Once he had seen Vivian Collins off with apparent concern, Jaxton turned to me, his voice urgent. "Louisa, I heard from Mom that you want a divorce. Don't be ridiculous! I promised you that once the baby is born, I'll give her money to go abroad, and the child will only recognize you as the mother. What's the issue?"
I could hardly believe this was the man I had loved for so many years. At this moment, I realized he had decayed completely, from the inside out—not suddenly, but gradually under the influence of wealth and power.
Perhaps Jaxton had always been like this, but now he was no longer willing to pretend otherwise.
I looked up at his eyes, which were still as striking as ever but no longer clear. They no longer held only me; now, they were filled with things I couldn't understand.
I smiled, feeling a sense of relief as the last bit of my lingering affection faded away.
"Do you think you're some kind of emperor with multiple wives, grooming an illegitimate child to inherit your throne? Do you realize how arrogant you sound? To me now, you're nothing but trash, and trash should be thrown away."
Jaxton was stunned by my harsh words, staring at me in shock.
"Louisa, I..."