Waited For His Love, I Divorced Instead

Chapter 3

The accusation made Hailey's fingers curl tightly into her palm, her fingertips turning white.

She met Yannick's eyes without guilt or hesitation. "There is nothing between Father Quade and me. There never has been."

Yannick stared back at her with open contempt.

Bitterness flooded Hailey's chest. She closed her eyes briefly, hiding her exhaustion. "I'm tired. I need to rest. Please leave."

She walked farther into the room. As she passed him, Yannick caught her wrist and yanked her into his arms!

The sudden movement knocked a pair of glasses from the desk. One struck the floor with a sharp c***k and split in two.

Yannick gave her a cold, dangerous smile. "I'm still your husband, at least in name. I should stay and keep you company."

Hailey's face went white. Quade's warning echoed in her mind. Except on the fifteenth of each month, when she drew the poison from Yannick's body, she could not be intimate with him. If the toxins could not disperse, her life would be in immediate danger.

"No!"

Hailey fought him with all her strength, but Yannick forced her onto the bed.

Her clothes fell into disarray as he pinned her beneath him. She trembled uncontrollably.

There was no tenderness in him. The pain in her chest sharpened with every rough movement until she could only close her eyes in despair and weakly loop her arms around his neck.

Before long, agony tore through her chest, and the taste of blood surged into her throat. She bit down hard on her lip, her fingers closed around Yannick's shoulder.

He paused only briefly. Mistaking her pain for rejection, he became even rougher.

An hour passed before the room finally went still.

Yannick looked down at Hailey, curled on the bed, weak and disheveled. His expression was unreadable. Then he dressed and left.

Only after the door closed and his footsteps faded did Hailey let her body go slack. A violent coughing fit seized her.

Blood poured from her mouth and soaked the pillow within moments.

She swept the diamond ornament from the bedside table. Her assistant, who had been waiting outside, rushed in at the sound.

"Go to St. Grace Church. Bring Father Quade here. Now."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Hailey lost consciousness.

*****

Hailey sank into a deep sleep and dreamed of the distant past.

On the eve of the northern conflict, Felix Landry, Yannick's brother, sat atop an off-road vehicle in full field gear, looking every inch the fearless young commander.

He smiled at her. "Hailey, when I win and come home, I'll bring you the rarest gemstone in the north and have it made into something beautiful for you."

The dream shifted. A black hearse entered the city. Yannick returned carrying his brother's portrait and looked at Hailey with solemn determination. "My brother's gone. From now on, I'll protect you in his place."

The scene changed again to their wedding night three years earlier. Yannick lifted her veil, and Hailey looked up with hope and joy, only to meet cold disgust in his eyes...

In the waking world, Hailey murmured Yannick's name in her sleep. "Yannick..."

Quade stood beside the bed and watched a tear slip from the corner of her eye.

A tangle of emotion crossed his face. Almost without thinking, he reached out and brushed the warm tear away.

The instant his fingertip touched her skin, his body stiffened. He quickly composed himself, withdrew his hand, and turned to the assistant at the door. "Stay with her. I'm going to prepare her medicine."

Quade walked out through the villa gates and came face-to-face with Yannick, who had returned.

Both men stopped.

Quade's expression cooled.

Yannick looked him over with undisguised hostility. "I didn't realize she'd gotten bold enough to bring a priest home."

"Mr. Landry!" Quade closed both hands around the cross at his chest. "I came to give Ms. Serrano acupuncture and stabilize her condition."

Yannick scoffed and moved past him.

As they crossed paths, Quade could not stop himself from saying, "Haven't you noticed how much weaker she's become over the last six months?"

Yannick acted as though he had not heard and went straight to the master bedroom.

The assistant bowed. "Mr. Landry!"

Yannick ordered coldly. "Out."

The assistant hurried from the room.

Yannick approached the bed and looked down at Hailey, whose face was almost pale.

The woman who was usually so decisive and commanding looked frighteningly fragile.

His brow furrowed before he realized it. He stepped closer just as Hailey slowly opened her eyes.

Standing against the light, Yannick's tall figure blurred with Felix's uniformed silhouette from her dream.

Hailey's breathing was weak. Instinctively, she whispered, "Felix..."

That single name darkened Yannick's face. His voice turned ice-cold. "You really did love my brother, didn't you?"