She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79 Laylah Is Stunned

At the top–tier mall Cloud Nine in the city center, on the sixth floor, was the Cyrenthian restaurant Le Jardin.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the massive glass walls, casting a warm glow over the tables draped in crisp white tablecloths and set with elegant silverware. Laylah sat in a cozy window seat; her salad was barely touched in front of her. She wore a lavender knit suit, her makeup flawless, and her long hair gently draped over her shoulders.

She tried to maintain her usual graceful demeanor, but the exhaustion and anxiety in her eyes gave away the pressure she’d been under lately.

Across from her was her best friend, Daphne, who was as impeccably made up, dressed in the latest seasonal suit, her sharp eyes revealing her shrewdness.

Daphne came from a well–off family and ran her own small PR firm, specializing in handling all sorts of messy, off–the–record scandals. The two had grown close through their mutual favors.

“Seriously, Hails, I owe you big time,” Laylah said, raising her crystal glass and taking a sip of the expensive sparkling water.

Her voice was gentle, perfectly laced with gratitude. “If you hadn’t gotten the scoop and tipped me off about someone trying to send dirt about my years abroad to those gossip rags and bloggers, I would’ve been totally blindsided.

“Sure, it cost me a fortune to shut it down, but that’s way better than having my reputation trashed in front of everyone.”

She dropped her gaze, hiding the sharp chill in her eyes. ‘Those rumors are half true, half fake, but enough to wreck everything I’ve worked for, Laylah thought.

Daphne sliced off a bit of foie gras and popped it in her mouth, dabbing her lips with her napkin in a practiced, elegant way.

Her smile was knowing, with a barely–there hint of superiority. “Oh, come on, Laylah, no need for thanks between us. But you really gotta stay sharp. There are plenty of people watching you lately.

“Has Beckham given you any real answers yet? I saw Emily hinting at an engagement in the news, but the main man himself is still radio silent. What’s up with that?”

Laylah’s hand holding the fork paused for a second, then she went back to poking at her salad like nothing had happened. “Beckham, he’s been buried in work lately, and with all the drama online, he’s got to fit.

“Besides, stuff like this should be brought up by the guy, right? Me rushing things won‘

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Chapter 79 Laylah Is Stunned

t help.”

She smiled, but it was a little forced. Laylah thought, ‘Ever since Beckham blew up at the apartment that morning, he hasn’t reached out at all.

Every time I go to the Lucero Residence to see Ricardo, I happen to miss him. This whole waiting game, not knowing where I stand, is driving me crazy!

Daphne shot her a look, sneering inwardly, but kept up her best friend act. “Yeah, but you know how it is. The longer you wait, the more things can go wrong.

‘Celia might’ve divorced him, but who’s to say she won’t come back for another round? And I heard Tanner’s never really been on board with you two…” She let the words hang, watching Laylah’s reaction.

Laylah’s face went a shade paler, her fingers gripping the fork so hard her knuckles turned white. ‘That’s exactly what I’m afraid of; Laylah thought.

Emily had said Tanner agreed to let her and Beckham get engaged, but days had passed, and there was still no word. If he really wanted it, he could push Beckham into it, like he did when Beckham married Celia back then.

Just then, the chatter from a nearby table drifted over, a group of young people talking animatedly, their voices full of excitement.

‘Oh my god, did you guys see the news? The live stream of the Great Migration!”

‘Yeah, I saw it! It was insane! Even the Wildebeest River Crossing wasn’t as jaw- dropping as when the Rose Angel showed up!”

“Totally! The chief’s speech, and that statue! I almost cried!”

‘And get this, Dr. Rose is actually from Eldranor! I had no idea!”

‘I think her name’s Celia? Celia Ross? That sounds familiar.”

“Oh, now that you mention it… Wasn’t there some gossip about her before? I think she was involved with some big–name family or something?”

“Who cares about whatever drama she had before? She earned her respect for real! A whole tribe built a statue to thank her. How epic is that? She’s basically a living saint!”

“For real! Compared to those socialites who pay for publicity, spread rumors, and play mind games all day, this is what you call next–level!”

Laylah’s silver fork slipped from her hand and landed on the plate with a crisp, ringing sound. She froze in place, her complexion draining to ghostly pale, lips quivering, her eyes blown wide, filled with utter disbelief and panic.

‘Celia? Rose Angel? Eastetille? A statue in her honor? Live stream?‘ Laylah’s thoughts spun out of control.

Those words pierced her like icy spikes, stabbing straight through her ears and into

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Chapter 79 Laylah Is Stunned

her heart.

The ex–wife I always pictured as beaten down, quietly fading away, someone I hoped would disappear forever. How could this be real?‘ Laylah thought, her mind in chaos. Daphne was as floored by the conversation at the next table. She reacted in a flash, setting down her knife and fork and whipping out her phone, her fingers tapping furiously.

Within seconds, her face cycled through shock, then disbelief, and finally a look that mixed ridicule, sarcasm, and a touch of gloating amusement flickered in her eyes.

She turned her phone toward Laylah, showing a highlight clip from the viral livestream. The headline blared: [Eldranor’s Female Doctor Honored as the Rose Angel by an Eastetille Tribe–Statue Erected in Gratitude!]

On the crystal–clear screen, Celia appeared with a flower crown on her head, her expression calm and unwavering as she accepted the tribe’s most heartfelt tribute.

The aura she gave off, the confidence, the presence, was a world away from the soft, fragile persona Laylah remembered, or the gentle act Celia used to put on at the Lucero family’s house.

Laylah stared at the screen, her eyes wide and unfocused, her breath coming in short, ragged bursts.

The world spun around her, as if the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed, yanking her from her dream of reaching the top and throwing her into a freezing abyss. How is this possible? Why her? How could she possibly deserve this?‘ Laylah thought, her mind spinning out of control.

Daphne watched Laylah struggle to keep her composure, her secret thrill at seeing Laylah fall apart only making her feel more superior.

Pretending to be shocked, she lowered her voice dramatically. “Oh my god… Laylah, is this really Beckham’s ex–wife? Celia? This is just… unbelievable. She actually…”

She purposely left her words hanging, letting Laylah’s imagination run wild, then leaned in closer, her voice dripping with fake sympathy and a hint of spite. “Wow, no wonder Beckham’s been so vague lately.

“With an ex–wife like that, the whole world is calling her an angel and a doctor, while you’re left scrambling to handle gossip and family pressure. Talk about a savage comparison.”

Those words were like a poisoned knife, stabbing Laylah right where it hurt most.

Laylah thought, her mind reeling, ‘Savage comparison? Really? I’ve schemed so much, used my own son, to get close to becoming the Lucero family’s daughter–in–law, and now that “loser” I never cared about eclipses me in the most dazzling, positive way

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Chapter 79 Laylah Is Stunned

possible.

‘I’m nothing but a backdrop now! Worse, I’ve become the textbook example of a socialite who only knows how to buy trending topics and stir up gossip.‘

Laylah grabbed the glass of ice water and downed half of it in one go. The cold slid down her throat, but it did nothing to cool the raging jealousy and panic burning in her chest.

She tried to steady her breath, but her fingers still trembled uncontrollably.

Laylah finally found her voice, though it trembled with barely hidden bitterness and forced indifference. “So what? All she got was some empty reputation from doing a few good deeds in some remote, uncivilized corner of the world.

“Who in real high society would care about that? Beckham, what he needs is a wife who can actually handle the family’s affairs and social circles, not some doctor who runs off to Eastetille to play hero with the locals!”

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