Married By Duty Freed By Betrayal Chapter 14
Maleah found solace nestled in his arms, the warmth of his embrace providing a momentary escape from the chaos of her life. But just as she began to relax, the shrill ring of her phone shattered the tranquility.
She glanced down at the screen, her heart sinking as she recognized the name flashing there: the Faulkner family’s housekeeper.
A surge of realization washed over her; it was undoubtedly Agassiz using the servant’s phone to reach her.
Initially, Maleah contemplated ignoring the call, to sever the last thread connecting her to him. Yet, after a moment of introspection, she felt a compelling need to speak with him one final time, to gain closure that had eluded her for so long.
With a deep breath, she answered the call, and immediately, Agassiz’s frantic voice poured through the receiver like a torrent. “Mia, I told you to wait for me at home! Why did you leave? And… what happened to the house?”
As he spoke, Agassiz’s eyes darted around the wreckage that had once been their home. The place was a disaster, a far cry from the sanctuary they had built together. It resembled a junkyard, filled with remnants of their past life, now reduced to chaos.
He inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself before continuing, “It’s fine; it’s good that you vented your frustration so you don’t bottle it up. Besides, we’ve lived in that house for years, and let’s be honest, the decor is outdated. We can renovate it according to your preferences.”
His tone dripped with an insufferable condescension, making Maleah’s stomach churn. She found his attempt to downplay the destruction pathetic.
“Agassiz, I am no longer the Maleah you once knew,” she replied, her voice steady but laced with an icy detachment. “No one can wait for you indefinitely. I have moved on. Please, just stop trying to contact me.”
Agassiz felt a pang in his chest, a tightening that was almost physical, yet he refused to accept her words. “But… I clearly told you it was a fake divorce! You love me so much; why can’t you wait even one year for me? Just one year, and we could have remarried!”
Maleah couldn’t help but chuckle at his delusion. Even now, he failed to grasp the gravity of their situation.
“Agassiz, a fake divorce?” she replied, her voice calm yet chilling. “You can lie to me, but how did you manage to lie to yourself? Our divorce is anything but fake, and your inappropriate relationship with Ophelia is even less so! Your first love, Ophelia, is pitiful and alone, and you expect my child and me to step aside? Once her child is born, will you worry that she and her baby will be bullied as a single mother? If that’s the case, my child and I would forever be relegated to your backup plan! I refuse to live that life for even one more day!”
“The baby…” Agassiz’s voice turned desperate, a hint of panic creeping in. “Maleah, don’t forget you were carrying my child! How could you marry Rutherford with our baby? That’s my child!”
Maleah enunciated each word with precision, her resolve hardening. “I terminated the pregnancy long ago.”
“What?! Maleah, how could you be so heartless?” Agassiz erupted, his voice a mix of fury and disbelief. “That was my child too! How dare you make that decision without even consulting me!”
“Did you consult me before deciding to marry Ophelia?” she shot back, the words sharp as daggers.
With that, Maleah ended the call, her finger hovering over the screen as she blacklisted his number.
Unconsciously, her fingers brushed against her now-flat abdomen, a gesture that stirred a complex mix of emotions within her.
She had indeed contemplated raising the child alone, imagining a future filled with love and laughter.
But deep down, she understood that the Faulkner family would never permit their bloodline to be raised outside their grasp.
She preferred the temporary pain of loss over a lifetime of entanglement with the Faulkners, a web of complications she was determined to avoid.
Yet, every mention of her lost baby tugged at her heartstrings, stirring a quiet grief that threatened to surface.
Just as sorrow began to take hold, she was enveloped in a warm, comforting embrace.
Maleah melted into the safety of it, the tension in her body easing as she surrendered to the moment.
She believed wholeheartedly that she would have children again, and she felt a deep conviction that Rutherford would be a wonderful father.
Maleah assumed her words had resonated with Agassiz, but he dismissed them, consumed by the need to find her, like a man driven to madness.
Days turned into a blur until he finally managed to locate her and Rutherford’s new home.
With their wedding only four months away, they had been immersed in preparations, discussing every detail with excitement. Just as they were lost in their plans, the doorbell chimed insistently, cutting through the air like a knife.
The maid answered the door, and Agassiz’s voice echoed down the hallway, filled with desperation. “Mia! Maleah!”
A frown creased Maleah’s brow, and she quickly signaled to the maid to turn him away. “I have nothing to say to him.”
Rutherford, standing protectively beside her, let out a low chuckle. “This guy’s like a persistent pest.”
He tilted his chin toward the door, his expression shifting to one of determination. “Let him in.”
Seeing the confusion on Maleah’s face, Rutherford wrapped his arm around her shoulder, a gesture of solidarity. “I’m going to settle a score for you.”
