Chapter 3-

Around 3 PM, the phone in Matheo’s study rang. Colette, though reluctant to get out of bed, felt a flicker of hope. Maybe it was Matheo calling to talk to her. She forced herself up and walked to the study, her heart pounding with a mixture of hope and dread. She picked up the receiver, her voice shaky. “Hello?”

It wasn’t Matheo. “Is Mr. Angelis there?” a hurried voice asked. The man introduced himself as Dereck.

“No, Matt isn’t home. He’s in Brisbane until tomorrow,” Colette replied, her tone flat and resigned. She was ready to end the call and retreat back to the comfort of her bed when Dereck’s response froze her in place.

He laughed. “Oh, is that what he told you?”

A cold drop of fear slithered down her spine. “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, a mixture of fear and anger lacing her words.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Colette could almost hear the gears turning in Dereck’s mind as he realized his slip. “What?” he stammered, before abruptly cutting the call.

Colette stood there, feeling foolish with the receiver still clutched in her hand. She stared at nothing in particular, her mind racing. She wanted to shout, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” into the dead line, to curse and scream to her heart’s content. But she knew it would be futile. The truth was already unraveling before her eyes, and it was ugly.

Matheo wasn’t in Brisbane. He had lied to her. The cold, hard reality hit her like a punch to the gut. He was back and somewhere close, likely with Iris. The thought of them together, preparing for another function, while she was left in the dark, was a bitter pill to swallow. The betrayal was suffocating, the pain unbearable.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she sank into the chair, the phone slipping from her grasp and clattering onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hold the pieces of her shattered heart together. The walls of the study seemed to close in on her, the silence of the empty house amplifying her anguish.

Memories of happier times flooded her mind—their whirlwind romance, the passionate nights, the promises of forever. How had it all come to this? The man who had once showered her with love and attention now treated her like an afterthought, a disposable accessory. She felt a deep, gnawing emptiness inside her, a void that seemed impossible to fill.

She had always feared this day would come, but a part of her had clung to the hope that things could change, that Matheo would come to his senses and realize what he was losing. But now, the final thread of that hope had snapped. He was with Iris, and they were probably laughing at her expense, reveling in their secret while she was left to pick up the pieces of her broken life.

The realization was crushing. Colette’s sobs echoed through the study, each one a testament to the pain and betrayal she felt. She had given everything to Matheo—her love, her trust, her life—and he had thrown it all away for a lie.

It was the night of the St. Anthony Gala, a high-profile charity event run by some of the most powerful multibillion-dollar companies in Sydney. Charity, however, was merely the event’s secondary function. The real purpose was to gather A-list celebrities and wealthy business tycoons, those who could effortlessly spend a few meager millions on bite-sized hors d’oeuvres while networking and discussing business. For men like Matheo, this was where deals were made, alliances formed, and fortunes expanded. His company, still relatively new despite his billionaire status, thrived on these opportunities. He never missed such events, always striving to extend his empire, secure new clients, and accumulate even more wealth.

When Matheo had left the previous night, Colette had naively believed he would miss this year’s gala. She had clung to the hope that their marriage, their love, might finally take precedence over his relentless ambition. But the brief, revealing comment from Dereck on the phone had shattered that illusion. “Is that what he told you?” Those words echoed in her mind, each repetition a dagger to her heart. Matheo was back in Sydney, and he would be attending the gala, but not with her. He would be there with Iris.

Something inside Colette died at that moment. This was a new low, even for Matheo. Now, he had started lying to her outright. She knew why he had done it, though. If he had told her the truth, she would have insisted on attending the gala with him. He would have had to endure her presence, her attempts to reclaim some semblance of her place in his life, and the inevitable fight that would follow. Matheo didn’t want her anywhere near anything that was important to him. Colette was better locked away in the house, taken out only when he needed her, like a toy he could use at his convenience and then put back in her place.

Stupid Colette, she thought bitterly. Stupid Colette wasn’t allowed anywhere near his business, his office, or his clients. Those were precious and secret, reserved for him and his beloved Iris. The memory of the last time there had been such a gala was still vivid. She had begged and fought with him to let her go. At first, he had been adamantly against it. But when she had threatened to withhold the nightly sex that he so eagerly sought, he had reluctantly agreed.

Colette had arrived at that gala full of hope, determined to prove that she was more than just a trophy wife. She had dressed impeccably, wearing a dress that Matheo had once admired, her makeup flawless, her hair styled to perfection. But the night had been a cruel reminder of her insignificance in Matheo’s world. She had been ignored, left to stand on the sidelines while Matheo and Iris dominated every conversation, their chemistry undeniable, their partnership unbreakable. Iris had been the one by his side, charming the investors, laughing at his jokes, supporting him in every possible way. Colette had been nothing more than a shadow, a presence that neither Matheo nor his colleagues cared to acknowledge.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify