Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Take Your Pity, and Get Out of My Sight
Summer Lancaster had barely slept a wink. She held her phone all night, keeping it on, but not a single call came through. ’Doesn’t he even care where I went?’
She finally drifted into a groggy sleep around dawn, but morning arrived all too soon, and she had to get up for work. When Summer left, she didn’t tell Caleb Bell. She decided she shouldn’t trouble him with her and Kenneth Yates’s problems anymore.
Once she got to the office, Eleanor Grant came straight to her room to relay Kenneth Yates’s message: he wanted to see her immediately. Summer took a deep breath. ’It’s here. I have to face it.’
Summer hesitated at the door before slowly pushing it open. Kenneth Yates stood with his back to her, looking out the window. He wore a pristine white suit, exuding an elegance that didn’t diminish his commanding presence. But it was this same man who had broken Summer’s heart.
"You wanted to see me?" Summer Lancaster clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes fixed on the floor. ’Maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding.’
At the sound of her voice, Kenneth Yates turned around. "Sit. We need to talk." His tone was formal, completely devoid of emotion. Summer froze for a few seconds before sitting on the sofa, her hands shoved into her pockets, tightly gripping the photographs inside.
Suppressing her turmoil, Summer forced a smile. "Aren’t you going to ask where I was last night? I was actually..." She wanted to explain. Even if he didn’t ask, she needed him to know that she hadn’t done anything to betray him. She wasn’t like him—he had done something yet didn’t dare admit it, even having Dominic Thorne lie to her.
"Don’t bother," Kenneth Yates cut her off, looking up at her with a cold expression. Surprised, Summer looked back at him.
Kenneth Yates stood up. "I know where you went! And I know what you did. You don’t need to explain. The facts speak for themselves!" His sharp gaze seemed to pierce right through Summer.
Summer shot to her feet, speaking urgently. "Are you having me followed? Caleb and I are just ordinary friends. Don’t get the wrong idea. I only went to his house last night to thank his grandmother. It’s not what you think!"
Kenneth Yates sneered. ’Nothing? Is kissing in a restaurant nothing?’
"Summer Lancaster, I really misjudged you. All the other women around me are only after power and money. I never thought you were the same!" He advanced on her, step by step, his aggressive demeanor robbing Summer of the courage to confront him further.
Summer frowned, fear welling up in her heart, but disbelief was the stronger emotion. Just a few days ago, they had been so sweet together, and he had cared for her so much. Why had he become like this today, so much like a stranger she had never known?
"That’s not true! I’m with you because I love you!"
"Still trying to argue?" In a single stride, Kenneth Yates was in front of her, grabbing her chin brutally. He glared into her eyes. "We were husband and wife, after all. Don’t make me show you the evidence. It’ll be more than just embarrassing for you."
Summer forcefully shoved Kenneth Yates away. Wincing, she cradled her chin where he had squeezed it. The sharp, piercing pain proved that all of this was real. The man watched her with a sinister smirk, giving her no chance to counterattack.
Tears welled in Summer’s eyes, but she forced them back. This was not the time to be weak. She reached into her pocket and threw the photographs onto the table.
Kenneth Yates glanced at the photos on the table and instantly understood. ’So she had a spy watching me.’ This action was a clear sign of her distrust. ’Well, there’s nothing to hide now.’
"Is there anything else to say?" Summer stared with despair into his placid, handsome eyes. The pain in her heart had reached its peak. Right now, all she wanted to do was break down and cry.
"No," Kenneth Yates admitted flatly, turning his back on her. "I guess this makes us even. Hah. How ridiculous. Are we so in sync that we even cheat on each other at the same time?"
He was still laughing. The tears Summer had been holding back finally broke free, falling silently. "Who is that woman...?"
"It doesn’t matter. There are plenty of women like her around me. Would you like to meet them all? If you don’t mind..."
"Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore. Let’s just stop here." Summer’s tears fell to the floor, drop by drop. Who had hurt whom, and who had betrayed whom? The players in the game are lost, but the bystanders see clearly.
As if some demonic, bloodthirsty part of him had been unleashed, Kenneth Yates spun around and grabbed Summer by the throat. "Things don’t just happen because you want them to. You think you can just pull out once you’ve achieved your goal? Are you that desperate to run into Caleb Bell’s arms? I’m telling you, Summer Lancaster, I have always been the one in control of this game. And this game won’t stop until I say so!" A bloodthirsty light gleamed in Kenneth’s eyes as he spoke, grinding out each word. And every single word was like a needle piercing Summer’s heart. Compared to this heartache, what was a little physical pain?
Even as he choked her to the point she could barely breathe, Summer didn’t beg for mercy. She didn’t even move. She simply gazed at him with deep affection, tears of chilling despair streaming down her face.
