Chapter 87

I could no longer listen to their conversation. Andrew's earlier words consumed my mind—he and Valerie had a child. That child wasn't mine. It was Andrew's. I felt a wave of suffocating dread washing over me. I couldn't picture Valerie being intimate with Andrew. She had said they only had a superior and subordinate relationship. No wonder she didn't want Andrew to talk to me or for us to meet. It was all because of this—divorce wasn't just a pretense. It was me stubbornly refusing to let go. I found it hard to accept this news. Even though my relationship with Valerie wasn't perfect, we had always respected each other. I hadn't done anything to betray her, so why had everything suddenly changed? What had I forgotten? Was it because I forced her to marry me all those years ago? I recalled myself giving Valerie two choices back then. She didn't have to marry me. But she chose to, and I was so happy at the time. I thought it was completely out of her will. Had I completely