Chapter 14:
Joshua suddenly stopped, as if a switch had been flipped in his mind.
Reason returned to him, and he reluctantly released his grip on Alicia.
Seizing the moment, Alicia bent her knee and delivered a powerful strike to his crotch.
Joshua’s face drained of color as pain surged through him, leaving him frozen in place.
Alicia quickly rose to her feet and straightened her clothes, shaking off the tension.
Her heart raced with lingering fear, but her anger toward Joshua grew stronger. She felt an overwhelming urge to smash his head in.
But Alicia understood that she was outnumbered and had no chance of winning the confrontation. Fighting back would only place her in greater danger.
Suppressing her anger, she grabbed the divorce agreement and headed toward the door.
At that moment, Lilliana appeared, descending the stairs and blocking Alicia’s path.
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Lilliana’s eyes were filled with disdain as she sneered, “Despicable bitch.”
Alicia’s simmering anger flared even higher in response to Lilliana’s words.
She shot a cold glare at Lilliana.
Lilliana met Alicia’s gaze and stood her ground.
“You talk about divorce, and yet you shamelessly meddle in my life with Joshua. I never took you for someone so manipulative, Alicia.”
Joshua heard Lilliana’s words and rose to his feet, pushing through the pain from Alicia’s strike.
Lilliana continued,
“Don’t even pretend Joshua forced you. He ignored you for two years of marriage. Why would he change now?”
Joshua grabbed Lilliana’s arm firmly. “Lilliana, stop acting like this. It’s beneath you.”
Alicia stood tall. A mocking smile appeared on her lips.
“I never thought I’d see a mistress being so bold.”
Lilliana’s expression shifted to anger.
“What ridiculous accusations are you making?”
Before she could finish her retort, Alicia’s slap landed like a bullet.
The sound of it resonated in the room.
This action shocked both Lilliana and Joshua.
“Did you not understand what I said? Maybe a slap will make it clearer.” Alicia’s voice was frigid as she fixed her gaze on Lilliana.
Lilliana’s delicate face turned bright red.
She cried out in pain, rose from Joshua’s embrace, and shouted at Alicia, “How dare you hit me!”
In a fit of anger, Lilliana lifted her hand to retaliate, but Alicia quickly seized her wrist and, without hesitation, slapped her across the other cheek.
Lilliana stumbled backward, her vision blurring. Her screams echoed in the air.
Once Joshua had gathered his composure, he held Lilliana and addressed Alicia.
“That’s enough, Alicia!”
Alicia had truly reached her breaking point. She shook her aching hand and glared at them.
“One slap is for your filthy words, and the other is for your disgusting actions. You’re a celebrity, and you’re stooping so low as to drug someone? Have you no shame?”
Joshua’s confusion deepened.
“What are you even talking about? Drug?”
Alicia had no intention of staying any longer. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the house, eager to escape the madness.
The door slammed behind her, but the room remained in disarray.
Lilliana’s face was swollen, and her cries pierced the room as she gasped between sobs.
Joshua’s irritation grew stronger with each sob, and he struggled to hold back his frustration. He brought some ice and gently pressed it against her face to reduce the swelling.
When the room fell silent, he asked, “What did Alicia mean by ‘drug’?”
Hatred filled Lilliana’s tearful eyes.
Without hesitation, she confessed, “On your second wedding anniversary, I drugged her with a love potion so she’d sleep with someone else.”
Joshua’s chest tightened, and anger surged within him. He fought to suppress the curses that threatened to spill from his mouth.
Lilliana noticed his dark expression and asked, “What? Do you feel bad for her now? Are you upset? I only did it to make sure she wouldn’t hold on to you and refuse the divorce!”
Joshua shut his eyes, fighting to control his anger.
Fury coursed through him, and he wanted to strangle her for her stupidity. However, he couldn’t afford to lose the powerful influence of Lilliana’s family.
“No,” Joshua muttered, pushing down his rage as he held her close. “She’s nothing more than a housekeeper to me.”
“Then why do you look so upset?” Lilliana questioned, her voice trembling slightly.
Joshua forced himself to stay calm and responded, “I planned to wait until after my father passed to file for divorce. But I won’t let you suffer. What’s done is done.”
After hearing his explanation, Lilliana softened. “Don’t worry. I’ll have my father support you,” she said, trying to offer reassurance.
She said softly, touching her stomach, “And now that I’m pregnant, Caden won’t be able to challenge you.”
Joshua didn’t respond.
Right now, he didn’t care about the inheritance. All he could feel was a restlessness he couldn’t shake.
It took Lilliana what felt like forever to compose herself.
“If it weren’t for my status, I would have sent her to jail the moment she laid a hand on me!” Lilliana exclaimed, her voice filled with anger. “Joshua, you need to do something about that bitch. Teach her a lesson!”
“Fine. I’ll do that,” Joshua muttered, his tone weary.
He then went to the study to smoke a cigarette. Images of Alicia flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
He thought of how gentle she had been and how, in the end, she had become decisive and ruthless. The way she had looked at him with pure hatred when she slapped him—her eyes burning with intensity—was forever etched in his memory.
All these thoughts of Alicia made him realize something: the woman who had once adored him was no longer his. She had completely transformed into someone else.
Even after exhaling the last puff of smoke, Joshua still felt restless.
On impulse, he pulled out his phone and transferred a large sum of money to Alicia.
The message accompanying the transfer read, “Think carefully about what I said before.”
Joshua couldn’t let go of all the years they had spent together. He just couldn’t accept it.
Moments later, just as he was about to light another cigarette, his phone buzzed with a reply from Alicia.
He opened it quickly, filled with anticipation.
“I took a screenshot of this and sent it to Lilliana.”
The money was immediately returned to his account—every single penny.
