The Scapegoat Wife's Ultimate Comeback

n vanished, replaced by an unsettling calm. He took a deep breath, his control snapping back into place. "Jacey, plea

ugh my rage. Had I imagined it? Had the blow to my head, the shock, twisted m

given me, the one I never took off, was gone. I fumbled frantically, my fingers tracing the d

protective ferocity for Hillery earlier, the intimacy of their kiss, flashed in my mind. No. I wasn't wrong. He was just a

ect, he would gaslight. He had always been this way, controlled, unreadable, but now I understood the true, sinister

ly looked at him, and for the first time, I felt nothing but a vast, empty space where my love for hi

around his eyes. He must have thought he' d won. He must have tho

. she was feeling overwhelmed. She just wanted to impress Elsworth. She didn't mean any

, my voice devoid of emotion. "You gave her the details

ut it was for her own good." He paused, then reached into his jacket pocket. "Here. For your troubles." He pulled out a

s legacy, for the destruction of my marriage, for the shattering of my heart. He truly saw

ngerously soft. "You think you can just buy

t's a generous offer, Jacey. You're not short on

ausing you." I snatched the envelope from his hand, my fingers trembling with contained fury. Then, with a delibera

most animated expression I' d seen on his face all night. "Jac

own money. My family's money. More than enough to leave you and your sordid little secrets b

angements. Conor seemed to finally notice my withdrawal, the sudden absence of my incessant chatter.

s I had once poured into him. He mistook it for anger, a prolonged tantrum he still believed would event

t art gallery project you mentioned. The one that was having funding issues. I could... invest." A flicker of something, guilt

mile playing on my lips. "T

is just a phase. You're upset. We'll get through this." He truly believed it, in his

sumed by. It's too much, too draining. I realized... I need to prioritize what truly matters." He looked at me, a hopeful, almost vulnerab

p a business deal will fix this? You think it will erase months of indifference, years of lies, a lifetime of being used? You think it will bring Alina back? It's not about the takeo