing for divorce first thing Monday morning."
She turned on her heel and walked out of the mansion with her head held high, leaving her husband sitting there alone and humiliated. A few moments later, Mr. Hawthorn struggled to his feet and stumbled after her, but everyone could tell it was hopeless. His marriage was over, and probably his reputation too.
The crowd began to disperse slowly, people returning to their drinks and conversations, though the main topic was clearly going to be Mr. Hawthorn's vile behavior for the rest of the night. I heard snippets of conversation as people walked past me.
"Absolutely disgusting..."
"I always thought he was too handsy at parties..."
"That poor girl, and her husband didn't even defend her..."
That last comment made me look at Xavier. He was standing a few feet away, his face still pale, his expression unreadable. And then he turned to me and I saw anger flashing in his eyes.
"Was this really necessary?" Xavier asked, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. "Do you have any idea what kind of humiliation this will cost us? Mr. Hawthorn is going to pull his investment. Other investors who are friends with him might follow suit. You've just damaged my business reputation because you couldn't handle a simple misunderstanding."
I stared at him in disbelief. Even after seeing the video, even after hearing the audio, even after watching everyone in this room turn against Mr. Hawthorn for his behavior, Xavier was still more concerned about his business than about what had happened to me.
I opened my mouth to reply, to tell him exactly what I thought of him and his precious business, but before I could get the words out, another sound cut through the air.
The sharp crash of breaking glass.
Everyone turned toward the sound, the conversations dying once again. My eyes found the source of the noise and my heart stopped.
Caroline was standing near the bar, her hand still outstretched, shards of broken glass scattered at her feet. Her face had gone completely pale, almost white, and she was staring at Xavier with wide, shocked eyes.
Xavier didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, he rushed across the room to Caroline's side, his face filled with concern.
"Caroline! What happened? Are you alright?" Xavier asked urgently, his hands hovering near her arms like he wanted to touch her but wasn't sure if he should.
Caroline's lips were trembling and she looked like she might faint. "I... I asked the bartender for some water," she said, her voice shaking. "But there was this glass sitting right here on the counter, right next to where the bartender was pouring water. They looked exactly the same, both clear liquid in identical glasses."
She gestured to the bar where I had been standing earlier, where I had put down that drink Mr. Hawthorn had tried to force on me.
"I didn't realize it wasn't water," Caroline continued, her hand coming up to her throat. "I just grabbed it and took a sip. But it wasn't water at all. It was whiskey. Strong whiskey."
Xavier's face went even paler than Caroline's. "You drank alcohol?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Caroline nodded, tears starting to stream down her face. "I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't know. It tasted awful and I spit most of it out but I definitely swallowed some. Xavier, I'm so sorry. I was so careful this whole time and now I've ruined everything."
And then Caroline said something that made my blood run cold.
"The baby," she whispered, her hand moving to rest protectively over her stomach. "Xavier, what if I hurt the baby?"
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. The baby. Caroline's hand on her stomach. Xavier's face, filled with such raw concern and fear that it took my breath away.
The baby. The surrogate baby that Caroline was supposedly carrying for Xavier and me.
The realization hit me like a freight train and I actually stumbled backward, my hand reaching out to grip the edge of a nearby table for support.