I ignored the knock, as I prickled my arm with the shard to maintain my wits about me. Was the plan for Lyle to spike my drink and for Crystal to catch me cheating?
It was a good plan, admittedly. Lyle had never wanted a divorce because he did not want the unbearable reputation of leaving his first wife. He was so unwilling that he had gone to the extent of fabricating the circumstances of my unfaithfulness to compel me to sign the divorce papers. In response to my reluctance to do so, they had come up with a plan as drastic as this.
There was no point. After Grandma had heard the unacceptable truth at the courtyard, I had already decided that I would agree to whatever condition that Lyle would come up with. But after everything that had happened, there would be no way in hell that I would agree to anything he says ever again.
I had discovered that I loved Christopher and wanted to marry him. Why would I allow my name to be tarnished and hinder our future happiness?
“Yvonne, are you in there?” Came Crystal’s voice again. “Benjamin told me that you were drunk. We’re here to check in on you.”
With an attempt to subdue my panting, I gazed at the wretched figure on the floor and recalled that he might possibly be a Mr. Wilson. It didn’t look like he was going to regain consciousness any time soon, much less have the strength to get up, courtesy of the bleeding gash on his temple.
Crystal kicked the door in at the lack of a response from me and rushed in at once. “Hey, Yvonne,” she shouted, scandalized. “How could you do something like this with Mr. Wilson? How could you betray Lyle’s love like that?”
Oh, what rubbish. Didn’t he already give you his love? I chuckled with a derisive look toward her. “What exactly was it that we did?” I asked icily.
“You… Both of you…” Crystal’s flabbergasted expression was priceless to behold, as she probably did not expect me to subdue Mr. Wilson. Her mouth dropped open in a perfectly round “O” and could not think of anything to say for a very long time.
A bustle of footsteps came from outside the door as the room filled up quickly with familiar faces. Crystal had planned ahead. The people she had brought along with her were all youngsters who were experts in turning a hint of scandal and gossip into the gospel truth. Elders who would have a much more discerning eye were conveniently absent. However, they too were struck dumb with surprise at the sight of the bloody scene before them.
“What’s going on in here? Yvonne!” Lyle pushed his way past the crowd. He did not look like he was in on their charade, but knowing him, it could be another layer of deception. Shouldn’t it be the first thing he did to remove his jacket to cover up his wife in such a sorry state? To cover up my indecency and to spare me the shame?
I licked my lips, tasting Mr. Wilson’s blood as I cackled. I drew myself up to full height, carelessly trampling on the broken shards of glass and blood to walk slowly toward Lyle. It must have been a frightening sight to behold, as Lyle flinched at my approach.
My arm was hurting badly, which was why despite wanting to leap toward my husband and claw at him in a savage rage, I was unable to. Looking him in the eye with as much sobriety as I could muster, I said, “I will never forget the fact that you have spiked my drink.”
“What do you mean?” Lyle stammered as his eyes widened in shock.
I felt strange and was about to stab myself in the arm again but a hand caught me by the wrist in a grip of steel. As firm as it was, the hand trembled ever so slightly.
Next, I felt a coat being placed on my shoulders, still blissfully warm from its owner’s body. Looking up at my savior, I saw that it was Christopher. He scowled, with eyes glittering with the intensity of glowing embers. He lifted his arm and I thought he was going to pull me in for an embrace, but he simply yanked the shard of glass out of my grasp.
“Have a doctor over as quickly as possible,” Christopher turned toward the door and addressed the servant outside.
“Eve, what happened?” Sabrina hurried forward to support my swaying body, looking extremely worried.
“It’s nothing. I have just been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous scumbag.” Leaning against Sabrina, I managed to keep my balance. With a defiant gaze at Lyle, I said, “I’ve told you before, I would be willing to sign the divorce papers and be out of your life forever. However, if you were to compel me to sign them under by ruining my reputation, I will ensure that this plan of yours will never come to fruition.”
