Chapter 52 State of Mind Transformation
The secret Wesley had been guarding all along—Delta now knew everything.
Scarlett watched Delta's meltdown unfold. Delta threw a massive fit, and Wesley, desperate to calm her down, laid everything bare.
Well, almost everything. He conveniently left out one detail that Scarlett's kid wasn't his. But that was only because Delta had no clue Scarlett even had a daughter.
Watching Wesley grovel and sweet-talk Delta stirred something complicated in Scarlett's chest.
She remembered him doing this exact same thing for her once. Back in college, some girl had slipped him a love letter. When Scarlett found out, she'd been ready to dump him on the spot.
He'd done this whole song and dance then too—swearing up and down that nothing was going on with the other girl, even making these dramatic promises. And like an idiot, she'd believed him.
Now here he was, pulling the same moves on another woman. Right in front of her face.
God, she was the world's biggest joke.
Delta finally stopped her tirade and marched right up to Scarlett, still huffing with indignation.
"Is what he just said actually true? You two have zero feelings for each other? Never even... you know?"
Scarlett met Delta's confrontational stare with an expressionless face. In the past, she would've ignored Delta completely. But now? Her leverage against the Powell family was gone.
If Delta dumped Wesley, the divorce could get messy real fast.
As long as Delta and Wesley stayed together, the divorce would go through smoothly.
"Yes. He doesn't like me. And no, we never had sex." Her voice came out low but steady, like she was narrating someone else's story.
Delta eyed her skeptically. "If there's no feelings involved, why the hell would he marry you?"
Scarlett hadn't prepared an answer for that. Her brain scrambled, piecing together a believable lie.
"My dad helped him out once. When my family hit some rough times, Wesley married me to repay the favor."
Delta had heard of those old-school 'repay with marriage' arrangements. Rich families pulled that kind of thing all the time, so she didn't seem too shocked. After a long pause, she asked, "So... do you have feelings for him?"
Scarlett shook her head. "No."
Delta's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. When I ran into you at the Ross Group, you were practically shooting daggers at me. If you don't like him, why the hostility?"
"Weren't you the one being hostile?" Scarlett let out a cold laugh. "Or wait—you want me to say I'm in love with him? And then what?"
Delta frowned. Scarlett pressed on. "If we actually had feelings for each other, we wouldn't be getting divorced."
"I've explained what I needed to explain. The rest is between you two."
Without sparing Wesley a single glance, Scarlett turned and walked away. She didn't go to the detention center. Instead, she got in her car and drove off.
She'd only wanted to see Brielle to figure out why she'd lent Wesley a hundred thousand dollars. But now that she'd seen Wesley, and he'd kept his mouth shut tight, there was no way Brielle would give her any useful information either.
Honestly, what was the point of digging up the past anymore? She wanted to cut ties with these people and move forward. She was so done dealing with anyone who ruined her mood.
The problem now was that Delta knew Wesley's secret. With nothing left to hide, Wesley—and his family—could come after her without consequences. She had no weapons left to fight back.
Worse, Wesley might use Yara's real parentage to blackmail her. If he told Delta about Yara, what kind of nightmare would she be facing?
Maybe she shouldn't have come to see Brielle today at all.
After Scarlett left, Wesley stood there in a daze for a while. Delta snapped at him. "Don't think I'm just gonna buy this because she backed up your story. How do I know you two aren't playing me?"
Wesley snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. For some reason, looking at Delta now made him replay everything Scarlett had just said. And for the first time, he actually believed it—she really didn't love him anymore.
A hollow feeling settled in his chest. His attitude toward Delta cooled noticeably. "I've explained everything I needed to. If you still don't believe me, I get it. I was wrong to lie in the first place. I should've told you from the start."
Delta felt something was off. She pouted. "You married her just to repay some favor? You swear you don't have even the tiniest bit of feelings for her?"
"If I had feelings for her, I wouldn't be filing for divorce right now."
Delta bit her lip, wrestling with her thoughts. This was a lot to process. Whether she believed him or not, she'd need to verify things herself.
"You're divorcing her because of me?" She asked what mattered most to her.
Wesley nodded silently. Delta's expression softened slightly, but she still didn't let him off the hook. After a long moment, she said, "I can't forgive you for keeping this from me. I need time to think."
Wesley nodded. When he didn't say anything to stop her, Delta's irritation flared again. She spun around and stormed off. Wesley didn't chase after her. He just let her go.
Lately, Delta had been pulling the spoiled heiress act more and more. Sure, he wanted connections with the Powell family, but he wasn't about to let someone boss him around.
If marrying Delta meant getting manipulated by her, he'd honestly rather stay in his current marriage with Scarlett.
At least Scarlett had talent. She could help the company make money. Delta didn't understand business—she only knew how to spend. When he compared them side by side... Delta really didn't measure up to Scarlett.
Wesley got in his car and drove off. As he merged into traffic, he pulled out his phone and called Scarlett.
"I didn't tell Delta about the kid. She has no idea you have a daughter. But when she finds out eventually, she's gonna ask questions. What do you want me to tell her?" he said when she picked up.
"What are you getting at?" Scarlett asked.
"You told her we got married as a favor, that there's nothing between us. Delta's obviously gonna think I'm lying. So should I tell her the kid isn't mine?"
The second Wesley finished speaking, Scarlett's voice came through, dripping with disgust.
"Didn't you already tell Brielle? What's one more person—Delta—knowing?"
Wesley found himself at a loss for words.
"I backed up your lie in front of Delta just now. I don't want any complications with the divorce. We're ten days away from getting the papers. Don't contact me again unless it's about picking up the divorce certificate. That's it."
Scarlett didn't give him a chance to respond before hanging up.
After ending the call, Scarlett pulled over and sat there, breathing deeply. God, how blind had she been to fall for such a piece of trash?
She couldn't wait for the day she'd finally hold those divorce papers in her hands.
Once she'd calmed down, Scarlett started the car again. She'd barely driven a few minutes when Ruben called, asking why she still hadn't shown up at the detention center.
"Officer, something came up suddenly. I won't be able to make it. I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll have time to see Brielle either. Thanks for everything."
Ruben didn't seem too concerned about the change of plans. After exchanging a few words, they hung up.
Right after that, Scarlett called Axel and told him she'd accept the school and teacher's apology—he could drop the lawsuit.
"Did something happen?" Axel asked, sounding puzzled.