She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

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At three in the afternoon at the International Airport in Kenyelle, the fierce sun beat down on the airport’s expansive glass walls, bouncing back in blinding flashes of white.

The air was saturated with a mix of jet fuel, dry dust, and the scent of tropical plants. Voices, loudspeaker announcements, and the rumble of luggage carts blended into a symphony of unfamiliar noise.

Celia pushed her luggage cart, moving with the crowd as she slowly exited the arrivals hall.

The fatigue from her long flight still lingered in her expression, but more than that, she felt a slight sense of disorientation from the sensory overload of finally setting foot on this land.

She wore a simple cream linen shirt and khaki pants, her hair loosely gathered in a bun at the back of her head. Her face was bare, save for a pair of oversized sunglasses, showing off her defined jawline and slightly pale lips.

The local assistant that William had arranged should have arrived by now. Celia was about to take her phone out of her bag to get in touch with the assistant when, as soon as the signal came back, her phone buzzed violently in her hand.

The screen instantly lit up with several missed calls and message notifications. The first one was from [Dad].

Celia’s steps faltered for a moment, and a complex emotion flickered in her eyes behind the sunglasses. She had planned to settle in first before dealing with these, but the call was relentless, as if it were hunting her down.

She let out a soft sigh, then walked over to a relatively quiet pillar and answered the call, “Hello, Dad.” Her voice was calm and steady, with a faint rasp from the long flight.

“Celia!” Jasper’s voice exploded through the phone, full of anger and frustration. “Where the hell are you right now? Things are blowing up back home. Do you have any idea? What’s going on with Beckham and Laylah?

“How the hell did they get photographed spending the night together in some apartment? And that Emily from the Lucero family, she went and told the reporters they’re engaged! What the hell is happening here?”

Celia held the phone, quietly listening to her father’s barrage of questions. The airport’s noisy background faded into a dull hum, making his voice sound sharper and more grating.

She could picture him right now in the Ross family’s study or living room, probably gripping the phone, brow furrowed, his face red with shock and embarrassment at all this mess.

“Say something!” Jasper’s voice grew more furious when Celia stayed silent. “What have you been doing these past three years? You can’t hold onto your own husband!

“Laylah comes back with a kid whose background is a complete mystery, and now the whole city’s in an uproar! Look at us. The whole city is watching the Ross family become a joke!

anger didn’t “My own daughter can’t keep her husband, letting some woman from outside waltz right into our family! And Laylah, who the hell does she think she is? If it weren’t for back then…” He caught himself, but his fade.

19:38 Mon, May 11

Chapter 67

46

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“You get back here right now! I don’t care what you have to do. Make sure Beckham stays with you! You two aren’t divorced yet. He’s still your husband. We can’t let the Ross family lose face like this!”

As Celia listened to her father, every word was about the Ross family’s reputation, holding onto Beckham, and her duty as a wife. Not once did he mention her feelings or what she was going through in this marriage.

Her heart sank deeper and deeper into the icy depths. Her sunglasses hid the growing frost in her eyes. “Dad,” she finally spoke, her voice still calm but colder, as glass forged in ice. “Are you done?”

Jasper was momentarily thrown off by how calm she sounded, then his anger flared hotter. “What kind of attitude is that?”

“Here’s my attitude,” Celia replied, her words slow and precise. “The last time I came home, I made it clear to you. I want a divorce from Beckham. Did you conveniently forget, or did you choose to ignore it like you always do?”

There was a sudden silence on the other end, broken only by Jasper’s heavy breathing.

Celia didn’t give him a chance to respond. She kept her voice calm, almost icy, as she said, “As for why I can’t keep a man’s heart, or why I don’t have a child… I suppose I’m not as skilled as your current wife, Lainey.

“She knows how to seduce men and pop out sons for you. With her around to carry on the Ross family name, you really don’t need to worry about me. I’m the useless daughter. No need for your lessons on how to please a husband.”

