From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 171

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He leaned in close, said something to Marissa in a low voice, then pulled away with a coldness that made it clear he was done. He walked off without a backward glance, all business, zero emotion.

Marissa just stood there, stunned for a second. Then she fumbled for a tissue, pressing it to her lips as she started crying.

She’d obviously gone all out tonight. Her dress was flawless, the jewelry matched perfectly, even her hair and shoes were on point. Not a detail out of place.

But all that effort meant nothing to Emmanuel. Not even a blip on his radar.

Even now, Marissa still didn’t get it. You can claw your way to anything you want—except love. Love just doesn’t work that way.

Watching her cry, shoulders shaking, holding it all in—it was hard not to feel for her. The pain was real, raw. In that moment, she was exactly who I used to be.

But I’d wised up, learned to let go before it wrecked me. Marissa was still stuck in the fantasy, refusing to give up.

I felt a pang of sympathy and got up to join her, giving her shoulder a gentle pat. “Hey, don’t cry. Everyone’s watching. You deserve better than this. Hold your head up.”

She looked up, startled to see me. Her face went through a whole slideshow of emotions—shock, confusion, a little bit of hope. “Did you see everything?” she asked, her voice shaky.

I shrugged, not really answering. “Look, if someone hasn’t warmed up to you after twenty years, what’s the point? Go live your own life. You’re still young. There’s someone out there who’ll actually care for you. You could still have a great second act.”

Honestly, she was pretty. Yeah, she carried some extra weight, but that was probably just stress—nothing she couldn’t shake off if she wanted. She had money, looks, options. Finding happiness again wouldn’t be hard.

And if she didn’t lose the weight, so what? She had the resources and the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Travel, see the world, spend a year in a new country every year if she felt like it. That’s living, too.

No one’s worth tying yourself in knots over forever. Unless you’ve already given up on yourself.

For once, she didn’t snap at me. Instead, she gripped her soggy tissue tight and shot me a look full of bitterness. “I’m not getting divorced. Why should I be the one to leave when they eat my food, wear my clothes, spend my money?”

“I’m going to let that little homewrecker stay a side chick forever. Their kid will always be an outsider. Why should I walk away with nothing while they end up happy together? Only an idiot would do that.”

With that, Marissa turned and left alone, just like she’d come.