His Final Betrayal Was My First Move Chapter 05

His Final Betrayal Was My First Move Chapter 05

The shock on Griffin’s face was like a mask cracking. “Ex-husband?” he repeated, his voice full of disbelief. “Amelia, what are you talking about? Since when am I your ex-husband?”

I met his stunned gaze and the doctor’s questioning look, then calmly blinked, as if correcting a harmless slip of the tongue.

“I said he’ll be paying the bill, Doctor. Maybe I didn’t pronounce it clearly.”

It was an absurd excuse, but he believed it. Or rather, he wanted to believe it. The tension in his face instantly eased, and his usual gentle expression returned.

“Of course. I’ll handle all the expenses.” He turned to the doctor, then came back to my side and took my hand, his voice filled with the relief of a man who’d just dodged a bullet. “You scared me, Amelia. I’ve been working on a tech acquisition lately and have been too busy to be with you properly. That’s my fault.”

Another project. Another excuse. I watched him lie without a change in expression, my own eyes betraying nothing.

“If you’re that busy, you don’t have to come,” I said. “I can manage on my own.”

But he thought I was still angry and immediately tried to compensate.

“It’s my fault. How about this? I’ll have my assistant send over the newest Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels catalogs. See what you like. Or is there something else you want? I’ll buy it for you.”

He thought jewelry and luxury goods were universal bandages that could mend any crack. Just as he had done countless times before, he used money and gifts to fill the void left by his absence.

“I don’t need any of it.” I gently pulled my hand from his and looked him in the eye for the first time. “Griffin, you’ve given me so much jewelry, but you never knew that the only thing I like are simple, plain platinum bands.”

I paused, then delivered the final blow.

“You don’t have to give me anything anymore.”

Griffin’s smile vanished completely, replaced by a panic I had never seen on him before.

“You’re my wife, Amelia! It’s only natural for me to buy you gifts. How could that be a bother?”

Yes. His wife.

Not for much longer, I thought.

After we returned to the Beacon Hill apartment, Griffin postponed several days of appointments to show his remorse, staying home to “work.”

I began to clean house.

I opened the safe in the walk-in closet and took out every glittering piece of jewelry he had ever given me, placing them one by one into their velvet boxes. I removed the logo-stamped gowns from their hangers, the ones that represented my identity as “Mrs. Griffin Whitaker,” and folded them neatly. There were also our wedding photos, the razor he kept in the study, the matching insulated cups… everything that carried his mark was packed away.

Griffin came out of the study. Seeing the boxes piled in the living room, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Amelia? What are you doing? Are we moving?”

He was about to ask more when his phone rang.

The name lighting up the screen was Daphne.

All expression was wiped from Griffin’s face, leaving only a reflexive urgency. Without looking at me again, he turned toward the door while answering the call, his voice low but full of comfort.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m on my way.”

I stood beside the stacks of boxes and quietly watched him disappear through the door.

Then I picked up my phone and called a Boston charity.

“Hello. I have some designer gowns and jewelry, all nearly new, that I’d like to donate. Can you send someone to pick them up today?”

I had just finished making the arrangements when the foundation’s assistant called, her voice anxious.

“Mrs. Whitaker, the Sotheby’s annual charity auction is about to begin. Are you… still coming?”

This was one of the Whitaker Family Foundation’s most important social events of the year. As the hostess, I should have attended with Griffin.

I hung up, changed into a simple black dress, and went to the venue.

The auction hall was buzzing, but I immediately spotted the center of the commotion.

Daphne stood in front of a display case, arguing with Victoria, the daughter of another Boston real estate magnate. Inside the glass case lay an intricate and lavish antique diamond necklace.

“Victoria, it’s called first come, first served. I saw this necklace first!” Daphne’s voice was sweet and wounded.

Victoria folded her arms and sneered. “Auctions are about money, Daphne, not about who can cry the loudest. You like it. I like it. Let’s see who can afford it.”

Just then, Daphne saw Griffin hurrying in. As if spotting her savior, she immediately hooked her arm through his and pulled him in front of her.

“Griffin, look at her!”

Griffin’s appearance instantly escalated the war between the two women. Victoria’s gaze circled over him and Daphne, the contempt in her eyes sharpening.

She turned to Griffin, her red lips curving into a provocative arc.

“Griffin Whitaker, since your little princess wants it so badly,” she said, pointing at the necklace, her voice not loud, but clear enough for everyone around them to hear, “prove it. Whoever wins this necklace gets to keep it. Let’s all see who really deserves it.”