Chapter 4 She Wasn't Worthy

After the orchid pot was smashed, Kyla and Gerald entered a period of complete silence and avoidance.

Gerald started staying out all night, and when Kyla messaged him, his replies came slower and slower, evolving from initial "I'm busy" to just leaving her on read.

Kyla knew that he no longer wanted to come back home.

That day was the Company Family Day of the Paragon Group, and employees were required to attend with their families.

In an unprecedented move, Gerald came home a day early.

"Tomorrow at ten in the morning, at the western suburbs racetrack. Don't be late." He tossed a golden-embossed invitation card onto the coffee table. His tone was commanding, leaving no room for negotiation.

Kyla looked at the invitation, feeling nothing. She picked up her phone and typed, "Can I not go?"

"No." Gerald's answer was simple and resolute. "You are still, at least in name, my wife."

In name.

His wife.

Kyla felt as if an invisible hand gripped her throat, suffocating her.

She went anyway, dressed in a suitably elegant suit and wearing light makeup, masking herself as a competent and happy Mrs. Spencer.

At the racetrack, the sun was bright and the crowd was bustling.

Aubrey, clad in riding gear, sat boldly astride a chestnut horse, like a striking figure that drew everyone's attention.

Gerald stood prominently at the edge of the field, his gaze following her, and a subtle smile appeared on his lips, almost unconsciously.

Kyla seemed like an outsider as she sat quietly under a parasol in the resting area.

During the intermission, Gerald walked towards Aubrey with two bottles of water. He opened one for her with care, then gently moved her damp hair aside, wiping away her sweat. The intimacy and familiarity of his actions prompted teasing remarks from their colleagues.

"Dr. Spencer and Aubrey really make a perfect pair.""

"I can't agree more. Who knows? We might be attending your wedding soon."

Aubrey lowered her head shyly, stealing a glance at Gerald. He didn't deny it; he just smiled. That smile was full of indulgence and consent.

No one remembered that his legal wife was sitting right there.

Kyla's heart was like ice melting away under the intense heat of the sun. It gradually melted, evaporating, until nothing remained.

Before the event ended, she left alone, unwilling to witness any more of that glaring scene.

As she stepped out of the ranch, she was so despondent that she accidentally bumped into someone.

Just as she was about to apologize, she heard a tentative voice. "Ms. Gibson, the famous lawyer?"

Kyla looked up and saw a face both unfamiliar and familiar.

The man quickly introduced himself. "I used to be an intern at Fairchild & Associates. My name is Blaine Shaw. I wonder if you remember me..."

Surprised to meet a former colleague there, Kyla nodded in response. She never forgot anyone she had worked with.

"Really? I can't believe such an esteemed lawyer remembers me!" Blaine Shaw exclaimed with excitement. "I've studied every case you've defended, especially that brilliant defense for the medical student falsely accused. But..."

He hesitated as he glanced at Kyla, wanting to say more but refraining.

However, Kyla was too engrossed in her own emotional turmoil to notice his hesitation.

Back home, almost instinctively, she wandered into Gerald's closet.

Reaching into the inner pocket of a suit jacket, she found a velvet jewelry box. Inside lay a dazzling diamond necklace, the latest design from Van Cleef & Arpels.

The box bore an elegant inscription-"For Aubrey".

Kyla remembered that the previous month on their wedding anniversary, she had silently mouthed "beautiful" to Gerald while pointing at this necklace in a magazine.

How had he responded then?

He had remarked, It's too flashy for you."

Turns out it wasn't that it didn't suit her but that she wasn't worthy.