My Husband Betrayed Me, I Took His Company

Chapter 3

Late at night.

On the massive king-size bed, Serena and Liam lay on their own sides, a stretch of empty space between them.

Serena couldn't sleep at all. All she could think about was everything Tina had dug up.

Then, out of nowhere, Liam stirred beside her.

He tested the waters, whispering her name. "Serena? Serena?"

She didn't answer. She just closed her eyes.

Liam seemed to let out a breath of relief and slipped out of the bedroom without a sound.

She got up too and followed him, step by step.

Sure enough, he headed straight for the study.

A memory from a long time ago came flooding back.

Back then, she was the princess of the Collins family, the apple of her parents' eyes.

They'd already arranged a match for her with someone from a good family, but she only had eyes for Liam, a guy with nothing to his name.

She'd even turned her back on the family who loved her most, all for him.

And now? Liam's company was booming. He was someone important, someone impressive.

She'd actually been naive enough to think that this Christmas, she'd take him home in style and show her parents she'd made the right call. That they'd finally accept him.

Thinking about it now, the whole thing was just a giant joke.

She went back to the bedroom, pulled out her phone, and stared at her contacts. Her mind was at war with itself.

In the end, she typed out a message and hit send:

Mom, I miss you.

After that, she didn't sleep a wink.

At dawn, she got up and walked to the window. Right there in the yard of the villa next door, she watched Liam open the car door for Chloe like the perfect gentleman. Chloe's face was glowing with happiness. They drove off together.

But weirdly enough, she felt nothing.

Maybe when the pain cuts deep enough, all that's left is numbness.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

It was her mom:

Sweetheart, I miss you too. When can you come home? Let me see my girl again!

Serena's eyes filled up fast, tears spilling down her cheeks before she could stop them.

She wiped them away quickly and started packing.

Then she sat down at her vanity and put on her makeup, trying to hide the dark circles and the exhaustion on her face.

The Collins Estate.

Seeing everything so familiar, Serena's heart was a mess of emotions.

"Madam! Madam! Miss Serena is home! She's back!"

The old maid's voice rang out, all excited.

Everyone in the house came pouring out.

Serena spotted her mom standing right in front and couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around her.

"Serena! My Serena! Five years... honey, you've wasted away!"

Her dad chimed in, his voice thick with concern. "Hmph. Liam's a big shot now. You should be living like a queen. Is he not treating you right?"

"Yeah, Serena, why didn't he come with you today?"

Those words made Serena feel even worse.

"He..."

But her throat locked up like there was a bone stuck in it. She couldn't get a single word out.

Right then, a warm, clear voice cut through. "Maybe Mr. Bennett was too busy with work to come along."

Serena looked up and met a pair of bright, gentle eyes.

The man was wearing a perfectly tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses. Everything about him screamed class and refinement.

He gave her a polite nod.

This guy was Nathan Cole, the man her parents had wanted her to marry all those years ago.

"You..."

Her mom jumped in quickly.

"Serena, you remember Nathan, don't you? He just got back from overseas and came by to visit us. What a coincidence that you showed up too. Today's a double blessing!

"That Liam, he's made it big but never bothers to come see us old folks. Forget about him. Come on, let's go inside."

In the living room, her dad couldn't stop talking about Liam.

"Serena, ask Liam when he's free. He stole our most precious daughter from us. The least he could do is come see us officially. Tell him we might not have approved back then, but you two have been married five years now. As parents, we've accepted it. He needs to come visit, and soon!"

Serena took a deep breath and came clean. "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry... I let you down. I... I was wrong about him. He's been cheating on me. He has... a child with another woman!"

Her voice broke as she told them everything Liam had done.

Her parents' faces went pale with shock, then red with anger. They pulled her into a tight hug.

"That rotten, no-good Liam! How dare he! How dare he do this to you!"

"Just because he's got money now, he thinks he can walk all over you and the Collins family?!"

Her dad was fuming, his face turning purple. "I'm calling him right now. I'll tell him to get his sorry self over here. Does he think we're all dead?"

Serena grabbed his arm. "Dad! Mom! Please don't get upset. I'm okay. I've got a plan. At the company gala in a few days, I'm going to destroy him."

Nathan, who'd been quietly sitting off to the side, raised an eyebrow. He spoke in that calm voice of his. "Need help?"

Serena shook her head. "No thanks."

She knew what he must be thinking. She'd walked away from him, picked Liam instead, and now here she was, a total mess. He was probably laughing at her on the inside.

But honestly? She couldn't care less.

The day of the company gala arrived. Serena sat at her vanity, taking her sweet time getting ready.

Chloe, already done up to the nines, walked in with little Leo in tow.

"Serena, are you almost ready?"

Liam came in right behind her, his face full of impatience. “How long's this gonna take?”

Serena kept doing her makeup, not even bothering to look at either of them. "Probably going to take a while. If you can't wait, just go ahead without me."

Chloe covered her mouth with a little laugh. "Mr. Bennett, don't rush her. Today's the company gala. As your wife, Serena probably wants to steal the show. Take your time, sis. We're in no hurry."

Liam snorted. "I've got a ton of stuff to deal with at the office. My time's valuable. I'm not gonna sit around waiting. I'll take Chloe to the venue first."

Serena answered flatly, "Fine by me."

Liam shot her a puzzled look but didn't think much of it.

They left. A little while later, Tina pulled up in her car.

Serena grabbed her clutch, calm and collected, and got in.

Tina drove as she filled her in.

"Liam called a board meeting for today. He's planning to 'expose' the evidence of you embezzling funds at the gala. Then he's gonna kick you off the board and buy out your shares at a rock-bottom price."

Serena smiled. "We'll see who ends up on the ground."