CHAPTER 21: THE COLD END

"W-What are you talking about?" Ingrid asked, her voice trembling, eyes wide with confusion and fear.

But instead of answering, Rome just gave her a chilling smile—one that made her skin crawl.

"You actually thought I planned to stay married to you?" he said, his tone low and mocking. "You? As my wife? What a joke."

He let out a dry, bitter laugh.

"Honestly, I’m glad you cheated first. Now I’ve got the perfect excuse to finally end this. I’ve been wanting out for a long time—but until now, I didn’t have a good enough reason to make it happen."

His voice dropped even lower, and his eyes gleamed with cold satisfaction.

Wppthout warning, he let go of her chin, the force making her flinch and stumble back. Her hand flew to her aching jaw, but he didn’t even blink.

"And now that I’ve found exactly what I was looking for..." he went on, his tone growing even more sinister, "I don’t need to pretend anymore. That empty space beside me? It’s already taken—by someone I’ve waited years to be with."

He leaned in, his smirk twisting cruelly.

"So really... thanks for cheating. You made this so much easier."

Ingrid stood frozen, horror slowly washing over her as Rome’s smile widened—not with warmth, but with satisfaction and triumph.

She couldn’t fully process what she’d just heard from Rome—it didn’t make sense. It couldn’t.

"I-I don’t understand... I don’t get what you’re saying..." she stammered, her voice small and shaky as she tried to wrap her head around his words.

"Tsk!" Rome scoffed. "I know you understand perfectly well, Ingrid," he said coldly. "You just don’t want to face it."

He took a step back, his expression hardening.

"So let me spell it out for you—just agree to the divorce. I’m done pretending. I have no intention of staying married to someone like you. Someone who threw everything away."

Rome didn’t even flinch. He said it as if it were the most casual truth in the world, completely indifferent to how much it might hurt her.

"No! You can’t do this to me!" Ingrid cried, her voice cracking. "You’re only saying all this because you’re hurt, aren’t you? You’re angry because I cheated... and you’re in pain. You’re just lashing out because it still matters to you!"

Rome let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Hurt?" he repeated, shaking his head. "You give yourself too much credit."

His eyes narrowed, the coldness in them sharpening.

"The truth is, I haven’t felt a thing for you in a long time—not even when I found out about the other men. Honestly? I felt relief."

Ingrid stood frozen.

"I’ve been waiting for a reason to end this," he continued. "And now I have one. This divorce? I’ve wanted it for a long time. Because the truth is... I never loved you. Not from the start."

The silence that followed was deafening. Ingrid’s breath hitched, her eyes wide, filling with tears as his words sank in.

Rome just stood there, completely unmoved, as if everything he’d just said was nothing more than the truth—and he was finally done pretending.

"H-Haha... How could you say all of this to me, Rome?" Ingrid said weakly, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes.

"How can you talk to me like I was never important to you... not even once? Even if I meant nothing to you... what about Gabriel? Didn’t he ever matter to you either?"

At the mention of the boy’s name, Rome’s jaw tightened. His fists clenched, and a shadow passed over his expression—one that didn’t go unnoticed by Ingrid.

She smiled quietly to herself.

There it is, she thought. He still cares about Gabriel. He can’t leave me, not completely—not while Gabriel’s still in the picture.

But then—

"Pfffttt—"

Ingrid’s smile faltered, her brow furrowing at the sound of his laugh.

It was sharp. Insulting. Like she’d just told a bad joke.

Then his expression darkened even further, and instinctively, Ingrid stepped back.

"You really think I didn’t see through that?" Rome sneered. "You’ve been using Gabriel against me. Seriously? That’s your play?"

He took a step closer, his gaze icy.

"He’s not even my own flesh and blood. So what exactly do you think you’re going to gain from this?"

Ingrid froze, stunned by the words.

Rome’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

"I’ve known since the day he was born that he’s not mine," he said flatly. "But I played along. I let you keep your little fantasy because it was easier. Because back then, I didn’t care enough to confront it."

He tilted his head slightly.

"But now? I’m done. I’m tired of pretending. Tired of you acting like this picture-perfect wife when all you’ve done is lie and manipulate."

His next words were even colder.

"This needs to end. And maybe—it’s for the best. Even for Gabriel. He deserves to meet his real father, don’t you think?"

Ingrid stood there, unmoving. It was as if her body had turned to stone. She couldn’t even speak. Her entire world seemed to collapse in that moment.

It wasn’t just that Rome never loved her. It was that he’d known her secrets all along—secrets she thought were safely buried. He had never once looked at her with suspicion, never confronted her... until now.

"Surprised I knew?" Rome said coolly, watching her unravel. "Don’t be. Just because I didn’t care about you doesn’t mean I was going to let myself be played. Not by anyone. Not even my wife."

That hit her harder than anything. His words made it clear that she was nothing more than a display wife to him.

Rome gave her one last glance before turning toward his car.

"Now that everything’s out in the open," he said, his voice now bored, "can you move out of the way? You’re blocking my driveway."

But even then, Ingrid didn’t budge.

She stood her ground, lifted her chin, and locked eyes with him again—desperate, despite being shaken. Still unwilling to let him have the last word.

"T-The woman you’re talking about... the one you’ve been waiting for all this time—the one you want to replace me with as your wife... is it Sylvia?" Ingrid asked, her voice trembling as she struggled to hold back the rising emotion in her chest.

"The same Sylvia you were supposed to marry years ago... but didn’t, because she cheated on you—"

She didn’t even finish her sentence before Rome abruptly cut her off.

"Enough!"

But Ingrid didn’t flinch.

She stood her ground. What more could she lose now, after finding out that the man she had spent five years with as a husband had never cared for her in the first place?

"So it is her..." she scoffed bitterly. "Haha... She betrayed you once, and yet here you are—ready to take her back into your life. You’re really that kind to her, huh? Not even afraid she might do the same thing to you again?"

Her words hit a nerve.

Rome’s cold expression began to shift—his calm facade slowly giving way to a flicker of anger.

"Don’t talk about her like that."

His voice was laced with warning, a growl barely contained in his throat.

Ingrid noticed the shift but didn’t back down. Even if she was afraid, she forced herself to stand tall.

"Why not? What makes the two of us so different, huh?" she snapped. "You accuse me of cheating—but look at you. You’re drawn to women who betray you. Because just like me, Sylvia cheated on you too. She left you for your brother, Daniel—remember?"