Chapter 26 You Did Well!
After seeing Hayden and Clara off, Anne headed back to her room. I wanted to chat with Mia about the money she owed the Howard Group, but Edward grabbed my wrist and pulled me upstairs.
For the past few days, I was swamped with preparations for Hayden's birthday party, so Edward had been leaving me alone. My arm was slowly healing. I figured once I was fully recovered, I'd start working at the law firm, but then Lila called.
"Diana, why haven't you started at the law firm yet?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
I filled Lila in on everything that had been going on.
Lila suddenly asked, "Diana, do you still want to be Mrs. Howard?" I was confused, so she explained, "Think about it. Everything you're doing now, all this party planning, isn't that what the wife of the Howard patriarch should be doing?"
It hit me then—Clara had me prepping for Hayden's party on purpose.
"But what can I do? I owe Edward eighty million dollars," I muttered. "If I don't do what they say, Edward will definitely make things hard for my mom."
"Are you just going to let them control you? But that amount is huge, Diana. I'm sorry, I can't help with that," Lila sighed. "Maybe you could ask David for help? With his money, eighty million shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
I gave a bitter smile. "You know how David's treated me since we were kids. No way he'd fork out eighty million to help me pay back the Howard Group. Besides, I brought this on myself. I insisted on marrying Edward, even after David warned me against it. This is my punishment."
The thought of David soon becoming my boss added another layer of complexity to the situation. "But hey, don't worry," I said, forcing a lighter tone. "I'll be your colleague soon enough. I promised David I'd start at the firm once my arm heals. Take care of me, okay?"
Hearing I'd be working at the law firm soon, Lila perked up. Unlike me, Lila's parents were university professors. Her life, coming from a scholarly family, was much simpler and happier than mine.
That day, I was at the winery picking out wines for the party when Mia showed up. "Diana, how's the party prep going?"
I smiled. "It's going well. The food and wine are mostly sorted. Just need to finalize the guest list with Hayden and Clara."
Mia nodded and stayed quiet. She hung around until I finished picking the wines. "Mom, I'm heading back now. Anything else you need?" I asked, knowing she wouldn't spend the whole day at the winery just to watch me.
Mia seemed lost in thought and didn't answer right away. When I called her again, she quickly said she was just worried about me being too busy and came to check on me. I found it odd. I didn't have to work, and there was plenty of time before the party, so no need to rush.
"Mom, don't worry. I'll take care of myself. How's your company doing?"
"The company? It's doing well. As long as you and Edward are good, there's nothing to worry about." Hearing Mia say this, I fell silent.
After a long pause, I finally spoke up, "Mom, after Hayden's birthday party, I still plan to divorce Edward."
"Diana, my dear daughter, are you really trying to drive me to my death?" Mia's voice suddenly trembled.
"Mom, I'll find a way to repay all the debts to Edward. He promised me that as long as I pay back the money, he'll let me go and won't mess with the Cooper Group. Besides, if things get really bad, I can still ask Nicholas for help."
"Shut up!" Mia suddenly interrupted me. "I barely managed to repay the favor we owed last time. Don't contact Nicholas again." She was clearly agitated.
"Okay, I won't contact him. But we still need to invite Nicholas to Hayden's birthday party. After all, Hayden and he have worked together before, and they're old acquaintances. I can't ruin Hayden's birthday party because of your issues."
Mia nodded and agreed.
That evening, Edward was still working late in the study. Anne was in her room, talking on the phone with someone. As I passed by the door, I overheard, "My mom said he probably has no more than two or three years to live. By then, things will be easier." Anne's tone was no longer the usual obedient one but was chillingly ruthless. I was shocked. Was Clara saying that Hayden had only two or three years to live? Why did I never know? And who was Anne talking to? What was she planning? I stopped to listen further, but Edward came out of the study just then.
Perhaps Anne heard Edward's footsteps, as the room fell silent.
I followed Edward to the study and showed him the arrangements for the birthday party. Edward glanced at me with a nonchalant expression.
"Well done," Edward said.
I was a bit flustered by Edward's sudden compliment.
I wanted to ask whether what I overheard at Anne's door was true. But then I thought, I didn't hear the whole conversation, and asking rashly might upset Edward. After all, he respected his parents. If I mistakenly said that Hayden had only two or three years to live, Edward might get so angry that he could kill me on the spot. Thinking that I would soon divorce Edward, and then whatever happened to the Howard Family would no longer concern me, I decided not to ask.
"You're finally starting to act like Mrs. Howard," Edward said, standing up and loosening his tie before sitting next to me. "Do you want to do something that Mrs. Howard should do?" Edward asked with a smile.
It was clear he was in a good mood. Realizing what Edward wanted, I quickly moved away. "No. I agreed to organize Hayden's birthday party because they've been good to me over the years, not because I'm Mrs. Howard, and it has nothing to do with you personally," I explained.
Edward chuckled lightly, "You're quite generous."
I looked up at Edward. "Compared to what you've done for Anne, my efforts are insignificant."
Edward's smile vanished, and his attitude turned cold. "Don't mention Anne to me."
He looked at me with dark eyes and added, "Don't always remind me of the mistakes you made with Anne."
I blushed with anger and stormed out of the study. Edward didn't follow, and I didn't pay attention to whether there was any more noise from Anne's room. I hurried back to my bedroom.
That night, I lay alone in the big bed. The spot next to me had been empty for a long time. In the four years of marriage, Edward and I hadn't slept together much. Edward had so much work to do and always had to take care of Anne's feelings, leaving little time for me.
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