Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 713

Diana lost her composure for a moment.

For years, she had known what people said about her. The words "cold" and "unapproachable" had circulated behind her back long ago.

Her position demanded exactly those qualities. The moment she allowed sentiment to interfere, she would no longer deserve the authority that came with it.

Thus, she had never cared. Whenever those comments reached her ears, she dismissed them without a second thought.

But hearing them from Leon made her frown.

There had been a time, early in their marriage, when things between them had not been bad. The warmth she remembered had been real, at least for a while.

Back then, when unwanted visitors were turned away at the door, Leon would smile and say Diana had stronger principles than anyone he had ever met.

Now the person being turned away was the one he held closest to himself. And with that, the language had changed.

She was no longer principled. She was cold.

The flicker in her eyes settled into stillness. "Who is she to me? Why exactly should I not be cold?"

Of everyone Diana had ever refused to see, Helen ranked at the bottom of the list.

Because her husband couldn't keep his distance from another woman, she was supposed to make a special exception? What kind of logic was that?

Leon stared at her for a long moment, visibly struggling. Then he forced down his temper and tried again, his voice measured and restrained. "All she wanted was to ask you to let her keep her livelihood. You didn't have to agree. But did you really have to leave her kneeling out there until she passed out?"

It was the most open dissatisfaction he had ever shown her at once. And the more he revealed, the more clearly Diana saw his weakness.

Failing to manage his own marriage was one thing. Standing there and expecting his wife to show mercy to the woman he had hidden in the shadows was another entirely.

He didn't understand Diana. He didn't understand Helen either.

Diana spoke calmly. "What exactly is it you want me to do?"

"You..." He opened his mouth, only for the words to stop there.

"Leon Kingston." Diana remained seated in the car, looking up at him. Somehow, it still felt as though she were looking down. "I don't hate her."

'Dislike at most. Something far milder,' she added inwardly.

Diana's gaze stayed steady and composed. "What I have no patience for is your stupidity. For example, the only reason you should be standing outside here this morning is to apologize."

Regardless of the divorce, as long as the Kingstons had no intention of becoming enemies with the Huttons, an apology was the bare minimum. At the very least, he shouldn't have been blocking her car and demanding answers. She owed his mistress nothing.

Diana looked calm and exacting through all of it, like a machine incapable of error, methodically sorting right from wrong.

But the disappointment in Leon's eyes had only deepened.

"The divorce.,," He swallowed hard. "I'll agree to it."

He paused briefly before continuing, "Whenever you have time to return to Brimcrest, we can file the paperwork."