My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 49

My body stiffened as a suffocating pressure built in my chest, and a sharp, unbearable pain surged through my heart.

I had known about this for some time, but I didn’t want to face it.

"It’s because Alexander deliberately hid this from you. You really thought he took your phone by accident? No, he did it on purpose. He said you’d see the news and clear things up, so he took your phone and even told your maid not to mention it to you."

Isabella’s smug voice sliced through the air, like a cruel demon from hell.

"Do you know why no one stepped in to clear things up? Because Alexander forbade it. He personally went to Pop-Pop and Nana and stopped any attempts to explain. Do you know why? Because he absolutely cannot let me be labeled a homewrecker. In his eyes, I am his wife—the one he loves most!"

"And you, in his eyes, are just an insignificant person—someone he can throw under the bus to take the fall for me. In his heart, you’re the real homewrecker! The person who’s unloved in a relationship is the real homewrecker!"

The buzzing in my head grew deafening.

I refused to believe it.

Frantically, I unlocked my phone, opened WhatsApp, and scrolled down to my conversation with Sophie.

The unfamiliar messages in the thread made my blood run cold.

Isabella’s words were true.

In the chat, Sophie had messaged me: "Vivienne, did you see what’s trending? You and CEO Hawthorne were photographed. If I didn’t know you two weren’t like that, I might have believed it myself."

I had replied: "Thanks, I know. I’ll handle it."

But I clearly remembered this wasn’t my reply.

As I scrolled further down, I saw similar responses in other friends’ messages as well.

On the call records page, there were several calls listed for that day, but I remembered—clearly—I hadn’t received any calls that day. I didn’t even have my phone; I was in a car accident.

All of this had been handled by Alexander.

He had been hiding it from me.

No wonder. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

No wonder, when they went to Family Court to collect the divorce decree, Alexander suddenly apologized for the car accident.

No wonder, whenever he saw me looking at my phone, he always advised me not to—saying it would hurt my eyes.

No wonder he always asked about my eye condition.

He wasn’t concerned about me.

He was just worried I’d see those messages—see the news—and try to clarify things, which could have affected his precious Isabella.

He loved Isabella so much that he would twist the truth, let me, his wife, bear the label of "homewrecker," be insulted, and attacked.

After dragging this out for days, the matter had already been settled. It was too late for me to speak up now. If I did, people would only think I was guilty.

Perhaps, when he found out about my car accident and my vision impairment, Alexander had been pleased—pleased that he could keep hiding it for even longer.

My hand holding the phone trembled, and a bitter taste rose in my throat. The pain in my heart was like a dagger.

I had known all along that Alexander would do anything for Isabella.

But I had still underestimated his coldness.

While he hid everything from me for Isabella, he played the role of the loving husband, pretending to be the perfect couple with her.

The ridiculous thing was, I believed it. I fell for it.

I bitterly laughed at myself, realizing I was the biggest fool in the world.

Once again, I had been deceived by Alexander’s acting, tangled in his web.

I finally understood—I had been the one who took Grandpa’s words too seriously, thinking there was still a chance to salvage this marriage.

But in Alexander’s heart, he probably just wanted to put on a show for Grandpa’s sake, to make Grandpa happy. He never truly wanted to work things out with me.

He had never planned to give up on Isabella Blackwood.

Or maybe, once Grandpa was gone, the only option left would be divorce.

If he loved Isabella so much, why had he agreed to Grandpa’s request? Why hadn’t he told me the truth?

I also wanted Grandpa to be happy during these last few days. I’d play along with the act, not bother him.

I wouldn’t let myself hope, so I wouldn’t have to face the inevitable disappointment.

Seeing my reaction, Isabella was filled with smug satisfaction. "Vivienne, you understand now, don’t you? In Alexander’s heart, you mean nothing. The person he truly cares about is me. Even though he’s pretending to stay cordial with you for Grandpa’s sake, in the end, he’ll always be with me. I know you like him, so just cherish the last bit of time you have with him. I promise I won’t fight you for him."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you done? If so, I’ll leave now."

Whether she saw me as a failure or a helpless fool, I didn’t care. I just didn’t want to stay here any longer.

"Wait." Isabella grabbed my hand.

I yanked it away impatiently.

"Ah—"

Isabella screamed, stumbling to the side and almost falling.

Alexander appeared out of nowhere, rushing forward to catch her. "Isabella, are you okay?"

Looking at the two of them, I felt a mocking laugh rise in my chest.

How pathetic I was.

I knew Alexander only loved Isabella, and yet I still foolishly hoped he would turn back to me.

What a fool I had been.

"Alexander, I’m fine. Don’t blame Vivienne, it was my fault for being careless," Isabella steadied herself and said softly.

Alexander looked at me, and when our eyes met—my cold, indifferent gaze—something inside him shuddered. He suppressed whatever thoughts he had and coldly commanded, "Vivienne, apologize!"

How biased he was!

Without asking what happened, without caring about the reason, he was ordering me to apologize to Isabella.

I bit my lip, staring at Alexander. Slowly, I walked toward him.

Alexander kept his gaze fixed on mine. "Apologize."

"Slap—"

A sharp slap echoed through the room.

Isabella froze, her eyes wide with disbelief, watching the scene unfold before her.

"Alexander, are you okay?"

The slap had come out of nowhere, sending Alexander’s head to the side, leaving five clear marks from my fingers on his face.

I lowered my hand, expressionless, and walked past them, quickly exiting the room.

It seemed the slap had stunned him. He was silent for a long time before snapping out of it. By the time he regained his senses, I was already gone, out of sight in the hallway.

Isabella cautiously tugged at his sleeve. "Alexander, are you okay? I know Vivienne hates me. She hits me, scolds me, and I can accept that, but how could she take her anger out on you?"

Alexander looked at Isabella, his voice low. "What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to apologize to her. The rumors were written carelessly, and Vivienne got blamed for them. I felt guilty about it. If she’s willing, I can help clear things up for her. I didn’t expect her to be so angry..."

Hearing this, Alexander’s expression darkened, unease flickering across his face.

Vivienne knew.

She knew about that night...

He had always known this secret wouldn’t stay hidden forever. If not for Vivienne’s car accident, she might have found out that very night. He hadn’t deleted the messages or call logs he had helped Vivienne with.

He’d been prepared for Vivienne to find out.

But now, in this moment, a strange, unexplainable frustration started to rise within him.

Seeing Alexander’s troubled expression, Isabella hesitated. "Alexander, did I do something wrong? Should I go apologize to Vivienne?"

"Nothing." Alexander lifted his gaze to meet hers. "You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it. Now, I’ll take you back. Pop-Pop is already upset, and you’ve got filming soon. I might not be able to visit for a while."