Chapter 3 Part 3

Ariel stepped out of the hotel room, now wearing her wedding gown. Noah greeted her with a sincere smile and gently linked his arm with hers.

"Let's go home," Noah said softly.

Ariel pulled her arm away from his.

"There's no need for this," she said sharply, her expression clearly angry.

She was utterly disgusted. Tonight was supposed to be her moment of revenge against her husband.

Noah, meanwhile, tried to act as though nothing had happened, even though deep inside, he wanted to strangle the heartless woman beside him.

Once inside the car, Ariel received a message from Joe.

[So? Did Noah divorce you yet?]

[Not at all, Joe! It's so frustrating! He's incredibly stupid. He has no self-respect as a man. I'm so mad, Joe.]

Noah noticed Ariel was replying to Joe's texts, but he patiently stayed silent.

[Seriously? Then what about us?]

[We're still on, Joe. We have to crush Noah emotionally, make it even more painful. If possible, I want to drive him insane-just like my mother was.]

[Alright, babe.]

***

10:15 PM

Noah and Ariel had just arrived home. Mrs. Rose, Noah's mother, was still awake, clearly waiting for the couple's return.

"Mom, why are you still up?" Noah asked.

"I just am!" Mrs. Rose snapped, her eyes glaring at Ariel. "So? What business did you have, Ariel? Disappearing like that on your wedding night? You had everyone in this house worried."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I-" Ariel stammered, clearly unsure what excuse to give her mother-in-law.

"Ariel's friend is pregnant and had a fall in the bathroom," Noah quickly stepped in. "She started bleeding a bit. The house was empty, so she called Ariel for help."

"Was Ariel the only friend this pregnant woman has? Doesn't she know Ariel just got married? She could've called her husband, her parents, or anyone else. Why Ariel?" Mrs. Rose said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Mom, that's enough. I'm tired, and so is Ariel. I'm sure you're exhausted too. It's been a long day of celebration," Noah said as he gently took Ariel's arm and led her toward their room. He didn't want his mother to uncover what had really happened.

Ariel followed without resistance.

"This is very strange..." Mrs. Rose muttered under her breath.

Inside the bedroom, Ariel shoved Noah's hand away roughly.

"You must be tired," Noah said, sitting beside her on the bed.

Ariel turned and stared at Noah, studying him intently, as if trying to decode the reason behind his calm demeanor.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Ariel? Do I look that handsome to you?" Noah joked, still smiling despite the emotional wound she had inflicted.

Ariel's gaze deepened. "Don't you feel hurt, Noah? After everything that happened tonight?" she asked, still unable to believe how composed he seemed.

"Should I express my feelings to you, Ariel? Would you even care about them? No, right? Then why should I even bother sharing how I feel?"

His chest tightened as he caught sight of the red marks on Ariel's neck-clear proof of her betrayal. He quickly looked away. The longer he stared at her, the more it hurt. The events of earlier still haunted him vividly.

"I want to know-why do you still want to keep me as your wife?" Ariel asked.

"Didn't I already answer that?" Noah replied. "Because I've already fallen in love with you."

"But I don't love you, Noah! I've never loved you!" Ariel shouted, suddenly standing. "So... I'm sorry, but even if you insist on keeping me as your wife, I'll never see you as my husband. I'll keep seeing Joe. I love Joe. You're just a substitute-someone to fill the gap when Joe wasn't around."

She smiled cruelly, indifferent to Noah's pain.

Noah only responded with a faint, bitter smile.

"Whatever you say, darling. Anyway, I'm going to shower," he said calmly and headed to the bathroom.

Ariel fumed in silence.

"Stay calm, Ariel! At least I've caused a bit of the pain my mother once felt. Mrs. Rose, I've taken my revenge-on your son. If Noah refuses to divorce me, then that's even better. That just means he's going to feel pain far worse than this," Ariel murmured to herself.

Deep down, a small part of her regretted it. She knew this was degrading to her dignity. But her thirst for revenge against Mrs. Rose drove her to hurt Noah so deliberately.

"Just wait, Rose. I'll drive your son mad-just like my mother was!" Ariel vowed silently.

Unbeknownst to them, Mrs. Rose had been standing by the bedroom door the entire time. She had heard every word exchanged between Noah and Ariel. She now fully understood the situation between her son and daughter-in-law.

"This can't go on! Noah must divorce Ariel tonight!" she said firmly.