His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 429

Virginia stared at him, her eyes terrifyingly hollow.

So that was what he thought of her.

Taking a deep breath, her face turned to stone. "I don't need your love."

Archer's breath hitched. Staring at her cold, impenetrable expression, his usually flawless composure violently snapped.

He released her wrist, stood up, snatched his suit jacket from the chair, and stormed out of the bedroom.

The door slammed shut with a deafening crack.

...

The following afternoon, Vanderbilt Group CEO's office.

The sun blazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the atmospheric pressure inside the room was suffocatingly low.

Archer sat behind his massive desk in a navy-blue custom shirt. A towering stack of documents waiting for his signature sat ignored by his hand. He couldn't process a single word.

He leaned back in his chair, yanking at his tie in frustration. Driven by some ghost of a thought, he pulled open the bottom-left drawer, looking for an old business proposal.

As he pulled the file out, a yellowed pink sticky note fluttered onto the floor.

It was in Virginia's handwriting: [Remember to take your stomach medicine. Soup is in the thermos.]

Archer froze. His long fingers picked up the small piece of paper, his mind drifting violently back to a summer from years ago.

Back then, she had been quiet, but she had been full of life.

She used to plant flowers all over the yard of their marital home. She would place fresh bouquets in every corner of the living room.

In those days, just coming home to watch her water the garden was enough to erase all his exhaustion. It had been his sanctuary.

But what about now?

Last night, when he had come home completely drained, she wouldn't even spare him a single word, demanding they sleep in separate rooms.

Archer leaned back into the sofa, rubbing his throbbing temples. "She's changed."

His voice was ragged. Though he didn't use a name, Logan immediately knew who 'she' was. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Virginia?"

Archer didn't answer, just tightening his grip on his glass in heavy silence.

Logan sighed, leaning casually on the armrest, speaking with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

"You guys have been through hell and back. You got divorced, and she spent years suffering alone out there. Did you honestly expect her to just snap back into the girl who revolved her entire life around you?"

Archer frowned, looking up at him with dark, heavy eyes.

"Archer, your problem is that you hold yourself too high. You're the one who demanded the divorce. Now that you want her back, you refuse to swallow your pride." Logan shook his head. "Women give back exactly what you put into them."

Logan didn't pull his punches. "If you two had never divorced, you'd probably be on your second kid by now, happier and sweeter than ever. Instead, you're both walking around wrapped in armor, acting like untouchable porcupines."

The words cut deep, slicing into Archer's chest like a serrated blade.