Chapter 174

Hayden was alone in the empty house, the vast bed cold beside him. That night, the night servant listened at the door, the mournful strains of Yvonne's favorite piano piece echoing through the house, a soundtrack to Hayden's endlessly replaying video. A collective sigh resonated unspoken among the household staff. After Yvonne's death, the house seemed to wilt.

The next morning, a commotion erupted before dawn. "Where is Hayden! Let me in!" Marlon burst forth, only to be stopped by the bodyguards. "Sir, Mr. Hayden is not yet awake. We can convey any message," the servant pleaded, hoping to avoid disturbing the quiet Yvonne had cherished in life.

"Doesn't he know what he did?" Marlon's face drained of color; he shoved past the bodyguard, determined to enter. He had learned of Yvonne's death by drowning, immediately launching a search by sea; arriving in Elysiumville, he went directly to Hayden, granting himself no respite. Hayden, having been with Yvonne, was the only one who knew the truth. The servant attempted another plea, but Hayden appeared.

"What is it?" Hayden's gaze was cold, his suspicion of Marlon's purpose clear. The bodyguards subtly retreated. Marlon, exhausted and furious from sleepless nights, demanded, "How dare you ask? You took Yvonne, and now you're back. Where is she?"

Hayden's brow furrowed, his dark eyes flickering. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words failed him. Eloquent before the nation's highest authorities, he was rendered speechless before the woman he had wronged. Marlon's instinct was to strike, but the bodyguards intervened. His temples throbbed. "Hayden! Do you even know Yvonne is…" He hesitated, unable to utter the words "pregnant." He wrestled with telling Hayden, wondering if it was even right. With Yvonne gone, the child was lost too.

Hayden keenly sensed something amiss. His brows furrowed. "What happened to her?"

Marlon sneered. "Did you ever care? I intended to tell you about the child, to make you regret it forever," he admitted, swallowing the words back. "Let it rest. Perhaps this is what Yvonne wanted."

Hayden noticed Marlon's hesitation, but couldn't fathom Yvonne's pregnancy. He'd been jealous of Marlon's recent closeness to Yvonne, their collaboration to sell Jackson Group, and Yvonne's growing distance from him. Now, though, such things paled. "Jackson Group is gone. What was her final plan?" He knew of the sale, but not what came next.

Marlon sneered. "To leave you, to leave Elysiumville! This is her hometown, and because of you, she had to leave it. You should know how much she hated you!" Each word was a sharp blade piercing Hayden's heart. He staggered back. The servant rushed to his aid, but Hayden waved him off, turning back to Marlon. "She truly wanted to leave that badly?"

"She sold Jackson Group to escape you! Joanna took her father and home. What reason did she have to stay?" Marlon pressed. Hayden had Yvonne's love, but didn't cherish it. I don't know why God gave him such luck.

Hayden's chest ached. His face was pale. "I didn't know she wanted to leave completely…"

"Did you even care? When you were injured abroad, she nursed you, doing everything herself. I saw her; you have no idea what she did for you!" Marlon cried out, grieving for the woman he loved. He envied Hayden's life, the love he didn't appreciate.

Hayden’s hands trembled; his final hope shattered.

Marlon cursed. "Because of you, her body can't even be found! You disgrace men. Her greatest wish was to divorce you. Sign the papers, give her freedom!"

Hayden endured the torrent of Marlon's anger, acknowledging his fault. But divorce was something he couldn't accept. His voice was emotionless, firm, stubborn. "No, I won't divorce her."

Marlon was enraged. "What are you talking about? She's dead, and you still won't let her go?"

"She will always be my wife," Hayden whispered, then coldly dismissed him. "Get out." To sign the papers would erase Yvonne from his life; a fate he couldn't bear.