She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 2

"I won't call you anymore."

"Not now, not ever. Just like you said—until I grow old, until I die."

"Happy birthday."

She ended the call and turned away, desperate to preserve whatever shred of dignity she had left.

Luther furrowed his brows.

What kind of game was she playing now?

He had never liked her. To him, she was nothing but a pretty face. He vastly preferred vibrant, capable women like Jolie. Before the wedding, he had even written Hilda a letter explaining that his heart belonged to another, asking Jolie to deliver it in hopes that Hilda would call off the engagement. But she had stubbornly insisted on going through with it.

He understood her reluctance to let go. He knew she had feelings for him.

But Jolie had saved his life at sea years ago. From that moment on, he was devoted to her; no one else mattered.

...

Hilda walked down the hotel's seemingly endless corridor. Resting a palm against her stomach, she let the tears fall like rain.

A divorce was just a piece of paper. Returning to Jadeport City from Alpha City was just a plane ticket away.

But that woman was Jolie Lovell.

How could she face her mother?

How could she face the utter failure of this marriage?

...

Late that night, a cold autumn rain fell.

Hilda sat at her desk, penning a letter to her mother.

*Everything is wonderful in Alpha City.*

*Luther treats me incredibly well.*

*Now that I've joined the Sanford family, the social obligations keep me busy, which is why I can't come home for the holidays. The autumn nights are getting cold, so I'm sending you some premium herbal supplements. I hope you're staying healthy.*

*Enclosed is a check for $50,000.*

Times grew incredibly tough. She began selling off her jewelry to make ends meet.

The corner of her empty study was piled high with her oil paintings. She would often paint late into the night, her pregnant belly resting against the edge of the easel.

The following May, she gave birth to a baby girl all alone. She named her Annie Cassidy.

...

Four years later, in early autumn.

She was doing this on purpose. Did she still harbor fantasies of them playing house?

She was just as greedy and clingy as ever!

The disgust that had faded over the years flared right back up.

Hilda easily caught his revulsion. But she couldn't care less.

She didn't care about Luther, and she certainly didn't care about the title of Mrs. Sanford. Demanding five billion was purely to make things difficult so Jolie wouldn't get her way. Looking back at everything that had happened, Jolie's manipulative fingerprints were all over the past.

After a long, tense silence, he said coldly, "Think it over. When you come to your senses, talk to my lawyer."

He had only come this time for Jolie's sake. He wouldn't see her again.

Hilda was even more dismissive. "I won't see you out."

Frowning, Luther grabbed the car door handle, ready to leave.

Just then, footsteps patted against the pavement behind him, followed by a sweet, childish voice. "Mommy, who is this man?"

Luther whipped his head around. A little girl, about four years old, threw herself into Hilda's arms. That tiny face was practically a carbon copy of hers.

He had never actually consummated their marriage on their wedding night.

His face drained of color, turning spectacularly grim. "Hilda, whose child is this?"