The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 353

If Brianna had what it took to impress Gallop Inc., she wouldn’t have struggled with the work Ramona used to do at the Holt Group. Neither would he. He and Brianna were both frogs in a well, played for fools by Ramona.

Jotham knew Brianna was walking into a trap at the Covington Group, but he said nothing. He was responsible for the fall of the Holt family and his grandmother’s death, but so was Brianna. From the moment she started scheming against him, she had sealed her own fate. She had no one to blame but herself.

Jotham stubbed out his cigarette and turned to see Ramona emerging from the police station, surrounded by her entourage. She saw him too. He lowered his head and took a step forward, but Ramona’s bodyguards immediately formed a protective barrier.

“Ramona,” Jotham said, his voice hoarse. He had said her name countless times, but this was the first time it sounded so empty and cold.

Ramona could have ignored him. He didn’t even have the right to beg her for anything now. But she stopped.

Jotham looked thin in his long coat, his face unshaven, his usually immaculate hair falling messily over his eyes. The boyish charm and confident air he once possessed were gone. He looked like a weary, middle-aged man, devoid of any of his former glory, almost pathetic.

Ramona couldn’t even remember what it felt like to have been in love with him. He seemed like a stranger, as if they had known each other in another lifetime. The memories were still there, but the man before her bore no resemblance to the person he used to be.

“I know that even if I tell you I have feelings for you, you won’t believe me… but I and the Holt family have paid our debts. Is there really no chance for us?”

Ramona had expected something else, but he was still talking about this. “You knew Brianna was facing jail time. She’s your wife, the mother of your son, who sacrificed so much for you. That’s a cold move.”

Back at the Covington Group, Brianna had still been worried about Jotham, begging Ramona not to go after him. But Ramona had told her that Jotham was the one who returned the USB drive. He knew everything and hadn't said a word to Brianna.

Ramona looked at Jotham with a flicker of pity. The thought of going home to Ethan washed away her anger. “Jotham, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. The moment you betrayed me, we became strangers.”

If he died, she would feel neither happy nor sad. With that, she turned to leave.

After she had taken a few steps, Jotham’s voice rose. “Ramona, is there really nothing left between us?”

He wanted her to yell at him, to provoke her into retaliating even more. He just wanted proof that he still existed in her heart, even as an object of hatred.

Ramona didn’t stop. She didn’t even seem to hear him. He tried to run after her, the composure he had struggled to maintain finally crumbling. Her bodyguards moved in and landed several punches to his stomach. The pain brought tears to Jotham’s eyes. He crumpled to the ground, his body curling into a ball as he knelt on the pavement.