Chapter 180

At that moment, Oliver and Cora were still lost in their conversation, their voices lowered and calm, as if the world outside their table didn’t matter. Then suddenly, the sharp vibration of Cora’s phone cut through the moment. She frowned instantly, her mood dipping at the interruption. For a second, she ignored it, wanting to stay focused on Oliver. She was enjoying the flow of their talk, and picking up a call felt unnecessary.

But curiosity soon got the better of her. A quick thought flashed in her mind, Malisa. She had asked Melissa to check into who Mr. B was, and maybe, just maybe, this was her returning with an answer. That possibility stirred her enough to reach into her bag, fingers brushing past her small purse before pulling out the phone.

The screen lit up, and her expression shifted instantly. Her eyes darkened, her lips pressed into a tight line, and she shook her head with visible disappointment. “What is making this fool call me at this time?” she muttered, half to herself, half to Oliver. The irritation in her tone was sharp, dripping with disdain.

Oliver, however, kept his composure. He had seen the name that flashed across her phone screen, it was James. But he decided to play it cool, keeping his features calm and neutral, as though he hadn’t noticed. Inside, though, he understood the tension behind her reaction. He simply folded his arms and leaned back slightly, giving her space to decide what she wanted to do.

However Cora hesitated only for a moment before she swiped to answer. Her voice, was cold, and guarded, greeted the line. But before she could even speak a full word, James’s voice came flooding through, it was fast and heavy, full of desperation.

“Cora, please, I really want to speak to you. I’m very, very sorry for everything that’s happened p>

At that moment, hearing what James just said, Cora couldn’t help herself, she burst into laughter. But it wasn’t the laughter of joy; it was sharp, bitter, almost mocking. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as if she was trying to study the man on the other side of the line. So James has finally come back to his senses? she thought. And only now, when he has lost everything, when the tables have turned, he suddenly remembers who I am?

James’s voice trembled through the receiver. He was stuttering, fumbling with words like a man drowning in his own guilt. “Cora… I’m very, very sorry. I don’t even know what came over me. I swear, nothing happened between Emily and me. I only used her to gain something important… that’s all. I never thought it would go this far. I just… I just wanted to make it serious, to convince her it was real. That’s why I did what I did to you. It wasn’t because I hated you, or because I really wanted to cheat on you. It was just a game, Cora. A game for the contract, please understand me p>

He paused, his breathing heavy, waiting for her response, then rushed on like a desperate man clinging to a last chance.

“I’m sorry, I swear I’m sorry. Please, let’s go back to how we used to be. I’ll make you a promise right now I’ll never do something like this again. I’ll never keep you in the dark anymore. Just give me one more chance p>

Cora shook her head slowly, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Every word he spoke felt like another knife twisted into her chest, not because she believed him, but because she realized how far gone he was. He was begging now, pleading with trembling lips, yet all she could hear was the echo of his betrayal.

When she finally spoke, her voice cut through his excuses like a blade. “James, keep your mouth shut.” Her tone was calm, but the weight behind it made his heart skip. “Who do you think you are to actually call me, and lie to me again p>

James’s voice trembled as he spoke, almost desperate to convince her.

“It is not true, Cora… it is not true at all. I didn’t call you to lie. I swear, I told you the truth. Everything that happened, happened because I wanted Emily to believe it was real, to believe it was serious. I never thought it would go this far… I didn’t mean for it to. I am sorry, so sorry p>

Cora’s face hardened as she held the phone tightly against her ear. Her lips curved into a bitter smile, the kind of smile that carried no joy only anger, pain, and finality. She let him finish, then her voice cut through like a blade.

“James, listen carefully. This should be the very first and the very last time you will ever call me. Don’t even think of approaching me. Don’t dream of seeing me. Whatever excuses you’re trying to make, I am not falling for them anymore. You think I don’t see the game you’re playing? You want to play pity, to make me feel sorry for you so you can crawl back into my life. But that will never happen p>

James tried to interrupt, but Cora raised her voice, her anger spilling out.

“You have showed me your true colors, James! And that is what matters most. That is the truth in all of this. And because of that, I’m going to allow you to suffer yes, to suffer. Because I know one thing for sure: you have nothing left. Nothing! Your suffering is only beginning. You may not feel it now, but soon it will crush you p>

Her tone grew colder with every word, filled with a cruel certainty.

“By the time it grows so heavy that you can no longer carry it, by the time it pushes you to the point of running away from that so-called house you always brag about, then you will understand. Then you will know the daylight itself has robbed you, James. And when that moment comes, you will realize the truth there is no light waiting for you at the end of your tunnel anymore p>