The Wife He Tried To Erase Chapter 03
There were no hysterics like everyone expected.
Emilia pushed herself up slowly from the floor.
Expressionless, she pulled the largest shard from her palm and dropped it onto a nearby waiter’s tray.
The crisp clink rang out like a slap across the faces of everyone in formal attire.
The lobby manager hurried over, drenched in sweat, his voice trembling. “Mrs. Gallagher, Mr. Gallagher instructed that you—”
“That I clean everything up, right?” Her voice was soft, but perfectly clear.
She didn’t look at him. Instead, she raised her blood-stained right hand and slowly removed the diamond ring from her left ring finger.
It was the symbol of the Gallagher family matriarch. That rare pink diamond once shocked the entire New York.
This ring was appraised at five million dollars.
Emilia casually tossed it into the mess of red wine and shattered glass.
“Is that enough to cover the wine and the carpet?”
The manager turned pale. “T-This is far too valuable…”
“Is it still not enough?” She tilted her head slightly. “Put it on Nicholas’ tab then.
“After all, he’s the one who wrecked the place to make his favorite person smile.”
After that, she didn’t look at anyone again.
Dragging her still-bleeding leg, she walked out of the glittering ballroom one step at a time.
Inside the backseat of the black Maybach, Valentina leaned against Nicholas. Her face was pale as she clutched his jacket. “Nicky, am I going to die? My chest hurts so much…”
He didn’t respond.
His long fingers idly scrolled on the iPad. The screen showed live surveillance from the ballroom.
On-screen, the woman who had always been gentle and never even raised her voice, tossed her ring into the trash.
Nicholas adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes narrowed slightly behind the lenses.
“Nicky?” Valentina noticed his distraction. Jealousy flickered in her eyes as she pressed closer. “What are you looking at?”
“A rabbit that learned how to bite,” he replied in a calm tone as he turned off the screen.
Instead of comforting her like usual, he lifted his hand and pinched her chin between two fingers. The pressure wasn’t harsh, but it forced her to look up at him.
“Tina.”
His voice was low and smooth, but cold. “The doctor said last month that your heart condition won’t relapse as long as your emotions stay stable.”
Her pupils shrank, and her body stiffened. “I…”
“That was a good performance today.” Nicholas released her. “But that’s all. I don’t like people who get greedy.
“I told you I won’t divorce. As long as you behave, you’ll still get what you want.”
He’d seen through Valentina’s act long ago, but he didn’t care.
To him, it was simply a strong dose of medicine for Emilia.
The old Emilia had been too dull, loved too completely, and was as bland and self-effacing as plain water.
But now, watching the blood-covered woman on the screen, defiant to the core, he felt a long-forgotten spark of excitement.
Nicholas spoke to the assistant in the front seat. “Retrieve the ring and clean it.”
Then, he closed his eyes, as if already seeing the outcome. “Leave the door unlocked. When she comes back, have her wear the ring and kneel in the study. She can only eat once she admits she was wrong.”
The car drove steadily toward the hospital.
Emilia didn’t end up wandering the streets as he expected.
She stood in a roadside phone booth, soaked through, blood dripping from the hem of her dress.
With trembling fingers, she dialed a number she hadn’t touched in three years.
It rang once before being picked up.
A man’s lazy voice came through, edged with a hint of roughness. “Who is this?”
Emilia gripped the receiver. Her tears finally broke free.
“Zachary.”
Silence fell instantly on the other end.
She closed her eyes and used every bit of strength to say the words. “I’m Emilia. You once said if I ever turned back, you’d still be there. Does that still count?”
Two seconds later, the screech of brakes sounded through the line. When Zachary Acevedo spoke again, his voice trembled despite being forced to be steady. “Emilia, don’t move. I’m coming to get you right now.”
She replied, “No. Come in four days.”