The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 12

Cillian chose an exclusive, reservation-only restaurant. He remembered that Bianca loved garlic short ribs, and this place made them exceptionally well.

Bianca felt a pang of emotion. In three years of marriage, Mathis had never once asked what she liked to eat, nor had he ever cared.

Opening her phone, Bianca found several new messages. One was from Jax.

[The divorce papers have been filed at the Harrowgate District Court. It'll take 5-7 business days for them to officially process it. Let me take you out to dinner tonight.]

Bianca replied: [Thanks, Jax. I might not have time tonight—I have a lot of work to catch up on. Mathis is a complete bastard; he almost got me fired today.]

[Alright, take care of yourself. Divorcing him is going to be a long tug-of-war. You need to gather evidence of his infidelity. The lawyer said that getting a DNA test of him and that kid, or catching him in bed with her, would be the best way to secure a clean break.]

That reminded Bianca of Cynthia claiming to be Mathis's girlfriend earlier today. Getting the security footage from the office later would be a good start. The next time she ran into them, she'd have to make sure to record the conversation.

Right below that was a message from Mathis.

[My grandma's birthday dinner is tomorrow night. Be at the Estate by six. Don't refuse. I am still your husband, and you have an obligation to accompany me.]

The message had been sent a few hours ago—right when he was still standing next to Cynthia.

How could he hold another woman in his arms and then turn around to demand that his wife play pretend for him? Mathis truly had the acting chops to win an Oscar.

Disgusted, Bianca texted back: [I'm busy! Ask the mother of your child.]

They were getting a divorce; she had no time to put on a show for him. Besides, Mathis had never compensated her for her acting anyway.

She tossed her phone back into her purse and headed out to eat.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyable, filled with laughter and easy conversation.

Bianca's expression turned icy. "Ma’am, you must have the wrong person. I have nothing to do with your son."

Since the Jagger family had forbidden her from making their marriage public, there was no reason to acknowledge them out in the open.

Evita had never seen Bianca act so defiant. Now that she had nothing left to leverage against her, the girl had become insufferably arrogant—even daring to deny her own mother-in-law.

Furious, Evita raised her hand and slapped her hard. A stark red mark instantly blossomed on Bianca's radiant complexion.

Cillian shot up and returned the favor, slapping Evita with enough force that she nearly lost her footing.

Having lived a life of pampered luxury, she had never been subjected to such humiliation. She shrieked, "I will make you both pay for this!"

Cillian's face was terrifyingly cold. "I don't care who you are. You touch my people, you deal with the consequences."