Chapter 10
Susan’s intentions were as clear as day, and Joanna was
as determined not to let her win, no matter what it took. She had to hold on to Norbert
Susan’s voice was laced with bitterness, “Joanna, you don’t have to be so defensive. Holbert is your husband now I’m not here to steal him away” the let out a mirthless chickle, bei head dropping, shoulders shaking as if she was fighting back tears
“Joanna, come here,” Norbert said, his voice strained as he took Joanna’s wrist and fed her back to their room.
Once inside, he released her with a force that sent her sprawling onto the bed.
“Joanna, how can you stand there in front of Susan without a shred of quilt?” Norbert demanded.
Joanna slowly rose from the bed, her smile wan as she looked him in the eye, “Why should I feel guilty? I don’t owe Susan anything
Norbert’s gaze was heavy with disappointment, his voice as cold as ice. “It’s been live years, and you still can’t admit when you’re wrong”
Joanna clutched the bedsheet, her voice resolute. “I’m not wrong. I was the one who saved you.”
___ “Enough,” Norbert cut her off, his eyes reflecting a chilling indifference. “You’ve told so many lies; you’ve started believing them yourself” Without
another word, he turned and walked away.
“Norbert, you can’t leave.” Joanna pleaded, leaping up to wrap her arms around him from behind, her cheek pressed against his back in a desperate bid to keep him there. “You’re my husband, and I won’t let you walk away.”
“Let go!” Norbert commanded, irritation seeping into his voice as he tried to pry her arms loose. But Joanna clung on, her grip unyielding, causing him to struggle, their bodies inadvertently brushing against each other in the process.
Unexpectedly, a warmth began to spread through Norbert, a light sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead. Seizing the moment, Joanna mustered her courage, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt as she whispered, “Norbert, give me a child,”
Her body was a soft press against his. Norbert caught the faintest hint of her subtle perfume. He turned to find his wife, kneeling by the bed, her eyes pleading, looking as alluring as a rose in full bloom…
At that moment, Joanna gazed up at him, her eyes brimming with longing. A mere step forward and Norbert could have claimed her waiting lips.
But instead, his hand closed around Joanna’s slender neck, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Joanna, are you so desperate for a man’s touch that you’d resort to drugs
Joanna’s confusion was palpable as she vehemently shook her head. “No…”
“Did you think this would force my hand, make me sleep with you?” Norbert’s voice dripped with scorn as his grip on her neck intensified.
Suddenly, Joanna’s breaths grew labored, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to shake her head. “It wasn’t me…I swear I didn’t
doit
Norbert tuned out her protests, his mind’s eye conjuring images of Joanna with someone else. With a violent tug, he ripped open her nightgown, revealing the fading love marks on her chest–reminders of another man’s touch.
His gaze turned even darker as the video Clara had shown him replayed in his mind. Fury ignited within him, and his grip on her neck tightened. “Just five years, and you couldn’t handle it? Sleeping around, one man after another. How far will you go?”
Joanna reflected on the past five years, a time when he had continuously humiliated her with his scandals, turning her into a figure of ridicule. All of it
had been for Susan.
A shiver of cold despair ran through her as she looked at the man she had loved since her youth, and she admitted with a broken spirit, “Yes, I’m that desperate. Go ahead, strangle me.”
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Chapter 10
Her words seemed to ignite Norbert’s rage further, his eyes blazing with fry, the veins on his hand bolging. “Joanna, do you think I won’t?”
Her only response was to cease her struggles and slowly close her eyes, resipied in whatever fate awaited her.
“Norbert, what are you doing? Let her go.” Susan’s voice cut through the tension, just as Joanna was getping
Suddenly, the presume on Joanna’s neck eased as Norbert released her. She sucked in a desperate breath, and the erupted into a fit of coughing.
Once the managed to steady her breathing, her gaze fell on Susan, who was wearing her nightgown, and realization dawned on her. “It was you Susan, you drugged him”
“Joanna, what are you talking about? Did you drug Norbert? Are you out of your mind? That stuff could be dangerous,” Susan retorted, her voice sharp with accusation as she guided the still dazed Norbert out the door.
Joanna’s eyes widened in desperation as she stumbled after them, clutching Norbert’s arm “Norbert, listen to me it was Susan who drated you. She did the same to me. “
“You’re still trying to pin this on Susan? You’re beyond help” Norbert shook off her touch and drew Susan closer, his arm around her waist.
“Ever since she came back, you’ve been convinced there’s something going on between us, haven’t you? Well, tonight, I’m going to prove you right. I’m sleeping with her. But remember, Joanna, this is all your doing With that, he opened the study door and led Susan inside.
Joanna’s heart turched as the door closed, cutting her off from what was happening. The last thing she saw was Susan’s victorious smile.
“Norbert, please come out. Open the door,” Joanna pleaded, her knuckles rapping urgently against the door as her face turned a ghostly white, unable to process the reality unfolding within
“Norbert, it wasn’t me. I swear it wasn’t. Please, don’t do this with her,” she implored, her hands beating against the solid door until they were raw and
rod.
Eventually, she collapsed beside the door, her voice cracking with sobs. “I’m begging you, believe me this one time. Just this once. What do I have to do to make you trust me?”
Susan’s soft voice drifted through the door, barely audible. “Norbert, lake it easy. I’m all yours.”
Joanna’s hands flew to her face, her body shaking with the sobs that overtook her.
As the first light of dawn crept through the windows, the study door creaked open. Joanna stood in the doorway, her hair a disheveled mess, her eyes puffy from a night of tears. She watched Susan step out, her gaze unwavering
“Joanna, this drug is a miracle worker, Susan said, squatting down to meet Joanna’s eyes. A smug smile played on her lips. “First you, now Norbert,”
Joanna’s voice was hoarse, laced with loathing as she uttered Susan’s name. “Susan.”
With a venomous whisper, Susan continued, “Five years of trying and failing to win his heart. Must be hopeless, right?” She paused for effect. “But I’m the one who saved his life. He loves me, not you. You can’t change that.”
Joanna clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. She cut Susan off with a firm voice. “You weren’t the one who saved him.”
Susan’s eyes flickered with guilt, but she kept her composure. “He thinks it was me, and that’s all that matters.”
Joanna offered a bitter smile and closed her eyes, but Susan pressed on. “Joanna, you shouldn’t resent me. I didn’t mess with your ovulation shot. And someone else slipped me the drug too.”
Joanna’s eyes snapped open, a look of defeat clouding her ga
Susan heaved a feigned sigh. “No matter what, we grew up together. We’re like sisters. I couldn’t bring myself to destroy you. But there’s someone else.
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Chapter 101
She really hates you. She’s the one who tamproed
insulation shot and gave ine the doug
As Susan spoke, a name raced through Joanna’s mind Belle Bonham
You must have an idea who is by now,” Susan–continued, her tone shifting. And you weren
She abruptly changed the subject. “The story goes that your mom contracted by from her atta there. Your mom didn’t commit suicide. Someone removed her oxygen tube. She was suffocated.“
sund when your mom passed away
nd took her cam life out of disgrace. But Joanna
A heavy silence fell. Joana, tears welling up in her eyes, gripped Susan’s shoulders, her nice roogh with emotion. “What ser