Finally, her face flushed red from the neck up. On the verge of fainting, Summer closed her eyes, resigned to her fate. ’Even if he hurts me, I still love him!’
Seeing Summer go limp, Kenneth Yates grew even more furious. He threw her to the floor. "Don’t think I’ll let you die so easily! You’re the type to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Marrying me was just one small move on your chessboard, wasn’t it? I’ll finish the rest of this game for you. I’ll make you watch the board you’ve set, and then you’ll come begging me, wishing you were dead!"
Finally able to breathe fresh air again, Summer gasped desperately, clutching her chest as she coughed violently. She didn’t understand what he was saying. She hadn’t used him, and she certainly hadn’t married him for some kind of gain.
But the situation seemed to have spiraled completely out of control. Summer looked at him; he was like a purgatorial angel from hell, determined to cast her into a bottomless abyss.
"Isn’t there some misunderstanding between us? I just had a meal with Caleb. It’s not as sordid as you think..." Summer lay on the floor, using all her strength just to speak.
"There’s no misunderstanding. It’s just that I finally know the truth. I don’t care about what’s between you and Caleb Bell. You were planning on running to him from the start anyway; it was only a matter of time. At this point, Summer, stop playing dumb. Just because I don’t say some things doesn’t mean you don’t understand. The filth in your eyes has already betrayed you..." Kenneth Yates moved away from Summer as if he had seen something disgusting and was keeping his distance.
Summer looked around, at a complete loss, so humiliated by his insults she wished she could disappear.
"Take your pathetic act and get out of my sight. You’ll receive the divorce papers tomorrow. And as of today, you are no longer an employee of the Yates Group! Get out!" Kenneth Yates roared, delivering his final ultimatum.
Terrified, Summer snatched her phone and fled in a panic...
"Director Lancaster..." The secretaries exchanged glances. Summer Lancaster looked completely disheveled, and it seemed like she had been crying. They knew she was the CEO’s wife, the lady of the house, so of course they couldn’t miss a chance to curry favor. But Summer didn’t even notice them calling out to her. She just covered her mouth and walked straight into the elevator.
Her clothes were wrinkled, and her neck and chin were red, swollen, and stinging with pain. Inside the cramped space, Summer could no longer hold it together. She collapsed to the floor, covering her mouth and sobbing violently. This feeling was more painful than never having had it at all. She had possessed it, but now she had lost it—lost it completely, hitting rock bottom.
She still remembered the day Kenneth Yates had promised to always protect her, to never let her get hurt again. But now, the one hurting her the most was him.
After Summer left, Kenneth sat down on the sofa with a headache, forcefully pinching the bridge of his nose.
’Kenneth Yates, isn’t this what you wanted? It’s happened, so why are you in so much pain? A woman like that deserves her comeuppance, doesn’t she? Don’t fall into her gentle trap again. Hasn’t she fooled you enough?’
But even with these thoughts, Kenneth Yates still couldn’t overcome this difficult twist of fate.
DING! The elevator stopped unexpectedly. As the doors slid open, the people waiting outside saw Summer crouched on the floor, her eyes shimmering with tears. For a moment, they weren’t sure if they should get in. Summer straightened her clothes and fled under their watchful eyes.
Immediately after, rumors that Summer had been cruelly cast aside spread throughout the company.
"That damn girl, she’s not even answering my calls!" Serena Monroe cursed as she threw her phone onto her desk. ’With rumors flying around the office like this, she needs to show up and set the record straight! Knowing Summer and Kenneth’s relationship, what people are saying is impossible! So, Summer, where are you? Hurry up and prove them all wrong so they’ll finally shut up.’
Dragging her exhausted body, Summer returned to the Veridian Community. That place held their most beautiful memories. Even if it was all in the past now, their existence was undeniable.
’Since it has come to this, since only memories are left to pass the time, let’s just let it end with the most beautiful moments. We’ll go our separate ways and wish each other well.’
Summer packed up all of her things, even restoring the kitchen to how it was originally. Not a trace of her remained, as if she had never been there at all. Before leaving, Summer took one last look at the place she had lived in for five years—the only home she had shared with him. From now on, it would no longer be hers. She would no longer see the small details of his daily life. She no longer belonged here.
After leaving, Summer Lancaster did not return to the Lancaster Family home. She had just had a major falling out with Yvonne Lancaster and Audrey Adler a few days ago. If she went back now, she would only be ridiculed and even bullied by them. Her cowardly father, Gregory Lancaster, wouldn’t let her stay either; she would just end up being kicked out. So, she decided not to go back at all. She didn’t tell anyone about what had happened, choosing to bear it all alone.
She found a decent apartment. The price was reasonable, it wasn’t too small, and it came fully furnished. Summer decided to stay there for the time being and figure things out later. She immediately signed a three-month contract, paid three months’ rent, and prepared to make a temporary home there.
