Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78 She Insulted My Son

I did not let her finish the sentence.

I did not scream. I did not argue. She brought my son into her mouth. She used Elias as an insult.

I stepped forward. I planted my left foot on the marble floor. I swung my right arm.

My open palm connected with her cheekbone.

Celeste’s head snapped to the side. The force of the blow knocked her off balance. She stumbled backward. Her stiletto heel caught on the hem of her massive pink gown. She crashed into the rose marble counter, her hands scrambling for purchase against the

smooth stone.

The diamond tiara slipped from her hair. It hit the floor with a sharp clatter and skidded across the tiles.

Celeste touched her cheek. Her fingers trembled. A bright red welt bloomed across her pale skin, matching the exact shape of my hand. She looked up at me. The arrogant society hostess was gone. Pure shock radiated from her wide eyes.

She lived her entire life insulated by wealth. She utilized private security and lawyers to fight her battles. She never experienced

physical consequence.

Twelve months ago, she stood in the Hawthorne Hotel and struck my face. I bled on the floor. I wept.

Today, I stood over her. I did not shed a single tear. My hand stung, a dull throb radiating through my palm, but the pain felt glorious. It felt like justice.

In the alcove, Penelope and Gabriela stood frozen. They witnessed the entire exchange. They heard the insult. They saw the retaliation. The story would spread through the capital before midnight.

I took one deliberate step toward Celeste.

She pressed her back hard against the mirror. She raised her arms, shielding her face. She expected another strike.

‘Do not ever speak about my child again, I commanded. My voice lacked heat. It possessed the absolute zero temperature of deep space. “Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep your investigators out of my city. If you cross this line one more time, I will not stop at a slap. I will dismantle your entire existence.”

Celeste whimpered. The sound was pathetic. She squeezed her eyes shut.

I turned my back on her. I walked toward the heavy wooden door. I reached out and gripped the brass lock.

I turned the mechanism. The lock disengaged with a loud click.

I pulled the door open.

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Chapter 78 She Insulted My Son

I stepped out of the women’s lounge and into the gilded corridor of the Whitmore estate. The cool air washed over my hot skin. I smoothed the skirt of my black silk gown. I adjusted my posture.

I looked down the hallway.

Tristan Johnston stood fifteen feet away.

He leaned against the patterned wallpaper. His hands rested in the pockets of his tuxedo trousers. He did not look like a man enjoying a charity gala. He looked like a man standing guard.

My heart stalled in my chest.

He stood mere feet from the heavy wooden door. The acoustic properties of the marble lounge amplified sound. The lock mechanism, the shouted insults, the crack of my hand against her cheek. He heard the entire confrontation.

He heard Celeste mention the hospital. He heard the word child.

I froze. The armor I built so carefully over the past year cracked right down the center.

Tristan pushed off the wall. He walked toward me. His steel-gray eyes burned with a dark, terrifying intensity. The realization from

his office the previous day had evolved into something far more dangerous. He connected the gap in my timeline. He connected the

charity ward. He connected the insult Celeste just screamed through the door.

He stopped two feet in front of me.

He looked at my face. He looked at my hands. He did not look past my shoulder into the open doorway where his fiancé cowered

against the marble sinks. He did not rush to comfort the woman wearing his diamond ring.

He ignored Celeste entirely.

‘Marcus and Leo are waiting at the front entrance, Tristan said. His voice was a low, rough rumble.

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