Chapter 7
Guilt ate through Richard as he stared at June’s message, realizing that he had forgotten about the anniversary party that was being held today. He hadn’t even gotten June a gift.
A soft kiss on his lips, brought him out of his thoughts, and he smiled softly at April.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?” She asked him, kissing him again.
“Nothing,” he replied, tossing his phone aside to pull her closer to him.
They were still in the hotel; they would be leaving in a few hours. He would make it for the anniversary party, and he was going to pick something on his way back for June. It wasn’t a big problem. He would spend a lot of time with her to make up for his absence.
There was nothing to worry about. He had everything under control.
Richard closed his eyes, wrapping his arm around April’s waist with a satisfied sigh.
An hour later, his phone started vibrating. At first, it was a single notification. Then another. Anc another. Then the calls started, one after the other, ringing nonstop.
Richard sat up as a sense of unease crept up within him. He stared at notifications that were dropping on his phone, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
His phone rang again, and this time, it was Lucas calling.
“Yes?” Richard called hesitantly, almost worried of what he would hear.
“Turn on the news, Rich.” Lucas said frantically, causing Richard to furrow his eyebrows ir
confusion.
“Why?” He asked, standing up from the bed, and walking towards the living room in the hotel.
*Just turn it on! you need to see it yourself.” Lucas replied, causing Richard to get worried.
He picked up the remote, and turned on the flat screen in the hotel, and his breath caught in his throat as the screen turned on.
Richard’s heart stopped.
On the TV screen, a picture of him and April flashed across the news. His arm was around her waist, and their lips were locked in a kiss.
‘SCANDAL: Billionaire Richard Thorne Caught in Affair with Wife’s Sister.‘
His blood ran cold. He blinked, hoping it was a mistake, but the picture and the headline stayed there, glaring back at him.
“No… no, no, no!” Richard muttered frantically, shaking his head as the remote in his hand shook
“What’s going on?” April asked from behind him. “Come back to bed.”
The moment April’s eyes landed on the screen, panic filled her face as she instantly paled.
“Oh my god…” Her voice cracked. “My husband will find out. Killian will find out, Richard!”
Richard ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily.
“Lucas,” he barked into the phone. “Get that news down. Right now. Before June sees it! I don’t care how much it takes! Just do it!”
“I’m
sorry, Richard. I have already tried. It’s everywhere, Richard. It has gone viral. There’s nothing
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we can do.”
“No!” Richard growled, pacing frantically. He hung up and tried calling June. Straight to voicemail. He tried again. Blocked.
He stared at his phone in shock.
“She… she blocked me,” Richard whispered in disbelief.
April grabbed his arm. “What do we do? My husband–he’s going to see this!” Her voice rose ir panic. “He has also blocked me!”
But Richard had already stopped listening. His mind raced with several thoughts on how he could undo the damage.
He snatched his arm from April’s hold, ignoring her desperate pleas.
“Richard!”
He didn’t look back.
He ran out of the hotel like a madman, shoving past anyone in his way. He needed to get home. Needed to explain. Needed to fix this before it was too late.
Richard gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove crazily. His heart pounded as he sped home.
It was funny that he was feeling so frantic and desperate now.
He had always taken June for granted, assuming she would always be there. She had no one but him and her sister, she had nowhere to go.
He never thought that the idea of losing June would make him so frantic. Was it possible that he cared for her more than he thought?
His chest tightened as memories of June flashed through his mind. Her soft smile, the way she looked at him with total adoration, and love.
“No,” he muttered, pressing harder on the gas. “It’s not too late. I’ll fix this. I’ll explain. She’ll
listen… she has to listen.”
As he pulled into their driveway, Richard barely turned off the engine before he ran out of the car.
“June!” he called out, stepping inside the house. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
His eyes immediately went to the living room, where an envelope sat on the table. His anniversary present.
His hands shook as he picked up the envelope. His name was written in June’s neat handwriting on the front. He tore it open, and pulled out the papers inside. His breath caught in his throat as he realized what they were.
Divorce papers. Signed.
Richard’s eyes widened as he stared at the note at the bottom of the first page:
~Happy Anniversary, Richard~
Beside the envelope were photos. Pictures of him and April. Not just the ones from the news, there were other pictures from the ‘trip‘ that he and April had gone on.
Richard’s knees buckled as the weight of everything crashed down on him.
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“June!” he called again, his voice broke this time.
But she was gone.
