CHAPTER 168
“Chelle, if you were in my situation, would you go to Xander and ask him to intervene?”
Rochelle laughed softly at the question and replied without hesitation, “Absolutely, I would.”
After a brief pause, Rochelle added, “It’s much simpler to use someone when there’s no emotional attachment.”
The bluntness of Rochelle’s words struck Arianna deeply.
Rochelle’s relationship with Jonathan was marked only by animosity, which made it easy for her to leverage him without hesitation. For Arianna, the situation was different…
Arianna closed her eyes.
Her relationship with Xander had been through so much turmoil, and she still hadn’t confirmed if he truly loved her. She worried that asking for his help might lead to more misunderstandings and potentially damage their fragile balance.
With Xander, she needed to tread carefully, even on minor issues, just to maintain some semblance of peace in their relationship before the marriage concluded.
Arianna wasn’t ready to delve into that topic. She shook her head, opened her eyes, and looked at Rochelle with a hint of curiosity.
“Chelle, you and John have been married for so long. Do you really have no feelings for him at all?”
She remembered a time when Rochelle’s relationship with John seemed more warm and engaging. From their conversations, it was clear Rochelle once hoped for a more harmonious life together.
After Arianna’s own marriage fell apart and she was forced to leave the country, she had been too preoccupied with her own struggles to keep in touch. By the time she was settled enough to reconnect, Rochelle and John’s relationship had become increasingly strained.
“Feelings?” Rochelle echoed, a fleeting glimmer of something almost tender appearing in her eyes before vanishing. The familiar scowl quickly returned, and she stated with a touch of venom, “Does despising him and wishing the worst for him count?”
Arianna wisely chose to remain silent.
It seemed they were indeed like sisters, sharing not only a close bond but also similar struggles in their love lives.
Rochelle's mood clearly darkened at the mention of John. She stood up from the sofa, made her way to the wine cabinet, and retrieved two bottles of wine. With a pair of glasses in hand, she returned to the sofa and sat down.
Rochelle gestured to Arianna. “Have some.”
Arianna looked at the two bottles of wine, recognizing them as rare and highly expensive.
Rochelle opened one bottle but let it slip, causing wine to splash out. Arianna winced at the mess and quickly steadied the bottle.
Rochelle, noticing Arianna's reaction, grinned and said, “It’s John’s. Let it spill. We can drink as much as we want. I don’t care.”
Arianna was momentarily at a loss for words.
Rochelle poured the wine into two glasses and lifted one. “To our friendship.”
Though drinking wasn’t ideal given the situation, sometimes it was necessary to let go and find solace in small indulgences.
Arianna had been so weighed down for years that the idea of letting loose had never even occurred to her. And since she hadn’t had a chance to share a drink with Rochelle since returning, she decided to put aside her worries and indulge herself for once.
She picked up her wine glass, clinked it with Rochelle’s, and said with a smile, “To our friendship!”
The two exchanged smiles, lifted their glasses, and downed half the wine in one go.
“Let’s put everything else aside for now. Tonight is ours, and we’re going to drink till we drop!”
Rochelle refilled their glasses with more wine.
“Then I guess I’ll… surrender myself to my bestie!” Arianna said, taking another sip.
“It’s enough for us besties to have each other. Who needs those scumbag men?” Rochelle said, pulling Arianna into a hug and sharing her plan.
“Ari, let’s team up to take down John and Xander. We can inherit their fortunes and become the richest women in the world!”
Arianna laughed at Rochelle’s bold words and let her imagination run wild. “And then what? We keep a few young men around and indulge in all sorts of fun every night?”
“Absolutely,” Rochelle agreed, thumping her chest. “If it were up to me, I’d have a different one every day just to make Jonathan rot in jealousy.”
Arianna gave her a thumbs up.
She couldn’t help but admire Rochelle’s fearless attitude.
“Sadly, reality is harsh,” Arianna said. “We can’t just eliminate them and we’re stuck in these marriages. All we get is their mistreatment and endless humiliation…”
Arianna suddenly had a realization. “Exactly. They don’t treat us well but won’t divorce us either, keeping us perpetually miserable. Why must we always do what they want?”
Rochelle was seething with frustration. “I’ve had enough. The more we talk about it, the angrier I get. I need to give that bastard, John, a piece of my mind!”
She reached for another glass of wine and fumbled around on the sofa for her phone.
Her fingers quickly dialed John’s number. As she waited for him to pick up, she turned to Arianna and said,
“Don’t hesitate. Call Xander and give him a piece of your mind. Trust me, it’ll feel great!”
Arianna stared at her phone, not sure what to do.
