Chapter 144 Pictured Queena as Your Wife
Finished
“Who told you that? If I don’t love you, so why would I agree to marry you!” Shawn spoke just then, his voice calm but clearly lacking sincerity, as though trying to ease my mind with empty words.
I let out a faint, mocking chuckle and kept my silence. He released my hand, then oddly gripped my fingers again. “All right. no matter where we’re heading, we should at least put on something warm. You’ll end up sick like this.
I followed him blankly to the car. He adjusted the heat inside. I tried to move toward the back seat, but he stopped me, forcing me to stay in the front. He looked nervous, worried I might do something reckless. Without a word, he reached over and buckled my seatbelt.
That’s when I realized that his shirt was drenched too, clinging to his skin, making him look unusually
He always cared about how he looked, so seeing him like this felt strange and out of place.
He drove us to a nearby hotel. The driver brought our fresh clothes not long after.
“Do you need help with a hot bath? Want me to assist?” he asked gently like I couldn’t manage it on my own.
“I’m fine.” I replied quickly, grabbed my outfit, and went straight into the bathroom. Once I was done, I wrapped myself in silence and curled up on the sofa, waiting to see what would come next.
After Shawn washed up and changed, he came out and noticed how gloomy I still looked. With a quiet sigh, he sat close. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll order some food for you.”
I shook my head and turned away. “Don’t bother acting like you care.”
His fingers hovered over the phone screen as he stared at me with a confused expression. “What’s this all about? Even if you’re mad, at least say something. You’re not a child. You’ve scared people with how you’ve been acting?
what I did. Bu
I understood that Shawn was only being harsh because I had frightened him with what I did. But what else could I possibly do: All I could manage was to break down in tears.
My quiet weeping filled the silence around us.
“What’s the matter?” he asked in a low, scratchy voice, his brows pulling together.
“Queena came to find me, I whispered.
t
His face darkened immediately, eyes sharp as blades. “Why did she come? What did she say?”
I lowered my gaze, feeling like all the strength had left me. “She asked me to divorce you. She told me you and she have been in love for years, that you admire each other and she’s in love with you. I’m sorry, Shown. I didn’t realize how much she meant to you. I held on without knowing. But it’s okay now. I won’t stand in your way. If you want
“You just took her word for it?” Shawn’s features froze, and I couldn’t tell if he was shaken or furious. His voice grew louder. the tension in the room rising. “Don’t believe anything she says. It’s all lies”
“Then what’s the real story?” I lifted my eyes to him, blinking through the tears. “What’s the real story? You admire her, she’s drawn to you, was all of that just pretend?”
Shawn’s chest rose and fell faster. A deep flush crept over his chiseled features. He stood up abruptly and walked to the tall window, turning his back as though trying to steady the turmoil in his mind.
After a long pause, he placed his hands at his waist, shut his eyes, and said, “Yes, I admire her but I admire lots of people. Anyone with real skill earns my respect. But you have to understand this, admire is not the same as love.”
“I don’t trust what you’re saying. I whispered.
3:04 PM
Chapter 144 Pictured Queena as Your Wife
I gazed at him, stunned, his words hitting harder than I expected.
Finished
Noticing his raised voice. Shawn lowered himself to my level, resting on his heels in front of me. Tiffany, don’t doubt yourself like this. Don’t tear yourself down. I know I’m not the best at explaining things, but I’ve seen everything you’ve done for us. I’ve never overlooked your role in this family.”
“You’re not telling the truth,” I said quietly, though it weighed like iron. Shawn’s face froze, the smile gone as if it had never been there.
“You must have pictured Queena as your wife at some point,” I said, my heart sinking as I studied his face.
Caught off guard. Shawn looked like someone whose secret had just been dragged into the light. He rose to his feet, pressing his lips together tightly, and after what felt like forever, gave a small nod. “Yes, the thought crossed my mind, back before you changed. But it was nothing more than that, just a thought. Do you really have to turn every passing notion into a reason for divorce? Who doesn’t have the occasional stray thought in a marriage?”
Watching him try to defend himself, I felt a chill seep deep into my bones.
Is this what men do? Wrap their faults in excuses and then act like they’re still in the right?
I met his gaze, unshaken. “I don’t care what others do. Since the day we got married, I haven’t once let my mind wander.”
Shawn’s stare didn’t waver. His expression was unreadable, but I knew he believed me because my love was never hidden. It lived in everything I did and said. He, on the other hand, was all talk and no proof.
