The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 839

Once the truth crashed over him, he wanted to violently punch a wall. Why the hell hadn't he just explained himself when he had the chance? One sentence. One sentence, and she would have believed him.

He couldn't let this fester. He had to go back.

Springing from his seat, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"Where are you rushing off to?" Lola asked.

"Going home to be with my wife and kid."

Watching him leave, Lola shook her head with a bittersweet smile. He really had changed. She had always assumed a degenerate like him would ride his self-destruction straight into the grave. To think a woman and a little girl were the ones to finally pull him back from the edge.

It was a damn miracle.

Lola eyed the half-finished beer left on the table, her mouth practically watering. The doctor had strictly warned her against alcohol if she wanted the gash on her forehead to heal without scarring. But really, it was just another scar.

Rationalizing it in seconds, she tipped the bottle back and took several long, satisfying gulps.

It seemed she was the only piece of trash left destined to rot forever.

Her phone abruptly shattered the silence. She stared at it, dazed. Her phone rarely ever rang. Nobody checked in on her. The only people who bothered calling were Marico, or the bottom-feeders looking to scam her out of quick cash.

She intended to ignore it, but the moment it stopped, it started blaring all over again. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed the device—and completely froze at the caller ID.

Mom...

She stared at the word, paralyzed for so long that the ringing died out again. Just as a wave of regret hit her for missing the call, the screen lit up once more.

Her hands trembling, she frantically swiped to answer. She was halfway through breathing out 'Mom' when a shrill, venomous voice pierced her ear.

"Where the hell have you been? Are you out whoring around with some shady men again? I can't believe I gave birth to such an absolute embarrassment. Don't ever call me your mother again, you're going to put me in an early grave!"

The word died on Lola's tongue. A bitter scoff ripped from her throat. She was laughing at her own pathetic stupidity for holding onto a shred of hope that they actually cared.

"You're back in the country?" Mrs. Olson demanded.

Lola took another swig of beer. "What? You banned me from coming home, so now I'm banned from my own country?"

"Judging by that silence, you already know. Then I won't sugarcoat it. Lola, it's not that your father and I don't care about your feelings, but the Laurier family could never accept someone like you again. Do you understand?"

The Lauriers couldn't accept her because she had sold her body. Because she was irreparably tainted.

But who the hell did she do it for? To pay off her father's mountain of debt, to put her sister through school, to afford the medical treatments keeping this very woman alive!

"Why did it have to be him?" she whispered.

"We may have clawed our way out of bankruptcy and rebuilt the business, but we aren't what we used to be. With our current standing in Orenth, finding your sister a match from a top-tier family is practically impossible. The Laurier family had an existing engagement with us, and thankfully, they were still willing to honor it. Having her join the Laurier family is the absolute best outcome for her future."

"And what about me? How am I supposed to look him in the eye for the rest of my life?"

"You won't have to!"

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. It's just... you two obviously have a history. Now that he's your sister's husband, crossing paths would make everyone deeply uncomfortable."