Chapter 3 He Brought The Other Woman Home

Felix looked up as soon as Hannah stepped inside his office, and his words came out sharp with sarcasm. "The full-time housewife decided to show up and watch us fall apart? Sorry, I have work to do. Don't have time to entertain you."

Felix had a good reason to nurture displeasure toward Hannah. Back when the company had been a huge success with orders coming in faster than they could deal with, Hannah had walked away without even glancing back, and nobody had been able to make her stay. And in the five years since, she hadn't contacted anyone from the company-not even once. So seeing her now, he didn't bother to mince his words or mask his true feelings.

"I'm sorry for my past absence," Hannah said, voice soft as she lowered her gaze. "I only came hoping to find out if there's anything I can do to help."

A cold, bitter laugh escaped Felix. "Oh, are you done playing the perfect housewife behind closed doors? Thought you'd swing by and save us now?"

He tossed a folder onto the floor, the sound sharp in the quiet room. The glare in his eyes said it all. "It's too late. We don't need your help. The company's finished. You happy now?"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Hannah answered in an even tone, "Felix, I understand that you're upset. But we should focus on solving the company crisis right now."

Anger filled his voice. "We're on the brink of bankruptcy. What the hell can a full-time housewife like you do to change anything?" He didn't bother to wait for a reply, already gathering his things like he was leaving for good.

Her jaw clenched. Emotion flickered in her eyes. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm getting divorced."

Felix stood frozen, disbelief written across his face. "What did you just say?"

"If things unfold the way I expect, I'll walk away with a solid payout," she said, drawing out each word. "So..." Reaching out her hand, she finished her thought. "So, what do you think? Want to bring our business back to life?"

...

Hannah made her way out of the company with a stack of documents, all provided by Felix, for her to grasp the company's crisis.

However, once home, as she nudged her room door open, she froze. Right there, on her bed, lay Brinley, tucked into Vincent's arms.

A chill swept through Hannah, leaving her numb. Suddenly, a laugh escaped her lips-not from amusement, but from her shattered heart and simmering fury. Vincent really couldn't help himself, could he? He was cheating in their house now? Or perhaps he just liked the thrill of being caught.

"Seriously, Vincent, you're bringing the other woman to our house now?" Hannah demanded.

Vincent carefully helped Brinley sit up and then walked toward Hannah. "Why didn't you tell me before you left?"

Hannah sneered, "Why should I bother? It's not like my schedule has ever stopped you from inviting your latest fling over."

Vincent's voice dropped. "Brinley and I have known each other since we were kids. She's practically family. That's all. There's nothing between us."

Hannah couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Really? So, you're going to sleep with your 'family' now?"

Tension tightened Vincent's face. He opened his mouth to reply, but Brinley beat him to it.

Brinley offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Brinley. It's good to finally meet you. People always told me we look a lot alike." She then glanced at Vincent. "Please don't misunderstand. Vincent was only helping me earlier..."

Hannah kept her arms at her sides and let her annoyance show. She had no intention of returning Brinley's gesture. A sharp edge crept into her words. "Misunderstand what? That you threw yourself at my husband?"

Brinley's lips pressed together as she turned a wounded gaze on Vincent.

A cold, hard note filled Vincent's voice. "Hannah, I've already explained the situation to you. Stop making a fuss over nothing."

"Making a fuss over nothing? Isn't she your first love?" Mixed feelings crept into Hannah's face. Her voice dropped as she finally let out the question that had haunted her since witnessing the scene the other day. "Vincent, did you only marry me because I look like her?" She swung her arm to point straight at Brinley, eyes fixed on Vincent the whole time.

Vincent shifted his gaze away. No answer came from his lips.

That silence hurt worse than anything he could have said. Hannah felt something break inside her. Deep down, she had already known the answer, but seeing the truth come out in his silence felt like someone had cut right through her. A bitter laugh slipped out. "I get it. Let's just get a divorce. There's no point in dragging this relationship out."

Vincent's brow furrowed. "Really? Throwing a divorce threat over this minor issue? When can you be a little more mature?" His expression turned cold. "Fine. Since you don't like Brinley, I won't bring her around anymore. Satisfied?"

Hannah didn't bother to respond. She'd already tricked him into signing the divorce agreement. She was set on walking away from this torment of marriage, and arguing with him seemed pointless.

Vincent's tone made it clear the conversation was over. "This whole fuss ends right now. I don't want to hear another word about divorce."

With that, he led Brinley to the door.

Hannah wasted no time in asking the housekeeper to prepare a spare bedroom. She would not sleep on the bed tainted by his sweetheart again.

She thought about how she and Vincent had dated for three years before marriage and then spent five more as husband and wife. Her feelings for him had started with nothing more than the appeal of his looks.

At that time, he had just been fresh out of a heartbreak from the end of a relationship. Drawn in by his good looks, she'd practically glued to his side every single day to make her feelings transparent. To anyone willing to hear her out, she'd remarked with certainty, "I'm going to make Vincent Jones fall in love with me."

Her strategy had been simple-bringing him flowers every day, showing up with snacks, and asking him, again and again, "Fallen for me yet?"

Back then, she had been bold. She'd declared her love for him in front of anyone, never bothered by the eyes watching her. Most days, however, Vincent had acted like she didn't even exist.

Later on, a moment alone in the university equipment storage room had finally given her the chance she wanted. Cornering him against the wall, she'd flashed a playful grin and teased, "If you don't say yes to being my boyfriend, I'm going to kiss you right now."

That day, he hadn't said yes or no. Instead, he'd simply pulled her into his arms. Now, as she looked back, she realized she shouldn't have taken his silence as agreement.

The reason their marriage fell apart was painfully simple. Vincent's love for her had never been strong enough to hold it together. And she'd poured everything into him, loving with all her heart, yet what she received always fell short of her expectations, leaving her frustrated. Over time, disappointment weighed her down until her heart went numb. Brinley's presence simply became the last push that broke her completely.

On the way to drive Brinley back, Vincent's expression stayed stormy. Brinley reached out, her fingers brushing his arm. "Vincent, I-"

He moved away from her touch. "Brinley, make sure today's event never repeats itself."