Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 85

Riverbend City. The Golden Age.

Sheridan had collapsed into the depths of the couch, head bowed, hands gripping his hair, his eyes vacant and desolate.

His phone had slipped from his hand the moment the call ended, clattering to the floor, and Sheridan just sat there, dazed, making no move to pick it up.

He'd always believed that at most, Seren was just trying to get under his skin—posting pictures with some guy on social media, flaunting a relationship just to provoke him. She wanted him to chase after her.

But he hadn't expected this. Seren had actually married someone else. Gotten the paperwork and everything.

The man's voice still echoed in his mind—

"If Mr. Powers could finally give it a rest, maybe I'd have the pleasure of sending him an invitation to our wedding. I should thank you for stepping aside."

"Seren is my wife. In every legal sense of the word."

Each word felt like a slap, landing hard and unrelenting.

Sheridan could hear the mockery threaded through every syllable. He'd been so stunned, he couldn't even speak.

The man on the other end had that commanding presence of someone used to being on top. The minute he spoke, Sheridan had been completely cowed.

"Sheridan, what's wrong?"

A gentle voice sounded above him.

Sheridan looked up to see Willa standing there.

Willa was the Sullivan family's black sheep, the illegitimate daughter who barely spoke to her relatives and had lived in hotels for years, rarely ever going home.

Just last night, someone had tried to break into Willa's hotel room. Sheridan had gotten the call and rushed over, playing the hero.

He'd planned to move her to one of his own family's hotels for safety, but Willa had asked instead to stay at The Golden Age for a few days.

Of course, Sheridan had agreed without hesitation.

If Seren could betray him, why shouldn't he bring Willa back to The Golden Age?

"Seren went off and married someone else," he said bitterly. "I just called her, and it was her husband who answered. He threatened to have his lawyer contact me if I harassed her again."

Now that he'd caught onto Seren's game, he felt an involuntary sense of relief.

But that relief was soon drowned by a surge of humiliation and rage at having been played for a fool.

His face alternated between red and pale as he practically jumped to his feet in outrage.

"That damn woman! Seren actually dared to mess with me!"

"Don't get so worked up," Willa soothed, her voice soft and comforting. "Next time you call her, just be gentle and sweet-talk her a little. Women always come around when you treat them right."

She kept her smile in place, but deep in her eyes flickered a flash of disdain.

Helpless fury, flailing around like a clown—just watching him made her feel her IQ dropping.

If she had any better options than Sheridan to latch onto, she'd never have chosen to stick with such an idiot. But as it was, she had no choice.

*

The next morning, Seren and Lennon set out for the Brewer family home, carrying gift baskets in their hands.