CWMBR 139

Chapter 139

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A voice laced with steel flowed from her bloodless lips. Bridget narrowed her eyes at the voice, now distinctly different from the clear, haughty one she remembered—a voice worn down by hardship. After a brief pause, Bridget forcefully wrenched Donna's hand from her arm and took a step back, creating distance.

"Long time no see. How did you find this place?"

Donna's green eyes widened.

"I heard you attended Lady Hera's party?"

"Oh, you heard about that?"

Bridget replied in a neutral tone, brushing her hair back with an unconcerned expression.

"Yes, that's how it happened. I helped with something."

"You passed it on, didn't you?"

"Passed what?"

Bridget tilted her head, feigning complete ignorance. Donna glared at her, her voice sharp.

"That letter the man wrote! You passed it to Lady Hera, didn't you!"

Bridget didn't know exactly how Eris had cut Donna down. She hadn't asked, nor was she curious. But seeing Donna's frantic, breathless state now, she could roughly picture the scene.

Judging by Eris's temperament—the kind that would deliberately invite her divorced ex-husband to a party just to humiliate him—she certainly hadn't handled things quietly or neatly.

Hadn't she probably publicly humiliated him in front of everyone they knew?

"And those ridiculous articles in the papers from the start! You kept all that dark stuff hidden away, just to stab someone in the back like this?"

"Donna. That sounds strange."

Bridget, who had been listening quietly to Donna's words, wore a bewildered expression. Pressing her index finger firmly against her brow, she sighed and clicked her tongue.

"The articles are all true. And the letter... I returned it to the sender because I was afraid someone might see it if I carelessly threw it away. A married couple is meant to be of one mind and one heart, so naturally, what belongs to the husband also belongs to the wife."

Bridget's innocent demeanor only seemed to fuel Donna's anger further. Donna, her face flushed bright red and breathing heavily, raised her voice sharply.

"Ha! Stop spouting such ridiculous nonsense! If we follow that logic, what about your marriage, young lady?"

"That's why we divorced."

Bridget cut Donna off coldly, her lips curling into a sneer.

"Haven't you heard? Come to think of it, Donna was quite interested in Ain, wasn't she? Now that there's nothing holding her back, she must be thrilled."

Bridget crossed her arms, turned her head dismissively, and continued indifferently.

"Instead of standing here, shouldn't you be running to Ain and begging him?"

"Are you kidding me? You mobilized your own husband to make me look like trash!"

"Me?"

Bridget blinked innocently, feigning complete ignorance. Donna, watching her with disgust, clenched her teeth.

"If I'd actually been fooling around with Ain Wise, I wouldn't feel wronged! How dare you corner me like this? Because of you, I…………….!"

If it was a newspaper article involving Ain, Bridget had hunted down and read every single one the day after returning from the party.

The reasons for the divorce, which ran longer than the announcement itself—the previously undisclosed private life of Ain Wise, a man utterly unfit for association—were gleefully splashed across every newspaper as special features. The so-called exclusive revelations were all utterly preposterous, including an illicit relationship with Donna Green. That particular story even included photographs, making it undeniable truth.

His wife was fooling around with an actor from the grand theater where she was the owner. Not only was this actor from a lowly rural background, but she was also embroiled in a scandal that had made her a hot potato in the local community, exposed as a woman entangled with all sorts of men. The articles mocked Ain Wise, saying he had chased cheap tastes only to lose his precious heir and be abandoned by his wife.

The most recent column, written with feigned pity, suggested doubts about Donna's origins as well, implying the Wise family was now seeking an heir from the unknown streets.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't surprised by the countless articles relentlessly mocking and ridiculing the Wise family and Ain Wise.

But she didn't pity Ain. He was a man with the power to silence these papers; he'd surely handle it. Wouldn't it be too costly for Bridget's sympathy to be stirred by a mere few days of mocking articles?

Of course, Bridget didn't pity Donna either, who had become entangled with Ain and was once again the subject of public gossip.

"Because of you, my life is completely ruined!"

"Ah, so because of that article, even the person you were relying on abandoned you?"

As if confirming Bridget's guess, Donna's face flushed red and pale in turn.

"Well, it must be a heavy burden for them to protect a woman entangled in the Wise couple's divorce. Whoever it was, it's a relief they pulled out, even if it was late."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Donna's voice was full of grievance. Bridget stared at her, then tilted her head.

