Chapter 50 Chapter 50

Chapter 50 Chapter 50
She frowned at the words. Before she could react, Elaine yanked her hand back and forth.

“What are you doing—” Her words hung in the air as Elaine suddenly let go, and she lost her balance.

Her eyes widened, her heart stopped, as she watched Elaine’s body fall hard to the ground.

“Ah! Why did you push me, Merri?” Elaine cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, blood dripping from her forehead.

Before she could answer, someone suddenly burst in.

“What’s going on? Why is your head bleeding?” 

Evan asked, rushing toward Elaine, who looked like a helpless woman being bullied.

“Merri pushed me when I asked her about you,” Elaine sobbed.

Her mouth parted. Seriously? She would stoop this low just to get rid of her?

“Is it true, Merri?” Evan asks her, which makes her blink her eyes. 

She just glared at him, and didn't know if she would open her mouth to speak or not. She wasn't sure if Evan would believe it or not. 

“No, she won't do that–”

“Evan! Come on, stop looking at her. Help me, bring me to the nearest hospital. My forehead is bleeding for Pete's sake!” Elaine exclaimed and held Evan's two hands. 

“But…” Evan stared at her, as if he was waiting for her to speak up. 

She lowered her gaze. “You should bring her to the hospital, Evan,” those words came out from her mouth without her realizing it. 

“How about you?” Evan asks her. 

She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I'm okay, as long as you believe me that l don't push her, l'm good. But for now, you should help her, l'll be waiting for you here in the office,” she said calmly. 

Evan stared at her for a moment and took a deep breath. 

“Alright then, l'll be quick,” Evan told her and immediately carried Elaine in his arms when the woman suddenly lost consciousness. She doesn't know if she was taking it or not. 

And making a fuss about it won't help the situation, so she just shut her mouth and watched them leave. 

When the door closed, she fell to the ground, her vision blurring with tears. She clutched her chest and gently massaged it. “Oh God, why do I feel hurt?” she whispered.

Evan didn’t say anything bad about her, and he didn’t directly say he believed Elaine, but the way his eyes looked earlier, when he walked in and saw Elaine’s state, something inside her broke. “Does that mean he still loves her?” she whispered, resting her head on the table.

Back when she was just Evan’s secretary, she witnessed how much effort he put into that woman. Their relationship wasn’t public, but Evan truly cared for her.

Then what about her? What exactly is her place in Evan’s life? His substitute bride? A rebound wife meant to bandage his wounds? And now that the one who caused those wounds has come back… is he going to throw her away?

Suddenly, she heard the doorknob turn. She immediately stood up and tried to fix herself.

“This is what you get for loving the wrong man. This is just the beginning, Merri. You should leave my son now if you don’t want to get hurt. Elaine and he are a perfect pair made by heaven, so you better give way,” Evan’s father said, having arrived without her even noticing.

She had no idea how he managed to appear out of nowhere. She lowered her gaze and didn’t dare reply, knowing the conversation would only drag on if she argued back.

“Go on, name your price for leaving my son alone,” Evan’s father continued, gripping his walking stick.

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not interested in your money. If someone has to decide the end of my marriage, it should be your son. If he lets me go, then so be it. But if he doesn’t, I can’t leave on my own. So you’re talking to the wrong person.”

“Bitch!” the old man snapped, and before she knew it, his hard hand struck her cheek. He slapped her.

She blinked and held her cheek, feeling blood on her lower lip, but she refused to cry. Instead, she glared at the old man blankly.

“If you’re done, please excuse me. I have a lot of things to do,” she said, and without hesitation, she marched toward the door and left him there, still calling after her.

Merri found herself inside the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and touched her lower lip, which still throbbed from Evan’s father’s slap.

“Aw…” she hissed in pain, then washed her face and grabbed a tissue to dry it. Suddenly, she heard female coworkers’ voices getting closer.

Instinctively, she hid inside one of the cubicles.

“Did you hear what happened earlier?” one woman asked. Merri didn’t recognize the voice.

“Oh, you mean our boss carrying a woman out of the building?” her companion replied.

“Yeah. I heard she’s the daughter of one of the richest businessmen. Don’t you think our boss has finally woken up from the curse of his secretary, and now he wants a woman who’s on his level?”

“Probably. Serves her right. She shouldn’t dream of having a rich husband. This is the modern world, and Cinderella is already dead. There’s no way she’ll be the second Cinderella.”

They laughed. Merri lowered her gaze to the floor.

“Hey, is someone in there?”

She blinked when she heard the voice, one of the same women who had just insulted her.

“Oh, come on, bitch! I need to use the toilet. Can you come out?” the other snapped.

Merri cleared her throat. “I’m not done yet. Find another cubicle,” she said, disguising her voice. She didn’t want them to know who she was.

“Tsk! What a bitch,” the woman muttered, and after a moment, Merri heard them walking out of the restroom.

She stayed inside until she gathered enough strength to face whatever waited outside.

She didn’t return to Evan’s office. Instead, she found herself at the coffee shop she used to visit, the same place where she discovered Dave’s betrayal.

“Hay… why can’t I have a peaceful life?” she murmured while staring outside. She thought she had finally found someone she could spend the rest of her life with, but it seemed that someone was never meant for her. They lived in different worlds. She was just a mere secretary, an orphan with no prestigious background.

“Why are you wearing such a long face?”

She blinked when she heard that familiar voice. When she looked up, she saw someone she never expected to meet again.

“Dave…” she whispered his name. The man smiles and sit down in the chair in front of her, he was holding a cup of coffee. 

“I'm glad to hear you calling my name. It's been a while, l miss you, Merri,” Dave told her, and reached her hand but she immediately put her hand away so he couldn't touch it.