I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
Chapter 232 - 233 The Woman Before Me

Chapter 232: Chapter 233 The Woman Before Me

Marlowe glanced at the door.

His lips twitched when he saw me pressing my ear against the glass like I was trying to phase through it, but he said nothing.

‘You could’ve waited to screw me over from the grave,’ Ashton said. ‘But you just had to do it while you’re still breathing. So I figured I’d return the favour. While you can still watch.’

‘What are you doing here? Eavesdropping?’

The shrill voice snapped my head around.

Gwendolyn Laurent stood in front of me in a powder-blue coat, eyebrows lifted.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked again.

I didn’t bother answering that. ‘Weren’t you in a hospital bed?’

Had she been booted out after Ashton froze her cards?

She folded her arms. ‘Is that how you greet your mother-in-law?’

‘You’re not Ashton’s mum.’

‘You’ve got no manners.’

‘Manners are reserved for those who’ve earned them.’

She rolled up her sleeves. ‘Just because Ashton covers for you doesn’t mean I won’t slap you straight back into the gutter. You’ve got no idea what I’m capable of.’

I smiled and stepped in. ‘Go on, then. Try me. Let’s see what happens.’

Her nostrils flared, but her hands stayed by her sides.

She knew Ashton wouldn’t hesitate to bury her if she laid a finger on me.

Still, she couldn’t resist running her mouth.

‘My mistake. I should’ve known better than to expect respect from a woman who sent her own father to prison. Word is, your mother’s disowned you. Apparently, she’d rather cosy up to Catherine, who’s not even her real daughter, than acknowledge you. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?’

She reached out, fingers aiming for my cheek. ‘Other than a pretty face, you—Ow!’

I caught her wrist mid-air and gave it a sharp twist. ‘Hands off.’

‘Ow—fuck, let go!’ she shrieked. ‘You’re breaking my wrist!’

She writhed like a hooked fish, but I didn’t let go.

Sweat broke across her forehead.

Only when I felt her arm start to tremble did I ease off.

She cradled her hand like I’d shot her.

‘I haven’t forgotten that stunt you pulled at Ashton’s birthday,’ I said. ‘Call this delayed payback.’

‘That’s on you! You were dumb enough to fall for it.’

The door behind me slid open.

Ashton stepped out, took in the scene with one glance, and pulled me to his side.

‘You alright?’

‘Yeah. I’m fine.’

He looked Gwendolyn over. ‘What did you do?’

‘I didn’t do anything!’ Her earlier bravado had vanished.

He turned to me. ‘What were you two talking about?’

‘We were just—’

‘We were just chatting!’ Gwendolyn cut in quickly.

I watched her scramble to improvise.

She latched onto my arm like we were best mates.

‘I was just telling Mirabelle about this amazing new facial place in Midtown,’ she said, wearing the fakest smile I’d ever seen. ‘We were bonding. Right, Mirabelle?’

I gave her a look that made her smile falter, then tossed out a slow, bored ‘Uh-huh’.

She exhaled like she’d just dodged a bullet. ‘See? We were chatting. That’s all.’

Ashton eyed her sceptically. ‘Don’t forget what I told you last time.’

‘I haven’t! I swear! I haven’t seen Rowan Hale since that day. I’ve just been going back and forth between home and the hospital. That’s it. Oh, and I’ve been helping Declan meet girls. It’s time he settled down. If you two know any decent women, send them his way.’

She rattled on like volume alone would make her sound innocent.

Ashton didn’t respond, just stared until her voice faded to a whisper.

‘I’ll, uh, I’ll go check on your grandfather.’

She scuttled off.

Ashton laced his fingers through mine. ‘She really didn’t touch you?’

‘Nope. She knows better. She ran her mouth, but that’s all.’

***

After dinner, I curled up in bed with my phone.

Tax season was coming up, which meant Ashton was drowning in work.

He’d just got back from Elmridge, and his to-do list was already a mile long.

At ten, he was still locked in the study, pacing through yet another call.

I killed time scrolling through short videos until my eyelids started to droop.

I was about to plug in my charger and knock out when a message lit up the screen.

Daniel: [You back in Skyline? Did you see the flowers I sent? I’m in the hospital...]

Three photos followed.

Sterile walls, an IV stand, and a sad-looking tray of soup.

I backed out of the chat.

He’d been texting for days.

I hadn’t replied to a single one.

But tonight, he wasn’t letting up.

Daniel: [Rhys hasn’t even divorced Catherine yet and he’s already sniffing around you. Don’t worry, I handled it. I punched him for you. He’s in the room next to mine. Worse shape than I am.]

My thumb hovered over the block button.

Then came one more message.

Daniel: [Ashton’s not in love with you. He married you for a reason. You just haven’t figured it out yet. He’s been in love with someone else for years.]

My finger jerked.

I already knew there was someone before me, someone who’d vanished from Ashton’s life.

For a while, I’d thought it was Rowan Hale.

That theory fell apart weeks ago, and I’d filed the whole thing away.

But that didn’t mean such a woman didn’t exist.

I’d never doubted Ashton wanted me, not with the way he looked at me, touched me, talked to me.

But the idea that someone else still lived somewhere behind all that, someone he couldn’t let go of, scratched under my skin.

I waited.

Nothing else came through.

I typed back slowly.

Me: [How do you know that?]

He replied in seconds.

Daniel: [Doesn’t matter how I know. It’s the truth. I’d never lie to you.]

Me: [Do you know who she is?]