Waited For His Love, I Divorced Instead

Chapter 2

The atmosphere in the office turned frigid, the silence so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Yannick lowered his eyes and was about to admit the truth when Hailey spoke first, "I sent him."

He paused and looked at her in surprise.

Hailey explained calmly. "Zale Blanchard's daughter has a gift for fragrance. I like the blends she makes, so I asked Yannick to pick some up for me."

Micah sighed inwardly and let the matter drop. "I see. Then there's nothing more to discuss."

Afterward, Micah asked Hailey to stay behind while Yannick left headquarters alone.

Hailey did not leave the building until late that night.

The boulevard below was bright with traffic and crowded with pedestrians.

Her assistant hurried over. "Ms. Serrano, you've been so buried in work that you must have forgotten. It's festival day. That's why the streets are so crowded tonight."

Hailey came back to herself. "I want to walk for a while. Alone. You don't need to follow me."

She put on a wide-brimmed hat and disappeared into the crowd.

Vintage lanterns hung above the street, and flower stalls lined the sidewalks.

The lively yet peaceful scene eased some of the pressure in her chest.

She stopped at a stall displaying handmade umbrellas. As she studied one of the designs, a familiar woman's voice reached her from the neighboring flower stand.

"Yannick, you've been trapped in a marriage with Hailey for three years. Are you really saying you've never felt anything for her?"

Hailey froze and turned sharply. A man and a woman stood with their backs to her.

She watched Yannick place a fresh bouquet of roses in Mira's hands. His low voice carried clearly through the evening air. "I swear, if I ever feel anything for her, may I die a miserable death."

Every trace of color drained from Hailey's face.

Still, she did not move.

She had always known the truth. If she had not come between them three years ago, Mira would have been the woman standing beside Yannick now, loved and cherished as his wife.

Hailey lowered her eyes, unable to keep watching, and walked away on unsteady legs.

She did not see Yannick instinctively glance back at her retreating figure. He turned to Mira and said, "Please give these to Mr. Blanchard for me. Something came up. I have to go."

*****

When Hailey returned to the villa, she opened a bottle of wine. Its clean floral scent was perfectly suited to the festival.

She did not expect Yannick to come home so soon.

He glanced at the glasses spread across the coffee table and said with cool contempt, "Since when do you hide in the shadows and listen in on other people's conversations, Ms. Serrano?"

Hailey paused for a second. Completely ignoring his sarcasm, she asked softly, "Why would you swear something so vicious?"

Yannick's face remained expressionless, his tone apathetic. "A curse can only come true if there's something behind it. There isn't. I will never love you, Hailey."

Pain tore through her chest, and the taste of blood surged into her throat.

After a long silence, she whispered, "Maybe that's for the best."

At least when she died, Yannick would not grieve for her.

Her calm answer darkened his eyes. Irritation rose inside him for reasons he could not explain.

He forced it down and changed the subject. "Did Mr. Serrano mention the northern operation tonight?"

Yannick's father and older brother had both died in the conflict with Northgate. No one wanted to return north and avenge them more than he did.

Hailey paused. Then Yannick, a man who had always carried himself with fierce pride, begged her. His eyes burned with resolve. "Northgate keeps coming at us. Put my name forward to Mr. Serrano. Let me lead the northern operation and make them pay for what they did to my family and our people!"

A memory from three years earlier flashed through Hailey's mind. Yannick had returned from the northern operation gravely wounded, poisoned, and barely alive. Yannick's grandfather, Grayson Landry, had clutched her hand and begged her through tears.

"Hailey, I don't care if he ever makes a name for himself. I just want him to live a safe, ordinary life."

She had answered. "You have my word. As long as I'm alive, I'll keep him safe."

The memory faded. Hailey forced herself to say, "I've already put Cameron Andrade in charge of the northern operation. Don't bring it up again."

Then she added, her voice distant. "It isn't the fifteenth. You don't need to come to my room tonight."

She picked up the bottle and started upstairs.

Yannick clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white as he sneered, "You keep me trapped in this villa because of your own selfish obsession. Northgate is at our door, and you still won't let me do the one thing I've wanted all my life?"

Hailey's chest tightened, but she offered no explanation and continued upstairs.

Yannick watched her leave, resentment burning in his eyes.

*****

At St. Grace Church, Quade opened the church doors and immediately saw the bloodless pallor of Hailey's lips. Alarm flashed across his face as he hurried over and took her hand.

Hailey let him hold her wrist. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I came to drink with you again."

Worry broke through his usual composure. "Hailey, if you keep doing this to yourself, you have three months at most. After that, all I'll be able to do is pray for you."

The moment he finished speaking, darkness closed over Hailey's vision, and she collapsed into his arms.

She did not return to the villa until the following evening.

When she opened the master bedroom door, the setting sun spilled through the windows. Yannick sat at the desk waiting for her.

He looked at her pale, weakened face and said coldly, "The woman who runs the Serrano family, sneaking around with a priest. I have to admit, that's a new one."