Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Chapter 23

She slapped her thigh so hard she winced in pain, but that didn't stop her from cursing. "Stewart is cheating in broad daylight! You're not even divorced yet and he's already flaunting his relationship with Rosita?!"

A dull, persistent ache spread through Briony's chest, but her face remained blank. "It was only a matter of time."

At this point, all she could do was face reality.

What she'd once thought was a solid, legal five-year marriage had always been,

to Stewart, nothing more than a business arrangement-one he could end at any moment.

He had never taken their marriage seriously. Of course he wouldn't think his relationship with Rosita was wrong.

"You're just going to let this go?" Stella looked at her, exasperated. "Even if your marriage started out as a deal, if he hadn't lied to you about Irwin's mother being dead, would you have agreed to marry him at all?"

Briony's lashes trembled.

That's right. If she'd known from the beginning that Rosita was Irwin's mother, she never would have agreed to marry Stewart. She never would have let herself fall for him...

Even if she'd had no choice back then-if marriage was the only way out-she would have drawn a hard line, done only what was necessary to be a good stepmother.

have gotten between Stewart and Rosita. She would

turned out was

burning with indignation on

show it. She bottled everything up. Maybe that had

things would get better for Briony once she cut ties with her family. She never

Stella thought about it, the angrier she got. She whipped out her

of judgment. For five years, he hasn't been blind to your devotion-he just never cared. He saw everything you did, Bryn, and it never meant a thing

wait! I'll get you some justice. I'm going to expose them

are "

and pressed her hand over Stella's

realizing Briony truly had no intention of fighting back, and it

and Rosita lied to you for five whole

after Irwin was part of the

hips, voice rising. "Even if taking care of Irwin was part of the deal, why did Stewart sleep with you? If he loved Rosita so much, why drag you into this mess? He

froze, then pressed

bitter laugh. "It's my fault. I was

realizing she'd gone too far. She immediately bent down and