The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 172

Zane offered a gentle, practiced comfort. "Mr. Jagger, there's a deep misunderstanding between you and your wife. Once you clear the air, things might improve. Right now, the company's weight rests on your shoulders, and you need to be here when she returns. You can't let your health fail."

As a miserable corporate employee, he had no choice but to lie through his teeth.

Mathis clung to the false hope. "You're right. I'll stay alive and wait for her. Find out exactly what angle Hector Goodwin is playing to help her finalize a divorce after a year of separation."

"Understood."

Mathis attended Mabel's funeral. Heavy snow fell as he slowly trudged through the white-draped grounds.

This winter was unusually brutal, freezing everything in its path.

Seeing him, Jax Holden flared with rage. "You drove her to her death, and you have the nerve to show up here?"

Mathis, who thoroughly despised Jax, shot back, "What gives you the right to organize this funeral, Jax? You're just her step-brother. You share no blood, and your father is long gone. I am her husband. I'm the only one with the right to bury her."

Jax let out a mocking laugh. "When my mother was buried, Bianca begged you to come, and you didn't. Now that she's gone, you're here playing the grieving husband. Who is this show for? Or did you just want to announce to everyone that you and your mistress drove her grandmother to the grave?"

Mathis's heart seized. "Gone? What happened to her?"

Jax glared at him. "Thanks to you, Mr. Jagger. You pushed her to a complete dead end. She cried until she had no voice left. The night Grandma died, she left. No one knows where she went. I've turned the city upside down and I can't find her."

The revelation twisted the knife deeper into Mathis's chest, the agonizing pain nearly buckling his knees.

Zane quickly reached out to steady him.

Jax stared at him with pure disgust. "Playing the devoted lover after destroying her—it's too late. It's all too late. You cheated, she stepped back, but you wouldn't let her go. You pushed her constantly, even letting her baby die. As if that wasn't enough, you let her get shredded online until Grandma had to step in. A man like you doesn't deserve to breathe. Are you feeling guilty now? Come on then, I'll bury you right next to Grandma. Maybe then Bianca will forgive you."

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