“Celia! Watch your mouth!” Jasper’s furious roar nearly burst through the phone, his voice shaking with disbelief and the sting of having his sore spot exposed. “You dare talk to your father like this? You dare insult Lainey? Have you forgotten all your manners?”

Celia could almost picture him trembling with rage, maybe smashing something nearby. But inside, she felt numb, her heart frozen over.

“Manners?” Celia let out a barely audible, mocking laugh. “I haven’t understood the Ross family’s so-called

Dad, don’t need to bother about me anymore. Take care of yourself, and stick to your

you manners for ages. new family and your son.”

With that, before Jasper could explode with another angry rant or curse, she hung up, quick and clean. The world was instantly quiet. Only the airport’s noisy background came rushing back into her ears.

She stood there for a few seconds, still holding the phone, her fingers pale from the force of her grip, her fingertips icy cold. There was a familiar sting in her chest, but it was quickly smothered by a steely resolve.

She should’ve done this ages ago, for the man she once called Dad, and for that house that stopped being home long ago. She shoved her phone back into her bag and grabbed the luggage cart handle, ready to move forward.

But as she did, the screen popped up out of nowhere. A news alert blindsided her: [Lucero Group Heir Caught in Secret Apartment Meeting with Laylah. High-Society Romance Exposed!]

The photo was blurry, but she could make out Beckham and Laylah together, standing by what looked like the front door of a high-end apartment building.

19:38 Mon, May 11 d

Chapter 67

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Celia froze. She stared at the notification for a full three seconds. Behind her sunglasses, her eyes were unreadable, like the surface of a deep, icy lake, calm on the outside, but something churning silently beneath. ‘So it really blew up this much,’ she thought.

She tried to force a smile, but her face felt stiff. In the end, she didn’t bother opening the news. She turned off the screen and shoved her phone deep into her bag, like tossing a hot potato.

She grabbed her suitcase, straightened her back, and headed toward the exit. The hot, dry wind tugged at her linen shirt, making her look slimmer and straighter.

As she stepped out through the automatic doors, the heat and unfamiliar scents rushed at her. A young black man in a crisp, light uniform, his smile warm and genuine, pushed through the crowd with a handwritten sign, hurrying straight to her.

The sign read, “Welcome, Miss Rose.” He spoke Averonian with a heavy accent, but made an effort to be clear, his voice enthusiastic. “Excuse me, are you Miss Rose? Celia Ross? I’m David, sent by Dr. Carter to pick you up.”

Celia paused, her gaze moving from the sign of [Miss Rose] to David’s sincere, friendly face. Her sunglasses concealed the brief flicker of emotion in her eyes.

“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, David,” she replied. She took off her sunglasses, revealing eyes as calm as a lake. She nodded slightly to David, her lips curving into a polite smile.

Outside the airport, the sun blazed fiercely, and the sky was vast and boundless overhead.

The wild, scorching energy of Kenyelle swept toward her on the hot wind, as if trying to strip away all the cold, clinging burdens and tangled mess she’d carried from her old life back home.

That unexpected name, Miss Rose, was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending out a barely noticeable ripple across her heart.

*****

At the Ross Residence, under the opulent crystal chandelier, Jasper still held the phone, listening to the busy tone. His face shifted from red to purple, then purple to white, his chest rising and falling with anger, and his hand shook from sheer fury.

“Unbelievable. She’s completely out of control!” He hurled the phone onto the pricey rosewood coffee table with a resounding bang, startling Lainey as she arranged flowers nearby. Her hand jerked, and a vibrant rose tumbled to the floor.

“Jasper, what’s wrong? What did Celia say? Is it something about the Lucero family?” Lainey set down her flower shears and hurried over, her face perfectly composed with concern, though her eyes flashed with curiosity and barely concealed glee.

“What did she say?” Jasper whipped around, glaring at Lainey as if he was ready to unload all his anger on her. “She said she wants a divorce! She told me ages ago. And she said I never listened!

“She used you to jab at me. Said you’re manipulative!” He was so furious he could barely get the words out, his face burning with embarrassment and rage.

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