Chapter 58 Chapter 58: Two Can Play This Game
Cathy's P.O.V
I almost laughed. Standing there, looking down at the two of them on their knees, tears streaming down their faces, hands clasped in desperation, I almost let out a hysterical laugh that would have given away everything.
This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. After everything I had endured, after all the pain and humiliation and betrayal, these two scheming people were now playing the victims. They wanted to make me into the villain of this story, the cruel wife who wouldn't forgive a simple mistake, who wanted to harm an innocent unborn child.
Well, if they were so adamant about playing their roles, then I could play mine too. Two could play in this game.
I let my knees buckle beneath me, and I crumpled to the floor right there in the middle of the foyer. The marble was cold and hard against my legs, but I barely felt it. I was too focused on summoning the tears, on letting all the real pain and anguish I had been holding back for days finally pour out.
And once I started, I couldn't stop.
The tears came in waves, hot and fast, streaming down my cheeks. My whole body shook with sobs that felt both fake and real at the same time. Because yes, I was putting on a performance, but the emotions behind it were genuine. The pain was real.
"The husband I loved with all my life," I cried out, my voice breaking on every word. "The man I gave everything to, who I trusted with my entire heart, is now no longer mine."
I wrapped my arms around myself, rocking back and forth like I was trying to hold myself together. Xavier and Caroline both stared at me in shock, clearly not expecting this reaction.
"I have no one left in this world," I continued, my voice rising to a near wail. "My own husband threw me out! He kissed another woman in our car…kissed her body…the only person I have ever loved, my husband, has betrayed me in the worst possible way."
I looked up at them through my tears, and I made sure my eyes were filled with nothing but despair and hopelessness.
“You’re asking me for punishment? To hurt an innocent child who hasn’t even been born yet? To hurt my beloved husband who I worship with all my heart? Or to hurt an innocent woman who was just another victim of circumstances?” I threw their own words at their face, but loud enough that the servants would hear, would gossip. “How can I be such a monster to harm innocent people?” I wailed.
"So the only way I can continue," I said, my voice dropping to barely a whisper, "is by committing suicide and getting out of everyone's way."
The words hung in the air for a moment, heavy and terrible. I saw Xavier's face go pale, and Caroline's mouth dropped open in horror.
Before either of them could react, I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the kitchen. My feet slapped against the marble floors, and I could hear Xavier shouting behind me, but I didn't stop.
"My life has no purpose!" I screamed as I burst through the kitchen doors. "I can't even give Xavier a child! I can't fulfill the one basic duty expected of a wife!"
I rushed to the knife block on the counter, my hands shaking as I reached for the largest blade I could find. The steel gleamed under the kitchen lights, sharp and deadly.
"I have no worth!" I cried, pulling the knife from its slot. "No value to anyone!"
"Cathy, no!" Xavier's voice thundered through the kitchen. He was on me in seconds, his hand clamping down on my wrist with bruising force. He twisted my arm, and the knife clattered to the floor, the sound echoing in the suddenly silent kitchen.
"Don't be so dramatic," Xavier snapped, his voice harsh and cold. All traces of the concerned, loving husband from moments ago had vanished. "It was all just for one night, Cathy. You're blowing things completely out of proportion."
There it was. The mask had slipped. Just a little, but enough for me to see the truth underneath.
I felt fresh tears spring to my eyes, but these ones weren't part of the act. These were real.
"So it's true then," I said, my voice trembling. "You never truly loved me in the first place. You're actually defending what you did."
Xavier's jaw clenched, and I could see him struggling to reign in his temper, to put the mask back on. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer, more controlled.
"That's not what I meant," he said, but I could hear the strain in his words. "You're my wife, Cathy. The only one I love. That will never change."
The words sounded rehearsed, hollow. Like he had practiced them in front of a mirror until they sounded convincing enough.
"I'm so sorry," Caroline's voice came from behind us, small and pitiful. She had followed us into the kitchen, and now she stood in the doorway, wringing her hands. "I shouldn't have drunk that drink that night. If I had been more careful, if I had been more responsible, none of this would have happened. I feel horrible."
"Caroline, stop," Xavier said immediately, turning to face her. "You're not to blame for this. That drink wasn't your fault."
I watched as he rushed to her defense, as his whole body turned toward her like she was the one who needed protecting. And something inside me twisted painfully.
"Do you have any feelings for me at all, Xavier?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Because right now, it feels like you're choosing Caroline over me."
The question hung in the air between us, and I saw panic flash across both their faces.
"No!" Caroline said quickly, taking a step forward. "No, that's not what's happening here. I don't want to come between you two. I never wanted that."
She turned to Xavier, her eyes wide and pleading. "I should leave. I should pack my things and go far away where I can't cause any more problems."
It was the perfect response. The selfless gesture that would make her look noble and me look petty if I agreed.
But I wasn't going to let her win this easily.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "You shouldn't be the one to leave, Caroline. You're carrying Xavier's child. You have value, you have purpose."
I looked down at my hands, letting my shoulders slump in defeat. "I'm the barren woman who can't give my husband an heir. I'm the one who has no value in this life. I should be the one to leave, not you."
"Cathy, that's not true," Xavier started, but I could hear the frustration creeping back into his voice. "Why are you being like this?"
I looked up at him, meeting his eyes directly. "Can you honestly tell me you can just let that incident go? That you can pretend it never happened?"
Xavier's face hardened. "Can you?"
The question felt like a slap.
"Every time I look at you," I said slowly, deliberately, "every time I see you and Caroline together, all I can remember is what happened in that car. I can see it so clearly in my mind. I can hear the sounds you made. I can't make it stop."
Xavier's hands clenched into fists at his sides. I could see his patience wearing thin, could see the anger building behind his carefully controlled expression.
"So what do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice tight. "What will it take for you to move past this?"
"I don't know if I can move past it," I admitted, and that much was true. "How am I supposed to trust you again? How am I supposed to believe anything you say?"
"It was one mistake," Xavier said through gritted teeth. "One night out of the six years we've been together."
That almost made me laugh out.
"One night that destroyed everything," I shot back instead. We stood there in the kitchen, staring at each other, the tension so thick I could barely breathe. Caroline shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, her eyes darting between us like she wasn't sure whether to stay or leave.
Xavier ran a hand through his hair, his frustration finally boiling over.
"If you're so fixated on that night," he said, his voice cold and cutting, "if you can't let it go, if every time you look at me all you see is that one mistake, then maybe we need to try a different approach."
I felt my stomach drop. "What do you mean?"
Xavier's eyes met mine, and there was something calculating in them, something that made my blood run cold.
"An open marriage," he said flatly.
The words hit me like a physical blow. I actually took a step back, my hand reaching out to grip the counter for support.
"What?" I breathed, unable to believe what I was hearing.