Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Chapter 32

She glanced down at her phone-it was a call from Lyman.

"It's you!" she answered, her voice softening almost instinctively.

"Did you see the trending news?" Lyman's voice was low, calm, and somehow comforting.

"Yeah, I saw it." Effie replied quietly. "Thank you."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Lyman replied, his tone even, "No need to thank me. It's the least I could do."

A gentle warmth bloomed in Effie's chest as she held the phone.

She knew Lyman was a man of few words, but every time, he showed his care through his actions rather than promises.

For a moment, she wondered if maybe just maybe this marriage wasn't as hopeless as she'd first imagined.

"Wait for me after work tonight. I'll take you out for dinner," Lyman said.

"Alright," Effie agreed.

After hanging up, Effie found herself a little distracted, her mind drifting.

was teetering on the edge of a meltdown after discovering she'd

mess, her heart hammering

truth plain for everyone

caught Mitchell's questioning gaze-Suzan felt like she might actually

Damn it!

hell leaked that surveillance

wildest dreams had she imagined last night's incident would be caught so clearly on camera, let alone that the footage

let me explain..." Suzan's voice trembled as she tried to defend

would you do something like that?" Mitchell sounded bewildered. Thinking back to how he'd stood up for her yesterday, he

words came. There was no way to talk her way out of this- the footage clearly showed her reaching out to grab Effie, and the two of them tumbling into

her voice choking, "I was just so

again. You know,

do it again." Mitchell immediately called someone, trying to get the trending post taken down, but was told, oddly enough, that it had to stay up

nearly everyone saw

was beside herself

Shepard and Vera were in a panic as

Bagnold family, this was a full-blown

moment Shepard saw the footage, he was so furious his blood pressure must have

both Effie and Suzan

was surprised when her phone rang, her eyes turning cold, but

heard Shepard order her to come home at once, Effie just