116
Miranda’s POV
Desmond. His name alone was enough to make my skin crawl. A green snake in green grass—a perfect idiom for the kind of man he was. I had known him far too long, loved him far too deeply, and been betrayed by him in ways I could never forget. We had been married for three years, and in those years, I had learned one undeniable truth: Desmond was a master of deception.
As Clara and I arrived at the restaurant for lunch, she quickly excused herself to find us a table, leaving me to my thoughts. My gaze naturally scanned the parking lot, and there he was. Desmond. And with him was someone I had hoped never to see again—Brenda.
My lips curled into a bitter smile as I watched her wrap her arms around him from behind. The smug grin on her face screamed familiarity, intimacy, and arrogance. Desmond, ever the performer, immediately began pushing her away as soon as he noticed me. His face morphed into one of exaggerated annoyance, but I could see right through him.
I wasn’t ready to let him play his little charade unnoticed. My heels clicked against the pavement as I strolled toward them, my expression neutral but my heart pounding in anger and disdain. “What a coincidence,” I said sweetly, my voice dripping with mockery. “You two look... cozy. How lovely to see two lovebirds in their natural habitat.”
Desmond’s face darkened, his jaw clenching as his eyes flicked nervously between Brenda and me. Brenda, however, was far less subtle. “Why are you treating me this way, Desmond?” she demanded, her voice trembling with emotion. “Is it because of her? Is it because of Lila? Have you fallen in love with her? Are you really going to throw everything away for some woman you barely know?”
I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow at her dramatic outburst. Oh, the irony. Brenda, who had spent years stabbing me in the back while pretending to be my cousin, now playing the victim. Ridiculous.
“Shut up, Brenda,” Desmond snapped, his voice sharp and cutting. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Brenda’s eyes widened in shock, and I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips. This was the first time I had ever seen Desmond lose his composure with her.
“Nothing to do with me?” she spat, her voice rising. “This wasn’t how we were before you met her! You treated me like I mattered, Desmond! You—”
Desmond cut her off, his voice low but venomous. “I treated you well because of my loving wife, Miranda. May her soul rest in peace. But she’s gone now, and so is my patience for your antics.”
I froze. My heart clenched painfully in my chest as his words sank in. May her soul rest in peace. My soul? The same soul he had mercilessly crushed when he pushed me down the stairs? The soul he had discarded like trash, only to move on with Brenda and take over my company as though I had never existed?
The audacity.
Brenda’s voice broke through my storm of emotions. “You’re a liar, Desmond! You said you loved me! You said we’d be together forever! But now you’re chasing after her? A woman you’ve barely known for weeks?”
Desmond’s face twisted into a mask of cold indifference. “Everything about her is better than you, Brenda. Don’t compare yourself to her.”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. His words were so rehearsed, so calculated, yet utterly hollow. He was playing the part of a devoted suitor, but I knew better.
Brenda, however, wasn’t ready to give up. “What did she do to you? Did she seduce you? Is that it? You think you’re in love with her?”
Before I could respond to her ridiculous accusations, Desmond raised his hand and delivered a thunderous slap across her cheek. The sound echoed like a crack of thunder, silencing Brenda mid-rant.
For a moment, I was genuinely shocked. Desmond had always been careful, always measured, especially with Brenda. This was the first time I had seen him lose control so completely. Brenda clutched her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“You slapped me, Desmond?” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. “You’ve never done this before. Not even when we fought about Miranda. And now you hit me because of her?”
“If you don’t shut up and leave right now, I’ll gladly do it again,” Desmond hissed, his voice low and menacing. “I told you I don’t want you. I’ve made myself clear.”
Brenda stumbled back, tears streaming down her face, but her eyes burned with hatred. “You’ll regret this,” she spat before turning and storming off.
Desmond turned to me then, his expression softening into a pitiful attempt at sincerity. “Miss Lila,” he began, his voice smooth and disarming. “I didn’t realize you were here. Did you... overhear any of that?”
I tilted my head, pretending to consider his question. “Oh, you mean the part where you slapped your girlfriend or the part where you so gallantly declared your admiration for me?” I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
Desmond’s face flushed, and he quickly adopted a sheepish smile. “It’s not what it looked like, I assure you. Brenda and I—”
“Save it,” I interrupted, raising a hand to stop him. “Your personal drama is none of my concern.”
But it was, wasn’t it? This wasn’t just any drama. This was my drama, my life, my pain. And Desmond had no idea that the woman he was trying to manipulate was the same woman he had betrayed and destroyed.
As I turned to leave, Desmond called after me, his voice tinged with desperation. “Wait, Miss Lila! Please, allow me to explain—”