Rise of the Abandoned Wife

7. Confronting the Now

KAYDEN

There was a moment of silence in the hall, Sonia stared at me for a second before muttering something to one of the men helping out around.

When she finally turned to me, I expected her to agree, excuse herself for us to talk.

She didn't.

Instead, she spun on her heels and headed up the stage regardless like my presence meant nothing to her.

I hated how I felt at that moment. She was the cheat. That was the reason for the divorce years ago, so why the f**k did my chest twist right now because she didn't acknowledge me?

A little embarrassed, I looked around. The eyes I had felt on us a moment ago had all shifted onto her on the stage.

I had to say, she was nothing like the woman I was married to before.

That woman was soft in all ramifications. Character wise, even the way she carried herself.

It was what made me fall for her back then.

But now, this woman in front of me looked like someone who had gone to war and returned with stories to tell.

I waited for her speech to end, half the time I only stared at her and heard nothing. I had so many questions I was certain I would lose my mind soon. Who was this woman? Where had she been all these years?

When it was finally over, Sonia gave a bow and the hall erupted with applause.

She'd done exceptionally, again, nothing like the woman I knew before.

She strode off the stage a moment later and instead of walking in my direction, she went over to a table filled with the greatest minds in the country and took a seat, a proud smile on her face.

I stood there watching, not just because she'd totally ignored me but the fact that she dared to sit at the same table with them.

These were not people she should've been around.

My fingers curled into a fist, lips twisting in a snarl. I didn't wait any longer.

Seven years had been too long for her to keep on lying to me. She'd kept the secret of her sleeping with my brother and even carrying his child all the while being married to me.

I walked up to the table and grabbed her by the arm. She was forced to turn her attention back to me.“I said we need to talk. I know it all. About you and him. How could you, Sonia? He's my f*****g brother.”

Wearing nothing but a blank expression, she yanked her arm away. “I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Wolfe, keep your voice down before you embarrass us both.”

Mr. Wolfe.

“Keep my voice down?” I scoffed. “Why? So that you can continue to hide your promiscuous nature?”

There were a few gasps and murmurs around the hall. I didn't care. This wasn't the time to. Not when a lie had been sold to me for so long.

Her eyes locked with mine, her expression remaining blank, “Accuse me one more time and I shall have my lawyers sue you for defamation. Then you and I can really talk about how the f**k my son is with your brother.”

I laughed. Oh the audacity of this woman. Who the f**k did she think she was to try to scare me with lawyers. Did she forget who I was and how much of this city I controlled?

I would eat her the f**k up and her f*****g lawyers.

“Nice try Sonia. I dare you to try me. I see that over the years you have improved on your acting. I almost believed you right there. But you see, once bitten twice shy. You and my brother planned it so well, and then made him adopt his own son so that I won't suspect a thing, right?”

She thought I did know. But I knew I was right, especially from that twitch on her lip.

“And I see that over the years you have only managed to grow dumber, Mr Wolfe.” She said through gritted teeth.

“You were the one who sent me away, remember? I asked you to get a second opinion, to confirm but you refused and now you dare to say that I cheated and with no one but your disgusting brother?”

“How the f**k then do you explain his bastard son with you…”

I heard the sound, then felt the sting before registering what she just did. She f*****g slapped me.

When I looked at her, those eyes were red with tears. My lips stretched into a smile. I'd gotten under her skin and I f*****g loved it.

It was her control slipping, that pretense. It was all falling apart and I was the cause of it.

And I wasn't done yet. Not until it was all gone and the real Sonia was standing right in front of me. I wanted to expose her to the whole world, break her the way she broke me seven years ago.

“What Sonia, can't stand that I know the truth?” I turned to the crowd watching. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't know what lies this woman has sold to you all but she is a fraud. Years ago I was married to her until I found out that one of the children she was carrying was my brother's.” More gasps, more fingers pointing. “I didn't even know he was the one she cheated with until recently. So do not let her fool you.”

A man on the table rose to his feet but Sonia stopped him. Shaking her head as if he only answered to her.

“I think the only fool here is you, Mr Wolfe. I warned you but you didn't listen. So get ready for my lawyers. You will pay for taking my child from me.” She lowered her voice so that only I could hear. “You want to get ugly..I'll give you ugly.”

The emotions that flooded her eyes sent a shock of fear in me. She had indeed changed. And hate was now the only thing she knew.

Well good, because I hated her right back. For ruining both our lives and marriage.

Before I could get another word out, a couple of hands grabbed my arms. I hadn't realized when the security arrived. And they were grabbing the wrong person.

“Get this madman out of here. You let him in without invitation. I'll deal with you all later.”

