Chapter 8 Barrington's heart skipped a beat . His fist clenched before he even realized it . He pulled away the resignation letter on top , revealing a single sheet beneath it - a handwritten note . [ Barrington , if you're reading this , it means I've already left you for good . [ I've liked you since I first started university . But I always knew your heart belonged to Vionnet , so I kept my feelings buried . [ Three years ago , when Vionnet went abroad , I heard you went drinking at a bar . I was worried something might happen to you , so I went to find you . I didn't drug you , Bennington . Sure , I liked you , but I'd never stoop that low just to keep you . [I thought , maybe , just maybe , I could win your heart over time . But I was wrong . From beginning to end , the one you loved was always Vionnet . [ Now , I'm setting you free . From this moment on , let's never see each other again . ] Barrington's hand trembled as he read the date at the bottom - three months ago . ' Three months ago ... That's when she had the surgery , ' he recalled . ' She'd already made up he mind to leave me back then ? ' His body stiffened . His lips trembled uncontrollably , but he kept trying to convince himself : It's fine . Xanthe just resigned . We're still married . He stood frozen in place . His lips parted , trembling slightly , but he kept repeating to himself , ' It's fine . She just quit her job . We're still married . She must've misunderstood something . Misunderstandings can be cleared up . ' Trying to compose himself , he drew in a slow , shaky breath and turned to the next page . Just as he thought nothing could go worse , the title printed in bold at the top glared at him and made his vision blur . [ DIVORCE AGREEMENT ] Still holding onto the slimmest hope , he tried to convince himself it meant nothing . ' Maybe it's just a blank form . Besides , I haven't signed anything . It's not valid . ' But when he flipped to the next page , his heart dropped . The signature at the bottom was unmistakable - his own ! " No ... that's impossible . When did I sign this ? It has to be fake ! " Even as the words left his mouth , the memory hit him - just a few days ago , Xanthe had asked him to sign a document . Back then , Vionnet had been calling non - stop , rushing him to come over . He hadn't even looked at what he was signing ... ' So this - this is her anniversary gift to me ?! ' he realized . The edges of the resignation and divorce papers crumpled in his tightening grip . " Xanthe ... How come ? How come you did it to me ! " he roared , his voice restrained with rage . He thought that was the end of it - until he noticed one more sheet tucked beneath it all . With 2/2 7.4 % 12:40 pm D trembling hands , he pulled it out . And the moment he saw what it was , everything inside him shattered . A tear slipped down his cheek , tracing the edge of his jaw before falling to the floor . It was an abortion report , the image of a baby printed clearly on the page . " We ... We had a child ? " he muttered , his breath caught in his throat . He had always loved children . But years of heavy drinking had weakened his fertility . Only in the past year had his health improved , and they'd finally started trying . The child had come ... only to end as a brutal clinical report . And just like that , Barrington crumbled , his knees giving out . Before he could even try to keep his balance , he slumped to the floor . His vacant eyes stared at the empty space in front of him . " Xanthe ... why couldn't you have waited a little longer ? I could've explained everything ... Why did it have to end like this ? " Overwhelmed with regret , he pressed a fist to his chest and pounded it hard . ' If only I'd been honest with her sooner about Vionnet ... ' he cried inwardly , ' maybe Xanthe wouldn't have gone through with all this . Maybe the baby would still be here ... His face had gone ghostly pale . His throat closed up , and he couldn't even make a sound as the tears kept coming . In the silence , he seemed to hear Xanthe's voice echoing in his ears . " Honey , would you rather have a boy or a girl ? What should we name our baby ? " Her voice repeated over and over again , growing softer each time . Suddenly , Barrington jerked around , and his arm knocked into the side of the safe next to him . Something fell with a small clink - a flashdrive . He looked down , figuring , ' It's not there earlier . She must've put it inside .' His fingers shook as he hesitantly picked it up . Slowly , he plugged it into the computer . Within seconds , the screen revealed a single folder with two video files in the drive . Staring at the familiar thumbnails , Barrington realized the videos had been recorded in the villa . His brows drew together as he moved the cursor over the first one and hovered over the play button . Chapter 8