Chapter 7N
His gaze landed on the framed photo on the wall.
He blinked, confused at first. It was the photo of him in a suit, looking confident, happy even. But something was off. Reina was gone. She had been standing next to him in that picture, he was sure of it. But now? Just him, standing alone.
Jericho’s breath caught. He stumbled back a few steps like the air had been knocked out of him. His heart thudded in his chest, fast and heavy. His thoughts blurred into static.
He sank onto the couch, gripping the edge like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Cold sweat second, he forgot how to breathe.}
Ckled down his spine. For a
The sun outside was bright, warm. But inside, everything felt hollow. Cold. Like the world had gone completely silent.
Then his phone rang. He shot upright, grabbed it and answered in a rush. “Hello? Reina?”
But it wasn’t her.
“Mr. Greene?” Margot’s voice came through, soft, almost sweet. “Did Reina really leave? Do you want me to talk to her? I can explain everything. Let her know what we are, or aren’t.”
Her concern sounded genuine, but something about the way she said it made his skin crawl. Jericho’s eyes narrowed. “When exactly did you go see her?”
There was a pause on the other end. Then Margot’s voice cracked, a little breathless. “Why would You know I’d never do anything to hurt your marriage.
you even ask
that? I love you, Jericho,
“You said I could stay in the shadows. I was okay with that. I still am, as long as I have you.“} He rubbed his temple. She sounded like she always did, pitiful, patient, desperate to please. He didn’t think she’d have the guts to go behind his back and confront Reina.
His voice dropped, calmer now. “Alright, alright. I was just asking. Don’t stress yourself out. Once I find Reina, I’ll take you to your checkup, okay?”
He hung up and started pacing. He looked everywhere, on the shelves, under cushions, the drawer near the door, anything that might tell him where she went. Maybe she had left a note. Maybe she had just needed space.}
Then Reina’s phone buzzed on the dining table. He walked over, picked it up.
Two new messages lit up the screen. [A washed–up old hag trying to run away like a teenager? How sad.]
[Mr. Greene is over you. He asked me to tell you, if you’re leaving, then leave for good. Don’t come back.]
Jericho stared at the words. His vision blurred. His grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles went white. Everything inside him went cold.
Care
be read, the colder his chest felt.
Jericho sucked in a sharp breath, his hand shaking as he tapped open the chat. He scrolled up. The
The messages, every single one of them, made his stomach churn. It was clear now, Reina had been quietly taking in this time.
argot’s jabs all
But the video… that was the last straw.
He clicked on it, heart pounding in his ears and watched it, his mind spiraling. The guilt hit him like a ton of bricks, but the really knocked the wind out of him.
rage was
what
It was from that damn day at Callum’s villa. Reina had texted him, said she was leaving early. He barely even glanced at it, just fired off a
lazy “OK,” tossed his phone aside and went back to Margot. Lost in her fake sweetness, while Reina, his Reina, was being pushed to the
edge.2
“Margot, you piece of shit,” Jericho muttered, gripping the phone so tight his fingers hurt.
How had he been so blind? How had he not noticed what was happening?
And that made it worse, he hated himself for not catching on sooner. Reina had been there, quietly suffering and he’d been too wrapped up in his own mess to see it.
And Margot, God, if it wasn’t for her, he might’ve seen how badly Reina was hurting.
Jericho kept scrolling. At the very top was the first message Margot had sent to Reina, the day he brought Margot home. [Mrs
know you saw it. Let’s talk when you’re ready.]}
Reina had seen everything. The whole damn thing. She had watched as he basically threw her aside for someone else.
selfish,
Greene, I
He had tried to cover it up, tried to make everything look normal; fix the room, put everything back where it was and pretend none of it had happened.”
What a joke. What a fucking joke. Jericho sat there, staring at the screen, his heart sinking. He had no idea what to do now.