And just like that, I was hauled out of the room and thrown to the floor like I was nothing.

The f*****g CEO of Wolfe corp, utterly disgraced by a woman. A f*****g nobody.

Fine.

She wanted ugly, she said. Bring it on.

I stormed to my car and stepped on the gas, heading straight home. For the past few days I'd avoided everyone. Made some dumb excuse about work and just kept to myself whereas I had been doing nothing but talking myself out of the possibility, no, the reality that my brother had betrayed me.

And much worse than Sonia who had been away from the Wolfe family for years, he was close to me. Laughing and smiling at me under the same roof with a secret I didn't know about. And not once did he confess to me or try to. That hurt even more than Sonia's betrayal.

Kint and I didn't see eye to eye most of the time but he was still my brother nevertheless.

Just not today or anytime going forward. Because he had a lot to answer for.

I left the car running for the butler to handle as I hurried inside. The cold air in the living room hit me first.

It had been like this ever since Sonia left. There was no more the smell of delicious cooking filling the house, or her baking. Or simply her being around.

The warmth was gone with her.

For a while, I thought I couldn't live without her. It was hard. And knowing this pain, it was a sign that I hadn't healed as much as I thought I had.

Despite being married all this while. Nothing simply filled up that void again.

But that didn't matter anymore because anger and hurt had filled it up for me.

Inside the eerily silent living room was my mother seated with a tea cup in hand, and on the other side was the very person I was here for. Kint f*****g Wolfe.

He was too distracted with his phone to have noticed me come in, not until I was right in front of him.

I grabbed him by the collar of his polo shirt and punched him square on the face.

He grunted, fell on the chair and snapped his head to look at me. He had the nerve to look surprised.

My mother screamed, rushing forward to push me aside.

The way that she worried over him only made my anger simmer hotter.

She was always like this with him. Fawning over her precious little boy like I wasn't her son too.

It was a topic for another day though.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Kayden? How dare you punch your brother?” The shriek from her voice was enough to render me deaf for life.

But I didn't flinch. My eyes only remained locked on him, shooting daggers of hate at him.

“When were you going to tell, huh? Did you think you could hide it forever?” I asked as calming as a raging storm could.

His face scrunched deeper into that confused look.

“The f**k are you on about now?”

“Sonia!” I yelled. “The man she cheated on me with is you! How could you sleep with my wife? All this time you watched me in pain because of the both of you!”

I made a move to rush him one more time, only to be stopped and he, shielded by our mother yet again.

“Enough!” She shouted, her palm colliding with my face. “For that slut you would hit your own brother? She was the one married to you, she should have learned to keep her legs closed.”

See? She was shielding Kint from the blame again.

Just like every f*****g little time he did something.

I was shocked she hadn't blamed me for it since that had been her style all these years.

But most importantly, he wasn't denying it. Which meant that I was right after all.

“What is going on here? Kayden what are you doing?” Laila rushed down the stairs her voice sounding just as panicked as my mother's was.

And hers wasn't directed at me either but towards my brother. I'd seen this before. I'd just never actually paid much attention. But now, it was crystal clear before me. I could understand my mother's favoritism. It had been going on for years.

But Laila, what was her deal with him?

Is she sleeping with him too?

I narrowed my eyes at the thought, not a tad bit hurt or upset like I had been at the thought was about him and Sonia.

I watched silently as Laila, my wife of five years alongside my mother, took Kint away.

I marched upstairs, rage filling my chest with each step that I took. The amount of dark thoughts that poured into my mind at that time was enough to cause a mental breakdown.

What had I missed? What else did I not know?

For the rest of the night, I stayed locked in my room, without a wink of sleep. How could I when there was a lot going on around me that I didn't know about?

When morning came, I heard a knock on my door and Laila peeked in with her head.

“Hey, Kayden, there's a man at the door for you. He wouldn't say who he is but wants to meet with you.” She announced, then vanished, leaving me no room to ask any question.

I rose from the bed with groggy eyes and walked down the stairs.

Everyone else was seated on the table, having breakfast without me like they had the fast few days. And only then did I realize no one had asked why I'd hidden and if I was okay.

But then again, it was this family. So dysfunctional.

When I got to the door, I pulled it open and came face to face with a man about my age.

When he saw me, he nodded, mumbled a good morning before fishing out a brown envelope from his suitcase and handed it to me.

“You've been served, Mr. Wolfe.” he said and then left. I called out to him, what was his name? What was this about but he just went to his car and drove off.

With a puzzled look, I retreated to my office before slicing the envelope open with my finger. I almost choked on my spit when I saw the heading of the document.

It was from the Hale family, and they were f*****g suing me.

“But why the f**k will the Hale family sue me?”