After the Affair Falling into a Billionaire's Arms novel Chapter 82

**Clocks Lie To Hearts** by Asa River Flint

Louisa emerged from the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand, her mind clearly elsewhere. The moment was almost surreal; the glass slipped through her fingers, shattering against the floor with a sharp, echoing crash.

Shards of glass and droplets of water scattered across the tiles, yet she remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the jagged pieces that lay before her. It was as if time had paused, and the chaos around her faded into a distant murmur.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally knelt down, her movements deliberate as she began to gather the fragments. One sharp edge bit into her finger, drawing blood that trickled down, staining her delicate skin a vivid red. Instead of recoiling, she clenched the shard tightly in her fist, as if it were a lifeline.

A peculiar smile graced her lips—not one of anguish, but rather a semblance of relief, as if the physical pain provided a momentary escape from the turmoil within.

Was this what Sadie had meant? Had Louisa spiraled into a depression so deep that she sought solace in the sting of her own flesh? Was she using this pain to drown out the emotional suffering that clawed at her heart?

George continued to sift through the footage, his heart heavy with a tightening sensation in his chest.

In the other clips, he witnessed Louisa sitting alone on the sofa late into the night, her eyes vacant and her presence almost ghostly. He saw her at the dinner table, eating in silence, only to later purge everything she had consumed. He watched her meander through the living room in the dead of night, lost in a haze. The sight of her pouring out pills from a bottle and swallowing them all in one go sent shivers down his spine.

Most of the time, her face remained a blank canvas, devoid of emotion.

Then came the day she received a message on her phone. He could see the moment her expression shifted, as if a switch had been flipped. She stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity before the dam broke. With a primal scream, she hurled her phone against the wall, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the silence of the room. She collapsed onto the sofa, her body wracked with sobs that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.

In that heart-wrenching moment, George felt as if his insides were being ripped apart. How had he failed to see the signs? His wife was crumbling under the weight of her sadness right beneath his roof, and he had been blissfully unaware. How had he managed to overlook her pain for so long?

As the footage continued, Sadie and Flora entered the frame, their faces etched with shock as they found Louisa in such despair. They rushed to her side, enveloping her in their arms, offering comfort and support, all the while casting him accusatory glances filled with unspoken words.

In subsequent videos, they became a regular fixture in her life. Louisa seemed to retreat into herself, never shedding another tear. She resumed her composed facade, as if a veil had been drawn over the chaos that had erupted within her.

Then came the day that would change everything—the day she cleverly manipulated him into signing the divorce papers. Ironically, it was her birthday.

She had bought a cake, sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, savoring each bite without the usual aftermath of sickness. She appeared tranquil, almost at peace. Then, her phone rang, and as she picked it up, he caught a glimpse of her screen. It was a social media post from Vivian—a photo of him and Vivian sharing a kiss beneath the enchanting northern lights, their hands forming a heart.

Louisa studied the image with an unsettling calmness before setting her phone down and offering a faint smile. After midnight, she tidied up, and when he returned home, she presented him with the divorce contract, her smile unwavering, reminiscent of the countless times she had handed him work contracts in the past.

“George, do you remember what day it is?” she asked, her voice steady.

He was so preoccupied with texting Vivian that he couldn’t even recall it was her birthday. “We can talk about it tomorrow,” he replied absentmindedly, oblivious to the significance of the moment. But tomorrow would not be her birthday anymore, and she remained silent, simply smiling at him.

That smile pierced through him like a dagger. How could she smile so genuinely despite everything?

If he hadn’t witnessed her self-harm, if he hadn’t seen her breakdown, he might have convinced himself that she no longer loved him. But having seen her suffering, he understood the depth of her pain. What kind of heartbreak could lead someone to smile as if nothing was amiss?

He collapsed onto the sofa, shutting his eyes against the wave of despair. Had he truly lost her forever? No, he refused to accept that fate.

With newfound determination, he sat up and dialed a number, his voice unnaturally steady. “Jared, I need you to buy back all of Louisa’s jewelry and bags that she sold. Get the rings too. And arrange to have the wedding photos recreated—same images, same sizes, same frames—and hang them back in their rightful places.”

Jared fell silent on the other end, likely wanting to point out the futility of his request. Even if they managed to retrieve those items, they would never hold the same significance. The wedding photos, once reduced to ashes, would merely be replicas; the sentiment woven into those items had been stripped away, replaced by the weight of Louisa’s pain.

Yet, through the phone, George could sense his assistant’s deep remorse. Jared couldn’t bring himself to voice his thoughts. Finally, he replied, “Yes, I understand.”

George clung to the belief that restoring everything to its original state would somehow allow them to return to how things were. What he failed to comprehend was that Louisa had already moved on, leaving him behind.

Now, work consumed her entirely. The office was empty, but she remained oblivious to the passing time. When she finally glanced up from her project files, she was startled to discover it was already 9:30 PM.

Quickly, she gathered her belongings and prepared to leave. As she stepped outside, she unexpectedly collided with someone.

Looking up, she found Julian standing there, Teddy positioned behind him.

Before she could inquire about their presence in the investment department, the lights in the office abruptly went out.

The sudden darkness sent a jolt of fear through her, causing her to instinctively leap toward Julian, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, seeking comfort in his familiar presence.