Chapter 3
After making sure the divorce papers were signed, I turned and made my way to the bedroom.
All the designer outfits, bags, and luxury pieces I left at the Donaldson residence meant nothing to me, so they could stay.
But there was one thing I had to take with me—a gold hairpin my late grandma had left me. It was a family heirloom.
When I returned to the bedroom, the unfamiliar interior furnishings stopped me cold. All my clothes and belongings were gone.
The air carried the scent of another woman's perfume.
Wasn't this Valeria's scent? It seemed she had taken over my bedroom in my absence.
Just as I was searching for the gold hairpin, Wayne unexpectedly returned. He paced briefly behind me before saying, "Look… I overreacted today and embarrassed you in front of everyone. But I'm the head of the Donaldsons, so I have to be fair to maintain respect. If you'd just go and apologize to Valeria…"
"Excuse me," I said, completely ignoring his words.
He grabbed my wrist and anxiously snapped, "I told you! Valeria and I aren't like what you think!"
His desperation was almost funny to me, so I chuckled and asked in return, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Please don't do this, Shelby," he said. "The Donaldsons need an heir, and since you can't conceive, why won't you let another woman carry on the Donaldson family name?"
I jerked my head up and gawked at him in disbelief.
Had Wayne forgotten that three years ago, he had driven drunk and landed in a car crash that nearly killed him?
I had desperately dragged him out of the wreckage, and when it exploded, the shrapnel had caused me severe injuries.
When the doctors announced that I might never conceive again, he swore with red-rimmed eyes, "You're all I need in this lifetime, Shelby."
But now, he had forgotten that vow and let another woman bear his child behind my back.
Seemingly realizing he had misspoken, he turned away and added, "Whatever. There's a family dinner tonight, so don't forget to be there."
After a pause, he explained, "This room is the quietest in the house, and Valeria needs rest, so she and the baby will be staying here for now. I've moved your belongings to the storage room in the south wing.
Do this for me, Shelby. Don't cause trouble today and tarnish your reputation as Mrs. Donaldson."
I gave him a long, cold look and walked out. Since I was leaving, which room I stayed in no longer mattered.
I found the gold hairpin in the storage room and carefully tucked it away. After removing the wedding ring from my finger, I casually tossed it into the trash can.
Chapter 4
As I was about to leave, I saw the entire Donaldson family gathered in the main hall.
Wayne and Valeria stood in the center holding their baby, looking every bit the picture of a happy family.
When the Donaldsons noticed me, the looks they gave me were sharp and judgmental.
"As Mrs. Donaldson, how dare she arrive late to a Donaldson family dinner. She has no manners at all!"
"Shelby can't have children, yet she still tries to stop others from having them. If I were her, I'd have left with nothing. How does she even have the face to cling to the Donaldsons?"
Maria was as sarcastic as ever.
I almost laughed at her haughtiness. Sure enough, it was amazing how wealth changed someone.
When we first met, Maria was just an ordinary housewife living in a cramped apartment. She held my hand and enthusiastically said, "We'd be family from now on. I'd treat you like my daughter."
When she learned that I could no longer conceive after saving Wayne in an accident, she hugged me, cried, and swore. "Child or not, you're the only daughter-in-law of the Donaldsons. I'll be the first to stand up for you if anyone ever messes with you!"
Now that the Donaldsons were wealthy, she had lost her humanity.
Wayne turned to look at me with hesitation in his eyes. His lips moved to speak, but he ended up saying nothing.
As I turned to leave, Valeria approached with a glass of wine and suddenly lunged at me. When I stepped aside to dodge, she collapsed onto the floor, and the wine glass shattered around her.
"I was just trying to give you a toast, Mrs. Donaldson. Why did you push me?"
I coldly watched her pathetic performance and was too unbothered to engage. But Wayne charged over from afar and shoved me back so hard that I hit the floor.
"Valeria! Are you okay?" he gasped in concern and helped her up.
"I'm fine, Wayne. I just think I've sprained my ankle," she theatrically complained.
Wayne immediately turned to glare at me and furiously snapped, "I'm so disappointed in you, Shelby! Did you really have to go this far? Apologize to Valeria right now!"
Valeria had tripped over on her own, yet Wayne was demanding that I apologize to her. She wasn't even hurt, while I was shoved into a pool of broken shards with blood trickling down my hand.
But Wayne didn't even notice. He helped Valeria up and rushed her to the hospital.
After the farce was over, I left the Donaldson residence and got into the Maybach waiting by the curb.
Then, I popped the SIM card out of my phone and flicked it out the window.
Goodbye, Wayne.