Wife Unwanted (Corrupt Vows #2)

Chapter 26

Thalia

MY HUSBAND OF five years was a handsome man. Jet black hair, blue eyes and a tall, muscular frame that would make any Hollywood star jealous. Add to that, he was filthy rich, too. Any woman would think I am lucky, but I couldn't wait to get rid of him. He didn't want to be with me, and I didn't want to be with him. It was a dreary marriage we subjected to each other, but you wouldn't guess it, just by looking at us. He was the perfect arm candy, and I tried my best to be the same for him. That's the least I could do in this god awful marriage and tonight, I was doing my part.

Attending the Witz ball was a time-honored tradition amongst New York elites. As an annual fundraising for the arts and the grand opera house, it was the most sought after ticket on the calender. Besides seeing and being seen, there were plenty of artists who performed all for the low low price of two thousand five hundred per plate.

As a patron, Carey was obliged to be present. He inherited the position from his father and was the only person in his family who cared about the Opera house. And as Carey's wife, I had to been seen to be supportive. I wondered what Nolan Sr would think of me now that I was leaving his son. I doubt I could do it while he was alive. The man was too controlling to not find a way to put a stop to it. The longer I stayed with him, the harder it would be to leave, I told myself.

I turned my attention to the party, banishing all the nasty thoughts about my divorce. The gala had truly started yet. Some people were still arriving and most people were in the foyer getting to know each other. Anyone who was anyone in New York was here tonight and they were all dressed in stunning evening gowns and tuxedos. The bright lights, the buzzing crowd and the clash of assorted perfumes made the room that much more confining. The longer we stayed in the foyer, the more I realize how much I would rather be anywhere but here. Every once in a while I would check the time, wondering when the show will start.

Carey felt stiff beside me as I held his arm. I wondered what he was thinking. We barely spoke since I presented him with the divorce papers and a week later, he hadn't done or say anything about it. If he was talking to a lawyer, I wonder what that lawyer had said to him. He knew better than to act foolish in a matter like this.

"Stop fidgeting," Carey said after another quick glance at my phone.

My gaze went to him. We were still locked arm in arm."I ama not looking forward to staying here all night, just so you know."

"You don't have to stay. You can leave whenever you want."

"Now even?"

He chuckled. "Know your obligations, wife."

"Soon to be ex-wife," I muttered.

He swung me to his side in a sudden move that shocked me until I realized he was sidestepping a waiter with a tray full of glasses. My heart raced and quickly, before I realized it, I had my hand on his chest and my arm around his waist. My cheek rested against his heart and I could hear it beating fast.

"Are you okay?" His voice was tender and made my heart clench. I slowly withdrew from his embrace and cleared my throat, shameful for clinging to him like that. I nodded. It should not have felt like this, not after all these years, but here I was feeling shaky at being embraced by him. I was about to thank him when his attention turned away from me. His eyes glinted, and I followed his gaze. As soon as I realized who he was looking at, my stomach dropped.

His girlfriend. He would never admit it, but I knew. They had been seeing each other for the better part of a year now. I shouldn't be mad. The only problem was that she was too beautiful. Every time I was in her presence, she made obvious how little I measured up as Carey's wife. Gemma had an easy sophistication I could never pull off, and it sucked to acknowledge why Carey liked her. I watched her as she glided across the room, greeting and hugging people until she saw us.

Gemma waved and waltzed over to us. Better give the lovers space, I thought as I tried to disentangle my hand from Carey's arm, but he held me closer to him until it was too late to leave and not make it seem awkward. "Hi!" Gemma flashed a bright white smile. "I was looking for the two of you. I didn't know you were already here."

Make that one of you. I doubt Gemma cared I was here or not. However, she was very cordial for a mistress and never tried to claim her territory in public. "So what do you think," she said gesturing at the crowd, "quite an attendance don't you think? Kelly thinks this is going to be our biggest yet."

Carey hugged her. "You've really outdone yourself."

"Thanks." She was beaming with pride when she separated from him and turned to me. I had to give my own obligatory hug, much as I hated it. Try as I might, even after five years of a dead marriage, I still felt jealous when it came to her. I could never be her. Carey would never look at me the same way he looked at her, and that hurt. I clamped my jealousy down and plastered a smile. "Looks like it's going to be a hit."

"This is all your husband's doing." Gemma lightly punched Carey in the arm. "He's the one who suggested we invite bigger celebrities. The committee didn't want to spend more than was necessary, but even they have to admit it's going to be money well spent." Her enthusiasm was infectious. No wonder he liked her. I didn't care about the fundraiser, but suddenly I wanted to see it succeed. Gemma was a tough person to hate and the more Carey and her talked about the event, the less I wanted to be in their presence. That awful feeling of being a third wheel sat in and when I no longer could pretend that I was part of conversation I excused myself.

