Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182

“Alex,” I said, my tone sharper now, stripped of any softness. “You’re a traitor and a fool, that’s true. But at least you’re not a criminal. You still have a chance to walk away from this before you get dragged down with her. Because when all of this comes to light, you don’t want your name anywhere near it.”

He nodded slowly, like a man waking from a long, heavy sleep, realizing too late the nightmare had been real all along.

“You’re right,” he murmured, voice barely audible. “I know you’re right. I just… don’t understand why I’m still here. Why I still care what happens to her after everything.”

“Because you’re pathetic,” I said coldly. “You can’t face the truth that she never loved you. Admitting that would mean admitting you threw away everything for nothing. And guess what? I don’t pity you. Not even a little. Blame whoever you want, but the choice was still yours.”

Then, feeling the weight of years pressing against my chest, I crouched down until I was eye level with Elise. It was time. Time to say everything I had buried deep inside, every truth I had swallowed, every word she deserved to hear.

“You know something, Elise?” I began, my voice low but steady, charged with a strength I hadn’t known I possessed. “For years, I wondered what was wrong with me. Why my best friend, the person I trusted the most… would betray me in the cruelest way possible.”

Something flickered in her eyes then-something raw and fleeting. Vulnerability. And just as quickly, she hid it behind that mask of loathing she wore like armor.

“Who was the one trying so hard to be perfect, Elise? To be chosen, to matter?” I pressed, my voice sharpening with every word. “It wasn’t me. It was you. You were the one who settled for being the other woman. The mistress. First my fiancé’s, then my father-in-law’s, and probably whoever else was convenient enough to get you what you wanted.”

I paused, letting my words sink in, and letting her sink under the weight of them.

“I bet you wanted Christian, didn’t you?” I said, and her eyes darted away, confirming what I already knew. “From the moment you met him, you wanted him. But deep down, you always knew he’d choose me. Because I was never meant to live in anyone’s shadow, Elise. I was born to be loved. To be the main character in my own story.”

Tears welled in my eyes, but they weren’t from sadness. They were tears of release.

“And you…” I continued softly, almost with pity, “you were born to chase crumbs. Always running after what other people have. Always trying to outdo me in some imaginary competition you invented inside that twisted head of yours. When you could’ve just been happy. You could’ve been my best friend. You could’ve celebrated my happiness instead of trying to destroy it.”

The silence around us felt almost sacred. Even the hospital seemed to pause, listening.

“And you, Elise?” I asked softly, my tone taking on something almost maternal. “What do you have left? A broken body, a husband you betrayed, a lover who used you and then threw you away like garbage. Nothing. You have nothing. And soon, you’ll lose even that thin veneer of respectability you clung to, once you’re behind bars- wearing an ugly orange uniform, sharing a cell with other criminals who’ll see right through your fake charm.”

I straightened slowly, a deep, cleansing calm washing over me. The years of anger, resentment, and pain seemed to lift, piece by piece, until all that was left was peace.

“In the end, Elise,” I said, looking at her one last time, my voice steady and final, “you got exactly what you deserved. You’ll spend the rest of your life living with the consequences of your choices. And me? I’ll live happy. I am happy.”

Then I turned, and there he was.

Christian wrapped his arms around me from behind, strong and certain, the warmth of his chest against my back grounding me completely. I leaned into him, breathing in the scent that meant safety, home

Together, we walked down that corridor, away from the wreckage of the past and the ghosts that had haunted us for far too long. Our footsteps echoed softly, steady and in sync, carrying us toward the future we were building together.