The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 138

**Before Rain Touches Earth Memories Return With Gentle Warmth by Eli Dane Crest 138**
**Chapter 138**

**Gemma**

As the taxi pulls away from Cassian and Reyna, I take a moment to inhale deeply, allowing the air to fill my lungs and steady my racing heart. The familiar weight of anxiety rests heavily on my chest, but I force myself to relax.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes with an incoming call from an unknown number. I hesitate, my finger hovering over the screen, before finally answering.

“Hey, Gemma. It’s me, Angela. Are you free today? I’d like to see you.”

Her voice drips with a sweetness that feels insincere, a remnant of the past when she and Lucien were entangled in their secret affair, all while pretending to be the innocent friend.

Back in those days, Angela was surprisingly decent to me. Occasionally, she would invite me out for lunch, and during those cheap meals at the café, she would regale me with tales of the men pursuing her. Some of them offered lavish gifts: apartments, sparkling jewelry. One particularly audacious suitor even promised to leave his wife for her, claiming he could provide her with a life of luxury.

And then, there was the part where she sought my counsel.

I was young, naive even. I genuinely believed she was facing difficulties and that she needed my guidance.

I can still recall the words I spoke to her as if they were etched in my memory.

“Angela, breaking up a family is wrong. My mom says some things are just about morals.”

As I reflect on that moment, I can almost see the flicker of discomfort that crossed her face, a fleeting glimpse of guilt.

“But Gemma,” she countered, her voice dripping with feigned innocence, “isn’t it worse for two people to stay together when there’s no love? And anyway, I’m not forcing him to leave his wife. I just want to see him sometimes.”

Even back then, Angela had a knack for justifying her actions, as if marriage were merely a contract that could be discarded when it no longer suited her.

Returning to the present, I feel my grip on the phone tighten. “I’m busy,” I reply, my voice flat and unyielding.

The thought of seeing her again repulses me, especially after her visit to the hospital, where she upset my mother. That was a line she crossed that I cannot forgive.

“I want to discuss something important—about Lisette. You wouldn’t want everyone to find out your mom has a mental illness, would you? That wouldn’t reflect well on Cassian, either.”

Her words hang in the air, sharp and menacing, like a sword poised to strike.

Despite my better judgment, I find myself agreeing to meet her.

And where does she choose? Our old house, of all places.

When I arrive, her face lights up with that infuriatingly smug smile that I’ve come to despise.

“What do you want?” I ask, my tone icy, doing my utmost to convey my disdain, to make her feel insignificant.

“Look at you,” she scoffs. “No job. No degree. And your mom? Still having tantrums in psych wards. You were never a match for the Blackwells.”

I remain silent, but inside, a fire of rage ignites, a longing for revenge that simmers just beneath the surface.

“Reyna’s back from overseas. She’s now one of Cassian’s top engineers. They were in the same class together. I called you here to suggest you take the smart way out. Accept reality. Step aside before you embarrass yourself.”

I can’t help it; a laugh escapes me, sharp and bitter.

Angela glares at me, confusion etched on her face. “What’s so funny?”

“You. Still as shameless as ever.”

Back then, I felt powerless against Reyna, with everyone rallying behind her.

But now?

Angela is nothing more than a fleeting annoyance.

I no longer care.

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