I scanned my gaze around the room and saw a familiar face. My heart warmed, and I immediately made a beeline towards the only person here who could make me feel good any day. Darcy Watson was fidgeting with the train of her dress with one hand while she balanced a ruby jeweled clutch and a wineglass in the other.

“Need help with that?” She jerked her head up, frowning, then beamed. She dropped her train and spread her arms wide open. “Hey you!” We greeted each other with air kisses. “Where’s the man of the hour?” she looked around and her eyes narrowed when her gaze landed on the Carey and Gemma.

“You don’t keep you man by leaving him to the vultures.”

“The vultures can keep him. I have filed for divorce.” A server passed us and I grabbed a drink from the tray. "As long as they're not making it obvious in public, it's whatever."

Darcy almost spit her drink. “What! When?”

“Last week. He hasn’t signed it, and thinks I am tricking him or whatever.”

“That's…big news. Are you sure about this?”

Carey felt stiff beside me as I held his arm. I wondered what he was thinking. We barely spoke since I presented him with the divorce papers and a week later, he hadn't done or said anything about it. If he was talking to a lawyer, I wouldn't know. He was discreet. He knew better than to act foolish in a matter like this.

"Stop fidgeting," Carey said after another quick glance at my phone.

My gaze went to him. We were still locked arm in arm."I ama not looking forward to staying here all night, just so you know."

"You don't have to stay. You can leave whenever you want."

"Now even?"

He chuckled. "Know your obligations, wife."

"Soon to be ex-wife," I muttered.

He swung me to his side in a sudden move that shocked me until I realized he was sidestepping a waiter with a tray full of glasses. My heart raced and quickly, before I realized it, I had my hand on his chest and my arm around his waist. My cheek rested against his heart and I could hear it beating fast.

"Are you okay." His voice was tender and made my heart clench. I slowly withdrew from his embrace and cleared my throat, shameful for clinging to him like that. I nodded. It should not have felt like this, not after all these years, but here I was feeling shaky at being embraced by him. I was about to thank him when his attention turned away from me. His eyes glinted, and I followed his gaze. As soon as I realized who he was looking at, my stomach dropped.

His girlfriend. He would never admit it, but I knew. They had been seeing each other for the better part of a year now. I shouldn't be mad. It was part of our agreement that we see other people as long as we don't make it obvious. The only problem was that she was too beautiful. Every time I was in her presence, I felt how little I measured up as Carey's wife. She had an easy sophistication I could never pull off, and it sucked to acknowledge why Carey liked her. I watched her as she glided across the room, greeting and hugging people until she saw us.

Gemma waved and waltzed over to us. Better give the lovers space, I thought as I tried to disentangle my hand from Carey's arm, but he held me closer to him until it was too late to leave and not make it seem awkward. "Hi!" Gemma flashed a bright white smile. "I was looking for the two of you. I didn't know you were already here."

Make that one of you. I doubt Gemma cared I was here or not. However, she was very cordial for a mistress and never tried to claim her territory in public. "So what do you think," she said gesturing at the crowd, "quite an attendance don't you think? Kelly thinks this is going to be our biggest yet."

Carey hugged her. "You've really outdone yourself."

"Thanks." She was beaming with pride when she separated from him and turned to me. I had to give my own obligatory hug, much as I hated it. Try as I might, even after five years of a dead marriage, I still felt jealous when it came to her. I could never be her. Carey would never look at me the same way he looked at her, and that hurt. I clamped my jealousy down and plastered a smile. "Looks like it's going to be a hit."

"It's all your husband's doing." Gemma lightly punched Carey in the arm. "He's the one who suggested we invite bigger celebrities. The committee didn't want to spend more than was necessary, but even they have to admit it's going to be money well spent." Her enthusiasm was infectious. No wonder he liked her.

Gemma was a tough person to hate, and the more Carey and she talked about the event, the less I wanted to be in their presence. That awful feeling of being a third wheel sat in and when I no longer could pretend that I was part of conversation I excused myself.

I scanned my gaze around the room and saw a familiar face. My heart warmed, and I immediately made a beeline towards the only person here who could make me feel good any day. Darcy was fidgeting with the train of her dress with one hand while she balanced a ruby jeweled clutch and a wineglass in the other.

“Need help with that?” She jerked her head up, frowning, then beamed. She dropped her train and spread her arms wide open. “Hey you!” We greeted each other with air kisses. “Where’s the man of the hour?” she looked around and her eyes narrowed when her gaze landed on the Carey and Gemma.

“You don’t keep you man by leaving him to the vultures.”

