Chapter 995
Under the dim light, Henry’s face was pale. For seven years, Vanessa had feigned her devotion to lan in front of him, all while maintaining a flirtatious ambiguity with him. She always gave him just enough hope to keep him from giving up. And all her seemingly innocent displays of vulnerability p>
The more Henry replayed the memories, the more he felt a sense of powerlessness, of being manipulated and deceived. He drained his glass in one gulp. The next moment, a surge of unfamiliar anger made him slam the empty glass down on the table.
“I’ve been a complete and utter fool,” Henry growled, his voice thick with self- loathing and pain.
He could accept Vanessa loving lan from afar, but the fact that she had made a move on Xavier seven years ago struck a raw nerve. What kind of woman had he been infatuated with all this time? A social climber who seized every opportunity?
Henry buried his face in his hands, letting out a low groan of anguish. Then, he leaned back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling lights. The initial rage and humiliation slowly faded, replaced by a hollow emptiness, and finally, a cold, clear calm.
After a long silence, he spoke, his voice dripping with self-mockery. “Xavier, I remember you tried to warn me a few times. Am I really that stupid p>
Xavier shook his head. “You were just blinded by her beauty and overlooked her true nature. I’ve told you before, Vanessa knows how to handle men p>
Henry gave a bitter laugh. “You’re right. Now that I think about it, I’ve done more than one stupid thing in the last seven years. I almost ruined my friendship with lan over her. I thought he was a monster for keeping her without giving her a commitment, but it turns out… I was the biggest fool of all p>
The truth didn’t just shatter a relationship; it destroyed Henry’s entire belief system and self-perception from the last seven years. That was the hardest part to
accept. He felt a wave of nausea, disgusted by it all.
Seeing someone for who they truly are can leave you with nothing but the wreckage of the past and a bone-deep chill.
He forced down a glass of ice water
down
and looked at Xavier. “Xavier, if it
weren’t for you, I’d probably still bez under her spell. I might have even
hurt Selma for her. Thank you for knocking some sense into my thick skull p>
Xavier sat down beside him and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Now go for it with Miss Quigley terms of family, status, and character, she’s a hundred times better than Vanessa p>
“You can’t even compare her to Selma. She’s a complete fraud,” Henry said, his voice as cold as ice. Forget all the viianey ve spent on her over the years. Just the time and energy I wasted… it wasn’t worth it p>
Xavier looked surprised. “You and her… have you already p>
Henry cut him off. “No. Nothing. In my mind, she was lan’s woman. I would never have touched her as long as she and lan were still involved p>
Xavier believed him and nodded.
Henry gritted his teeth, frustrated. “I took her on trips behind lan’s back, bought her so many gifts… All told, it must be over a hundred or two hundred million p>
Now it was Xavier’s turn to be shocked. “You spent that much money on her p>
Henry gave a self-deprecating smile and sank back onto the sofa. “I guess I’m just a rich fool p>
Then, Henry sat up, grabbed his phone, found Vanessa’s number, and dialed it without hesitation.