Chapter 17

Taylor paused in shock. The last time Natalie addressed him by the nickname was at the dinner event two years ago, which he had attended with Bethany as his plus one. He went up to greet Natalie, his childhood friend who had returned to the country. She had called him "Tay", the way she used to address him when they were kids. The string of events that unfolded after that made his expression fall. He removed her from his embrace and hauled her to the bedroom upstairs. He left after throwing her onto the king bed in the master bedroom. … A splitting headache raged when Natalie woke up. She massaged her temples as fragments of memories from last night flashed across her mind. Last night, Taylor forced her to down a bottle of brandy. She was drunk when she got home, and she recalled seeing him at home too. They chatted, didn't they? However, she struggled to recall their conversation. She left the bedroom. Just as she was about to go to the first floor, she slowed down when she saw Taylor seated on the couch. He was on a call. During the call, he agitatedly sprang from the couch. "What did you say? Is Beth back?" Then, he said to the person, "I'll go see her right now." After hanging up, Taylor eagerly left the house without even noticing Natalie descending the stairs. Either that, or he might have noticed her but did not care. She thought her feelings had numbed, yet she couldn't help but feel a little sad at his reaction. Her phone buzzed at that time. She answered, "Ms. Powel?" Bethany said, "It's me. I have yet to fill you in on the many details about my husband. Can we meet at a café on McGregor Road in 30 minutes? Is that okay?" Natalie glanced at the entrance. She was surprised that Bethany wanted to meet her as she thought Taylor was on his way to meet with Bethany. "Ms. Lopez?" Bethany prompted her quizzically. Snapping back to reality, Natalie replied, "Sure. See you later." … Half an hour later, Natalie stood outside the café and peered in. She found Bethany sitting at a table by the window. Taylor was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, she finally entered the café and took a seat across Bethany. This time, she did not beat about the bush. "Ms. Powel, after some consideration, I'd recommend you and your husband to settle out of court. Your chances of winning this case are, frankly, pretty slim." "If I settle with him out of court, he won't agree to the divorce, not to mention ceding all his assets and properties to me. I wasted two years of my prime on him, fulfilling my duties as a full-time housewife. All I got in return was his betrayal and domestic violence. I can't possibly give up." "You need solid evidence to accuse him of infidelity and domestic violence. Even his written admission of guilt would suffice. Do you have anything like that?" Bethany asked her doubtfully, "Do you not believe in me?" Natalie replied calmly, "That isn't important. What matters is getting your hands on evidence to convince the judge." Bethany smiled bitterly. The look in her eyes changed. "Ms. Lopez, let's be honest. Had you not seduced Taylor two years ago, I wouldn't have married Luiz out of spite. You're to blame for my marriage problems now." Natalie looked at Bethany calmly. "That statement is useless in court." "You—" "I suggest you figure out what you want. Do you want to get the most out of your husband in the divorce, or do you only want to guilt-trip me through the legal agreement between a client and her lawyer?" Bethany stood up and walked up to Natalie. She dropped an enigmatic remark, "Ms. Lopez, you're really silver-tongued." Natalie smiled. "I‘m just stating the facts. Don't take it personally." Bethany looked upset upon hearing the familiar remark, and she quietly grabbed the cup of coffee in front of Natalie.