“The vultures can keep him. I have filed for divorce.” A server passed us and I grabbed a drink from the tray. "As long as they're not making it obvious in public, it's whatever."

Darcy almost spit her drink. “What! When?”

“Last week. He hasn’t signed it, and thinks I am tricking him or whatever.”

“That's…big news. Are you sure about this?”

I gulped down half of the contents of my wineglass, as a weight of dread pressed down on me. I nodded. “It’s about time I end this farce of a marriage.”

Darcy rubbed my arm in consolation. “You look smashing, by the way. Gold is amazing on you."

“Thanks.” The form-fitting sequined dress shimmered as though in response.

“I don’t know how he has any eyes of any other woman when you look as gorgeous as you do.”

“I mean, Gemma is really beautiful and charming…” And all the things I could never be.

Darcy was taller than most people at six feet and every time she spoke, she would bend her knees and her head. It made me feel like she was sharing a secret. "I don’t know," she said, peering beyond me. “I don’t see what you see. Your husband looks like he wants to devour you whenever you enter the room. Like even now, his gaze is on you.”

I made the mistake of turning to see if it was true, and Carey and I locked eyes. A thrill of electricity ran down my spine. I turned back to Darcy, heat creeping up my cheeks. “He’s probably thinking about how he can kill me and get away with it.”

Darcy titled her chin up, “Mhmm,” she frowned and took a swig of her wine, “you know him better than I. But divorce? Please tell me you at least got a good lawyer. I have some recommendations if you want a fighter who will take him to the cleaners. ”

“Thanks, but I am not going to fight him. I don’t want anything from him.”

“Prenup that good?”

“I’m forfeiting the prenup. I want nothing from him.”

Darcy’s eyes bulged. “Thalia darling. Are you sure about that? This is a Hawthorne we’re talking about. You could become a rich woman in your own right just from the divorce alone.”

“I want to be free of him.”

“You can be free and rich,” she shook her head, “you’re not thinking clearly,” and took out her phone from her purse and tapped it a couple of times. “Here’s her number,” my phone pinged, “listen to what she says. Trust me on this. You might be angry at him now, but you deserve something back for being married to him for what? Five years?”

I tell my friend everything, but I had never told her the real reason I married Carey. She, like most people, thought it was for love which had soured over the years and I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. My shame would not let me. “Darcy.”

She raised her hand to quiet me. “Just because you came with quote unquote ‘nothing in your marriage’ doesn’t mean you didn’t earn anything during it. Oh god.” Her gaze darted beyond me and her face scrounged in disgust, “It’s the pastel squad.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t tell me they're coming here.”

She smirked. “Sorry friend.”

As soon as I turned around toward her gaze, the two women were making their way over to us. The former models towered over most people just like Darcy, but unlike Darcy, they made me feel like a hobbit whenever I stood next to them. Their gowns weren’t pastel, but they were similar in style. Bree wore a midnight blue dress that showed off her cosmetically enhanced cleavage while Rhea’s dress, while cut, similarly did little to enhance her much smaller bust. They were short a third comrade.

“Where’s Vi?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Darcy said. “Her husband sent her to Bulgaria after that scandal with the chef. Rumor has it he has her under technical house arrest. But if she was fucking the help, keeping her indoors won’t do anything, but that’s just me.”

“Fuck. When did it happen? Is she okay?” I never liked Violet. She was the meanest of the bunch, but she didn’t deserve to be confined in a mansion in some foreign country, even though she cheated on her husband.

“A couple of weeks ago. She’s okay. I spoke to her like yesterday, and she seems fine. And knowing her pliant husband. They’ve probably made up. That old man loves his trophies.” Bree and Rhea arrived at that moment and the subject immediately changed. We all exchanged air kisses, after which Bree complimented my dress. I returned the compliment with one of my own. She had stunning jewelry that wasn't as tacky as her usual picks. Darcy and I spoke to them for several minutes and when the conversation turned to modelling, I tuned out. Scanning the room, my gaze landed on him again. He was staring at me, his lip curled. I wanted to scoff. He probably hates that I am associating with known fortune hunters. Whatever.

But his obvious low opinion still rankled, and when we took our seats in the loge and the show started, I turned my gaze on Carey. “It’s not what you think,” I whispered to Carey. He continued to watch the performance, his gaze on the stage. I was about to repeat myself when his jaw clenched, then he said, “I didn’t say anything.”

As I continued to stare at his beautiful side profile, I realized that whatever I said, he would never believe. Trying to make him see that I wasn’t the awful woman he thought I was was a futile effort.

“Yes.” He turned to face me. “You will get your divorce.”

That’s what I wanted right. I should be happy. But all I felt was deep sadness.