Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229 The Truth Comes Out

ཁ༠་།

Finished

Never in her wildest dreams did she expect them to ambush her in the bathroom.

Arden sat down carefully. Her hand throbbed–it needed treatment.

Dorian brought the medical kit over and seemed mildly satisfied to see her sitting obediently.

He unscrewed a tube of ointment, dabbed a cotton swab into it, and gently took her wrist in his hand to apply it.

Her skin was pale, the kind that bruises easily. Now with the scrape bleeding slightly, it looked like a scratch on a flawless piece of crystal–jarring.

Arden flinched. “Ouch. Can you be a little gentler? Or should I just call Caleb in instead?”

“I’m already being gentle. Why didn’t you call me when things started? And why did you fight back so hard?”

Dorian held her hand firmly, not letting her pull away.

‘Why would I call you? Vivienne was your childhood crush, and you literally slept with Lacey. Who’s to say whose side you’d be on?”

At that, Dorian glanced up at her.

‘Arden, let me say this again. Vivienne is my enemy. And who told you I slept with Lacey?”

“You did. I heard you. Not just me–Talia, Clark, and Sienna all heard it. You even offered her five million to keep her mouth shut.”

“I never-” Dorian started, then paused.

He remembered. The café across from Vale Group. He’d been probing Lacey, and afterward, he’d seen Arden and her coworkers go in.

So she heard that conversation?

Finishing the bandage, Dorian tossed the ointment back into the box and leaned into the couch, his arms draped over his knees.

“So you heard everything from that coffee shop?”

“I didn’t. I was in the bathroom. But Talia and the others did. They said you slept with her, gave her five million to disappear, and promised to make her the lead in a show.”

Dorian groaned internally. No wonder Arden had been so cold after that. She’d believed all of it.

“I never touched her. The money was because I thought she was the woman who saved my life. And saying I slept with her was a trick to get her talking. Arden, why the hell didn’t you just ask me?”

He stared straight at her, eyes serious.

4:37 pm M

Chapter 229 The Truth Comes Out

Finished

“How do I know you’re not just saying this to make me feel better?” Arden replied coolly. “We’re getting divorced anyway. Who you sleep with doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“Arden!” His tone sharpened. He sat up straight, eyes narrowing. “You’re infuriating. I’m clearing this up because I don’t want you walking around with the wrong idea, carrying anger that doesn’t belong. Back then, I did screw up. Believed Lacey’s act, thought she was my savior, and yeah, misunderstood you. But let’s get this straight.

“I never laid a hand on her. I don’t like her. She pretended to be the one who saved me. Tried to use that to get close to me, to build a connection. That’s all.

“I figured it out during that coffee shop meeting. She’s a fake. I stopped dealing with her after that. I pretended to give her a role to find out who was behind her. Turns out, it’s the Ash family.”

Thinking back to how Dorian had handled Lacey earlier–ruthless enough to break her arm–Arden slowly nodded.

“Okay. Got it.”

‘Next time you have a doubt, just ask me. Don’t go around making assumptions.”

“Fine,” Arden said with a small nod.

Her dress was crumpled from being grabbed by Lacey and Vivienne, and her hair was still a mess.

She looked down at her wrinkled gown and muttered under her breath, “What a waste…”

Her shawl was missing too, leaving her shoulders exposed. There was a knock on the door.

Dorian handed her his suit jacket. “Put this on. The doctor’s coming to check you out.”

This time, Arden didn’t argue. She quickly wrapped herself up.

Dorian went to open the door. Standing outside was his medical team, with Felix at the lead. The moment the door opened, Felix tried to peek inside.

Dorian scowled. “What are you looking at? Get in here.”

The doctors had arrived dressed in suits to avoid attention. As they filed in, Felix was already teasing.

“Didn’t expect it to be you. Who needs saving this time? You? On Celine’s big night? Didn’t you beef up security for this?”

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