The Wife He Hated Until He Lost Her

Chapter 5 A Humiliating Game

Before the doctor could even open his mouth to respond, the door to the ward swung open. Maura walked in holding her phone.

"Cutler, the test results aren't wrong. You've been played by Audrey. She never had cancer at all. The whole performance was just to soften you up so you'd let her off the hook. From the very beginning, all she's ever wanted was to get away from you. Even the way she hurt me—it was all calculated to make you hate her enough to finally leave her alone."

As she spoke, Maura shoved the phone right in front of Cutler's face. On the screen was a chat between her and Audrey.

Audrey: Ms. Lloyd, please help me. I don't want to see Cutler anymore. Help me get away from him.

Maura: Sorry, I can't do that. I know Cutler still can't forget you. I don't want to hurt him.

Those two short exchanges wiped away every ounce of suffering Audrey had endured over the years and painted her as nothing but a cold-blooded liar.

Cutler's face darkened in an instant. He turned to Audrey, eyes blazing with fury. "Well played, Audrey. Must feel pretty damn good watching me twist myself in knots over you, huh? I should've just left you out there to fry in the heat until you dropped dead!"

Audrey shook her head frantically, desperate to explain. "I didn't trick you. Those messages aren't even from me. If you don't believe me, we can run the tests again."

"Run them again? So you get another shot at faking the results? Audrey, I'm done falling for your games."

With that icy remark, Cutler turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

Maura's lips curved into a satisfied little smirk. She shot Audrey one last taunting glance before following him out.

Audrey stared at the closed door, defeat written all over her face.

For the next three days, Cutler never showed up to see Audrey, though someone continued bringing her three meals a day.

Every meal looked exquisite and plentiful, but the more Audrey ate, the sharper the pain inside her body became.

She just figured her body was finally giving out. She was dying.

Three more days passed before Audrey was told she could be discharged. She assumed Cutler had stayed away because he didn't want to see her again, so she planned to take the chance to leave him for good. But just as she reached the hospital entrance, a car suddenly blocked her path.

Two bodyguards jumped out before she could react. They grabbed her, bundled her into the back seat, and drove her straight to a private room in a nightclub.

Inside a private room, colorful lights flashed while deafening music pounded through the air, making Audrey feel even worse than she already did.

Someone shoved her hard, sending her crashing to the floor. When she looked up, she met Cutler's cold gaze.

He wasn't alone. A few of his buddies were there too. The second they recognized Audrey as Cutler's ex-wife, their expressions twisted into pure disgust and mockery.

"Isn't this Cutler's gold-digging ex-wife? How does she still have the nerve to come back looking for him? What? Does she think Cutler still can't get over her, and she can just waltz back in and seduce him? That's hilarious. Does she not know he's already with Maura now?"

"Maura's a million times better than her. Where does she get the balls thinking Cutler would dump Maura for trash like her?"

"Maura's on her way. Let's give her a front-row seat to how happy Cutler is now. Honestly, we should thank Audrey for dumping him back then. Otherwise, Cutler never would've found his true love in Maura."

Their words stabbed into Audrey like tiny needles, each one delivering a fresh wave of sharp, stinging pain.

She opened her mouth to ask Cutler why the hell he'd dragged her here, but the door flew open again. Maura stepped in, dressed to kill in something flashy and tight.

The moment Cutler saw her, the frost on his face melted away. He pulled her gently into his arms, all tenderness.

Maura nestled against him, batting her lashes in that coy, sweet way of hers. "Cutler, you actually organized a get-together? What's the big news you wanted to share?"

Cutler glanced sideways at Audrey, still kneeling on the floor. His voice came out flat and cold. "I called everyone here today so my ex-wife could put on a little show for us. Thought it'd be fun for everybody to watch."