I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 480

She had slurred, completely drunk, "You know what? You look exactly like someone I used to know. The most emotionally stunted, tight-lipped man I've ever met in my life."

In that brief second, the corner of his mouth had twitched upward. His long-dead heart had given a dangerous, heavy thump.

Frederick lowered his gaze. Even fully exposed, his demeanor didn't crack, as if he were entirely numb to it all.

"I used you. During the years after you saved me, I was biding my time, waiting for the right moment to return. I needed a way into Nora's orbit. You are her closest friend, so I..."

Clara abruptly stood up, her eyes turning to ice. "So you played the part of a mute servant. You coddled me, spoiled me, and it was all just a sick ploy to drag me into your revenge? But why come back now? Your little master plan wasn't even ready for this stage, was it?"

Why?

That was the one question Frederick couldn't answer. He didn't know exactly when it had happened, but at some point, he could no longer stand the thought of putting her in danger. Realizing he had crossed a dangerous line, he packed up and fled back.

It was time to settle his old scores anyway. He couldn't delay the inevitable any longer.

But Frederick swallowed the truth. "That's none of your business."

Clara let out a bitter, mocking laugh. She brazenly propped her foot up onto his thigh. "You're nothing but my lapdog, do you hear me? How dare you slip away without my permission?"

Frederick looked up, his hand automatically dropping to gently cradle her foot. The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Why did you wear these heels again? Did you forget how badly they blister your feet?"

The legal department was slammed with three separate lawsuits involving breach of contract and illegal stock manipulation, each backed by an ironclad mountain of evidence.

The major shareholders hastily convened an emergency conference call, swiftly stripping Finnegan of every single executive title he held within the company.

Simultaneously, the police had finally cracked the truth behind the horrific car crash from years ago.

Xander returned home bearing the avalanche of news just as Nora walked out of the bedroom. He hung up his jacket, crossed the room to her, and said, "The police are all set. The arrest warrant drops tomorrow. Combined with the financial fallout, the lawyers are confident Finnegan is looking at over a decade behind bars. And given his current state of health, he probably won't survive long enough to..."

Xander didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to. They both knew exactly how this ended.