“You’re mocking me!” Kathleen gasped.
How dare he doubt my intelligence!
“Fine, I’m the foolish one then.” Samuel relented reluctantly.
Kathleen replied smugly, “Rightfully so, too. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.”
“Before I forget, thanks for the medicine. Though they might be one of the most bitter ones I’ve ever tasted,” said Samuel as he fixed his gaze at the back of Kathleen’s willowy figure.
“That was intentional. You’re most welcome.”
Samuel was dumbstruck by her imprudence.
Kathleen continued on her way, leaving behind a resigned Samuel.
“I’ll finish it up regardless!” Samuel called out, sounding like he had been wronged.
A smile tugged on the corner of Kathleen’s cherry red lips as she entered her room and shut the door to her balcony.
Samuel lingered on his balcony till Kathleen’s curtains were drawn.
He had just reached his room when his phone began to ring.
The caller ID displayed was that of Nicolette.
Samuel had lost count of the number of times his phone had been bombarded by her.
He had never picked up any of her calls accept for that first time.
Nevertheless, he had to put a stop to this.
“Do you plain on explaining yourself, Mr. Macari?” Nicolette mocked over the phone.
Samuel couldn’t help his rising feelings of disgust. “I owe you nothing.”
Nicolette curled her lips. “I wonder what Kathleen thinks of you right now. She must be beside herself, blaming you for everything that transpired?”
“Don’t compare her to the likes of yourself.”
Nicolette gritted her teeth. “You’ll never have her!”
“It was you who sent her that fabricated audio recording a year ago,” Samuel uttered harshly.
Nicolette was stunned to hear this but quickly regained her composure. “What are you going to do about it?”
Samuel’s eyes were two endless chasms of swirling wrath. “Enough of your games, Nicolette.”
Nicolette was the reason all along for the rift between him and Kathleen.
“It’s too late, Samuel. Kathleen would never believe that we’ve never slept together before,” Nicolette taunted.
Samuel remained silent.
“We’re all grown adults now. Who’d actually care about an occasional dalliance or two? Unfortunately for you, you can’t prove your innocence like a woman can.”
There was ice running through Samuel’s veins. “You repulse me.”
It was unthinkable that Nicolette would exploit him as a tool for bragging.
Me? Repulsive?
Nicolette’s face formed into a snarl. “You only have yourself to blame! This wouldn’t have happened at all if you had married me in the first place.”
Samuel was indifferent to Nicolette’s paroxysm of anger.
“You should have questioned the reason behind it instead.”
“Why then? Tell me!” Nicolette cried.
“I’ve never loved you, and I never will,” Samuel delivered coolly.
It felt as if someone had landed several blows to Nicolette’s gut.
She had known this all along but had refused to acknowledge the truth of it.
If Samuel had truly loved her, he would have gone against his family for her sake.
She supposed that she simply wasn’t important enough.
Nicolette attempted to cling to a string of hope. “You’re saying this because Kathleen’s around, right?”
“She’s not.” Samuel inclined his gaze toward the opposite balcony.
The lights had dimmed.
“Don’t ever try calling me again. We’re over and done with,” Samuel warned as he swiftly hung up.
“Samuel, wait!” Nicolette screamed into the void that was the empty ringing tone.
She gripped her phone tightly till her knuckles turned bone white.
It had still come to this in the end.
Samuel did not love her.
He had never belonged to her, not in the truest sense.
What more was the point in her pretending to be his savior?
Nonetheless, she would carry the secret of his savior’s identity to her grave.
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