Henrietta pushed her cup away and ordered a strong black coffee, iced, with nothing else in it.
“To settle my stomach,” she explained after ordering.
Charlotte and Winona immediately ordered the same.
“Money talks,” Henrietta said. “I had someone else handle it. I’ve got the proof.”
Charlotte gave her a thumbs-up. “You always get it done.”
Winona frowned. “She must have used a fake name, right? She wouldn’t have used her real ID.”
“Right,” Henrietta confirmed with a slight smirk. “But I just saw the security footage from the doctor’s office. It was definitely her. There’s no denying it.”
“She’s unbelievable,” Winona said, shaking her head. “She’s on a one-way road to self-destruction, and no one can catch up.”
When the coffee arrived, Charlotte said, “Let’s drink this quickly. I need to calm my nerves, or I won’t be able to eat.”
In truth, none of them had much of an appetite. The whole situation was just too repulsive. They barely touched their food.
Finally, Charlotte broke the silence. “I am so damn curious now. Who in the world is this massive chump she’s engaged to?”
Henrietta ordered another coffee and took a few sips. “It’s getting more and more interesting, isn’t it?”
...
After lunch, Charlotte headed to the film set. Henrietta, however, didn’t return to the office with Winona, saying she had an errand to run. Winona offered to go with her, but she declined.
Henrietta drove back to Elysium Manor, picked up her marriage certificate, and then drove to the marriage registry office.
A part of her felt the trip was redundant. Matteo was a monster, nothing like Yosef. How could there be anything wrong with this marriage certificate? The relationship between their families, the massive wedding gifts he’d paid, his daily calls for nearly a month—none of it was fake.
But for some inexplicable reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Whether it was paranoia or something else, she didn’t know, but she had to go.
“Ma’am, there are no issues with your marriage certificate. Look here,” the clerk said, pointing to a specific seal.
Seeing it, Henrietta didn’t feel a huge weight lift off her shoulders, but rather a simple confirmation. So, it’s real.
“Okay. Thank you,” she said, nodding at the clerk.
“You’re welcome,” the clerk replied, then added chattily, “Your husband is so handsome, it’s understandable you’d be a bit anxious. I hope he hasn’t done anything to upset you…”
“He hasn’t,” Henrietta cut her off. “We’re very happy.”
With that, she turned and left.

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