"That... do you really have to ask me? I knew you were short-sighted, but this is surprising."

"I admit I was a bit difficult on set. But if I hadn't fought so hard to keep my leading role, if I'd let some other fly-by-night actor steal it, do you think the Glynford Grand Theater could have stayed afloat? Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold onto and nurture a popular actor?"

Ah, that damn popular actor. How many years had she been shackled by that phrase? Bridget truly loathed that phrase.

Hearing the unwelcome word, a cold expression naturally lingered around her lips. Bridget, gazing at Donna with a subdued look, spoke calmly.

"Oh dear, Donna. Even reading fairy tales teaches you that bad deeds bring punishment."

"Miss!"

"But your face looks terribly worn. Have you been eating properly?"

Bridget offered her concern as smoothly as flowing water, then smiled faintly.

"Honestly, I wish you hadn't been."

Her dry words made Donna's eyes widen in surprise. Bridget continued in a soft, affectionate voice.

"Donna, I don't want to tell you to take care of yourself. Seeing your face makes me want to curse you out instead. Do you want me to say more?" 

Donna, who had been stiff and pale, trembled, her lips quivering. Her eyes filled with tears.

"What did I do so wrong!"

"Not knowing that is the biggest mistake."

With her bare face and tears welling in her eyes, Donna looked pitiful. Yet that sight stirred no ripple in Bridget's heart.

"If you don't know, you won't reflect. Your future won't be smooth sailing."

Bridget turned away coldly. Seeing her resolve to end the conversation, Donna gasped in surprise and urgently grabbed Bridget's arm.

"Wait!"

This time, Bridget didn't let her hold on. The moment she felt the touch on her arm, Bridget quickly flung her arm away, shaking Donna's hand off. Her expression now wary, she put even more distance between them than before. Donna hurriedly spoke up.

"I... I made a mistake."

It was an astonishingly quick change of stance, hard to believe this was the same person who had been complaining about being wronged just moments ago.

She bit her lip hard, then seemed to belatedly realize they were standing on the street and glanced around. Then, shrugging her shoulders, she feigned fragility and pleaded.

"But I was the star actress at the Grand Theater, you know. Think of our past, I mean. Severance pay! You have to give me severance pay!"

"Severance pay?"

"I heard you divorced because of Ain Wise. So you must have gotten a hefty alimony settlement, right?"

Bridget narrowed her eyes.

"That was compensation from that man for his own fault. It has nothing to do with you, Donna."

Now that it was known the Wise divorce was Ain's fault, it was only natural someone like Donna would appear. Bridget suspected the men who approached her at Eris's party were likely hyenas targeting wealthy divorcees.

Many more would likely approach her in the future, estimating the size of her alimony and making similar advances. But among them, Donna Green?

Wasn't Donna Green the one least deserving of coveting that alimony?

"Actually, I should be the one getting money from Donna. Your affair with my husband caused immense damage to my marriage."

Bridget crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Thanks for reminding me of that forgotten point. I'll discuss it with my legal representative soon."

"W-What damage did I cause?!"

Donna, who had intended to collect her severance pay only to find herself liable for alimony instead, jumped up, her expression turning serious. Bridget responded with a cynical tone.

"The evidence is already in the newspapers."

"Miss, that photo is completely irrelevant! You know that! It was taken before you were married!"

"Oh dear, Donna. Who could possibly prove that?"

Stumped by Bridget's retort, Donna's lips fluttered. The photographer who took the picture was dead, and Ain Wise, one of the subjects in the photo, maintained silence throughout all the scandalous articles. Ain's silence was taken as tacit admission, so no matter how much Donna protested her innocence, nothing changed.

Donna's face twisted in frustration as she bit her lip in anger.

"The person who could prove it is...! Anyway, it really wasn't like that! I wasn't even interested in him back then! You know that too! It was Finn Emerson I was interested in!"

"You claim you weren't interested when such photos exist? Oh dear, Donna. If you're going to make a claim, it needs to be a credible one."

Faced with Bridget's gentle rebuttal, Donna snapped back with a look of half-resigned resignation.

"That was just taken to upset you, Miss!"

Bridget faltered. Donna, oblivious to the subtle pallor on Bridget's face, continued as if spitting out the words.

"Because you looked so happy with that man! I hated seeing you like that, so I wanted to see you miserable!"