2

The moment Richard realized how tightly he was gripping her wrist, his expression changed.

His fingers loosened immediately.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his voice softening. "I'm sorry. I was worried. You left the mansion without telling anyone."

Kendra stared at him. The concern in his eyes made her stomach twist. What a talented liar.

Just a few hours ago, she had stood outside a locked room listening to him make plans with her best friend.

And now he was standing here looking at her as though she was the most important person in his life.

The hypocrisy made her sick. Without saying a word, she yanked her hand away from him.

Richard frowned. "Ken..."

His voice lowered. "I'm sorry about that."

Kendra remained silent. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. It wasn't my intention."

He took a step closer."I'm really sorry."

Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her.

Kendra's entire body stiffened, she wanted to push him away, wanted to scream, wanted to ask him why.

Why had he betrayed her? Why had he chosen Freya? Why had he looked her in the eyes every day and lied so effortlessly?

"Richard," she said quietly.

He hummed.

"I'm tired." she said, voice sounded distant even to her own ears.

"I need to rest." And pushed him away.

This time, there was no warmth in her movements.

Before either of them could say another word, his phone rang.

The vibration came from his pocket.

Immediately, his attention shifted.

He glanced at the screen and without hesitation, he turned around and walked away.

Kendra let out a bitter laugh. She didn't need to see the caller's name. She already knew it was Freya.

Who else could make him abandon everything so quickly?

A sharp ache spread through her chest.

For years, Freya had sat beside her, shared meals with her, gone shopping with her, spent nights talking about life and love.

And all that time, she had been sleeping with her husband.

Kendra closed her eyes, every conversation suddenly had a different meaning.

Every secret.

Every smile.

Every piece of advice.

Everything felt fake now.

She remembered countless nights when Freya would giggle while talking about some mysterious man she was in love with.

Back then, Kendra had listened with excitement, she even encouraged her, supported her, teased her.

Never once imagining that the mysterious man was Richard.

Her husband.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

What a fool she had been, she had trusted them and now she was paying the price.

Slowly, she made her way upstairs.

The moment she entered her bedroom, she locked the door behind her. She walked toward the bedside table and picked up the landline.

"Please bring my bag upstairs," she instructed the driver.

"Yes, Madam." Less than ten minutes later, there was a knock.

A maid entered carrying the bag. She placed it on the table before leaving quietly.

The room became silent once again.

Kendra sat down on the edge of the bed, her fingers trembled slightly, she pressed her lips together.

"I'll always blame myself for this." Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

"I was such a fool."

Her gaze drifted toward the window.

Memories began flooding her mind.

She and Freya had been inseparable during college.

Everyone knew them as the perfect best friends.When Richard entered their lives during their final year, Freya had shown absolutely no interest in him.

At least that was what Kendra believed.

Freya had practically encouraged her relationship with Richard.

She had been the one pushing them together.The one cheering for them.The one who told Kendra she deserved a man like him.

Thinking about it now made her want to laugh. She stood and poured herself a glass of water but the water didn't ease the burning sensation in her chest.

No amount of water could wash away betrayal.

No amount of tears could erase what she had heard.

"But I promise you, Richard Thompson..." A cold smile appeared on her lips. "I'll take back everything I ever gave you."

Every single thing.

With that silent vow burning inside her chest, she lay down on the bed and drifted into sleep.

-

The next morning, Kendra woke before sunrise, had her bath, got dressed in a stunning magenta dress that hugged her figure perfectly.

A pair of elegant white stilettos completed the outfit.

Her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail and her makeup concealed every trace of the sleepless night.

No one would look at her and see a broken woman, no one would see the devastation inside her.

They would only see perfection and that was exactly what she wanted.

If Richard thought he could destroy her and walk away untouched...she wasn't joking when she promised to take everything back.

Starting with the company she handed over to him, the CEO position she had helped him obtain.

She had built him and she could destroy him, what he didn’t know. When she reached the living room, she immediately noticed familiar faces.

Richard's younger sister, Sofia and his grandmother, Grace.

Kendra raised an eyebrow.What are they doing here so early?

The moment Grace saw her, her face brightened.

"Kendra, my dear!"The old woman waved excitedly. "Come here."

Kendra smiled politely and walked over.

Sofia's expression darkened instantly. The dislike between them was no secret.

Richard, however, seemed momentarily distracted.

His gaze lingered on Kendra, staring at how the fitted dress highlighted her figure beautifully.

For a brief moment, surprise crossed his face.

Then a smirk appeared. 'Is she trying to impress me?'

He looked away. 'I'll never feel anything for you.'

"Kendra, dear."

Grace patted the seat beside her.

The moment Kendra sat down, the old woman grabbed her hand.

"I was discussing something important with your husband."

Kendra smiled. "Oh?"

"When are you two finally giving me a great-grandchild?"

Before Kendra could answer, Sofia rolled her eyes. "Will this old lady give you a grandchild?"

"Sofia." Richard's voice turned cold instantly.

"Say one more disrespectful thing and I'll throw you out myself."

Sofia scoffed.

Although Richard didn't love Kendra, he never allowed anyone to openly disrespect her.

Kendra ignored Sofia completely.

Instead, she turned toward Grace.

A sad smile appeared on her face. "Granny..."

She lowered her eyes. "It's not my fault."

Grace frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kendra sighed softly.

"Richard never told you he doesn't want children?"

Richard froze and his eyes widened, he didn’t expect her to say that.

Grace slowly turned toward her grandson. "Is that true?"

"Granny, that's not what—"

"Then what's the problem?" Kendra interrupted gently. "Can't you have children?"

Richard stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Because you clearly told me you didn't want children and asked me to wait until you were ready."

"Kendra."

His jaw tightened. "What the hell are you saying?"

Grace's expression darkened.

Meanwhile, Kendra remained perfectly composed.

Even though hearing those old lies still hurt.She remembered how many times she had sent him cute baby videos. How many times she had talked about starting a family.

"Even if he said that," Sofia muttered, "couldn't you cover for your husband?"

Kendra looked directly at her. "No, I don't know how to lie. My parents didn't raise me that way."

"Granny..." he started.

But Grace cut him off. "You lied to me, you told me Kendra didn't want children because she was afraid of childbirth."

The old woman's disappointment was obvious. "I can't believe this."

Richard stood abruptly.

"Seriously, Richard?" Kendra asked softly.

"Did I ever say that? You always objected it, claiming you want the company to expand before having child, you hated the idea from the start!" For once, she wasn't hiding her bitterness.

Richard's expression darkened, he wasn’t expecting the obedient Kendra to speak against him.

Then suddenly he reached her side and grabbed her wrist.

"You want a child, right?"

"Richard—"

"Granny, I'd like to satisfy my wife, she wants a child." Before anyone could react, he pulled her to her feet.

Kendra stumbled. "Richard!"