Chapter 28
Rachel's pointed comment about "cedar and white musk" in the car, that awkward scene at the gala, and now this—Edward believed she'd slept with Samuel, which explained the cologne on her skin.
Cecilia suddenly found it so absurd she had to laugh, and she did.
"So, Rachel told you this?" she asked directly, not even bothering with formalities anymore. "You believe everything she says?"
Edward's expression darkened. "Does it matter who told me?" He dodged the core issue, his tone impatient. "What matters is that you did it."
"Did what exactly?" Cecilia stepped forward. "I exchanged a few words with a man, and in your eyes that means I'm desperate to run away with him? Edward, what do you take me for?"
"Cecilia Mellon." He said her name as a warning.
"Or is it that only Rachel's words are gospel truth?" Cecilia wasn't afraid of him at all. Her anger now eclipsed any fear. "She says it's cologne, and you believe her. She tells you I slept with someone else, and you believe that too. What about me? Have you ever listened to a single word I've said?"
"What right do you have to compare yourself to her?" Edward snapped, her mention of "truth" hitting a nerve.
The words hung in the air as they both froze.
Indeed, what right did she have to compare herself to Rachel? She should have understood this long ago.
The light in Cecilia's eyes dimmed bit by bit. She stepped back, widening the distance between them.
"I understand now," she said.
This calm resignation unsettled Edward more than her earlier accusations.
"What do you understand?" He stepped forward, reaching for her.
Cecilia abruptly moved sideways, avoiding his touch. "Don't touch me." Her voice was ice cold. "It makes me feel dirty."
Edward's hand hung suspended in mid-air.
"Let's divorce, Edward." Cecilia looked him straight in the eye, repeating with absolute seriousness, "I don't want to keep acting. I'll find a way to pay back your five million. Name your price—penalty fees, interest, whatever."
"Say that again?" The air around him seemed to drop several degrees.
"I said, div—"
Her words were cut short by Edward's ringing phone. He glanced at the caller ID and, without hesitation, answered it right in front of her.
"Hello?"
Rachel's timid, tearful voice came through clearly in the silent living room. "Eddie... I think I've upset Mr. Hughes. He feels I embarrassed you tonight. I don't know what to do. I'm alone outside the hotel, afraid to go back."
Edward remained silent, his gaze locked on Cecilia's face. Cecilia stared back expressionlessly, then mouthed a single word.
Go.
She turned away, not wanting to stay a second longer. Edward hung up and strode after her.
Cecilia had barely stepped outside when he grabbed her wrist again.
"Where are you going?"
"Home." Cecilia didn't look back, struggling to free herself. "My own home."
Though she no longer had one, anywhere with her brother would be home enough.
"Cecilia, stop being childish."
"Childish?" Cecilia finally turned around, her face openly mocking. "Mr. Clifford, your first love is waiting for you at the hotel. Why waste time with an inconvenient tool like me instead of comforting her? Or perhaps you want me to come along and witness your touching reunion?"
Every word was barbed, each syllable pushing his limits. Edward's face turned ashen as they faced off at the doorway like two cornered beasts.
Just then, a black Bentley slowly approached from the end of the driveway. Teddy peeked out from the driver's seat, saw the tense standoff, and wisely kept quiet.
Seeing the familiar car, Cecilia suddenly relaxed. She stopped struggling and simply looked coldly at Edward. "Let go."
Edward didn't move.
"Your Rachel will get impatient," Cecilia added.
Edward gave her one last intense look before abruptly releasing her hand. A vivid red mark instantly formed around Cecilia's wrist. She didn't even glance at it before turning to leave.
She didn't look back, so she didn't see Edward kick a nearby stone sculpture after she turned, producing a dull, thunderous sound.
Cecilia didn't know how long she'd been walking until she heard a car engine behind her. She turned.
The black Bentley drove past her, and just as it did, the rear window lowered halfway. Rachel's perfectly made-up face appeared. She looked at Cecilia standing alone under the streetlight and curved her lips into a smug, victorious smile.
The Bentley sped away, leaving Cecilia with nothing but exhaust fumes. Cecilia stood motionless, her ice-blue gown as cold as a sheet of ice in the night wind.
She didn't know how long she stood there until her legs began to go numb. Then the vanished Bentley returned.
The door opened, and Edward's tall figure emerged. He walked up to her, his gaze heavy.
Cecilia ignored him, looking past him directly at the car. Suddenly, she stepped forward and walked straight toward the closed window.
Edward frowned and reached out to stop her, but missed.
Cecilia stopped beside the rear door and rapped her knuckles against the dark window, neither too hard nor too soft. The window didn't budge.
Cecilia persisted, continuing to knock.
After an awkward fifteen seconds, the window finally lowered reluctantly, revealing Rachel's face, tinged with panic and confusion.
"Cecilia, you—"
"You told Edward I had Samuel's cologne on me, and that this type of scent only transfers through intimate contact, right?" Cecilia cut her off.
Rachel's expression changed instantly as she instinctively looked toward Edward outside. Cecilia caught her glance and leaned forward, her gaze piercing straight into Rachel's eyes. "I just want to tell you, there's no need for all these schemes. He and I will be divorcing sooner or later anyway."
"You..." Rachel's face flushed crimson, clearly not expecting such directness from Cecilia.
"So put away your underhanded tactics." Cecilia straightened, her tone carrying a hint of pity. "If you want to be Edward's wife, earn it with real ability. Don't waste your time with me—it's pointless."
With that, she turned away without another glance at Rachel's ugly expression. These words weren't just for Rachel; they were equally meant for Edward standing nearby.
She'd barely taken two steps when her wrist was seized once again.
"Get in the car," Edward growled through clenched teeth.
"I called a ride," Cecilia replied without looking at him.
"I said, Get. In. The. Car." He enunciated each word.
Cecilia finally turned to face him, pure annoyance in her eyes. "What, Mr. Clifford, you want me to share a car with your beloved? I'd hate to sully her precious eyes."