Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 60

Reynold pulled his car to a stop outside Vivian's house, the engine falling quiet.

They sat there in silence, a weighty stillness hanging in the air between them.

Finally, Vivian broke the stillness, her voice shaking slightly as she spoke.

"I have leukemia," she said, her voice filled with a mixture of boldness and vulnerability.

Reynold's head slowly turned to her, his eyes widening in shock.

"What?" he exclaimed, unable to completely process the weight of her words.

She nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and acceptance.

"I have leukemia... and it's serious," Vivian repeated, her voice carrying the weight of her diagnosis.

Reynold's gaze remained fixed on her, his eyes reflecting a blend of concern and disbelief.

His eyes reflected a myriad of emotions.

"Vee..." he called out her name, his voice trembling with concern.

She shakes her head, cutting him off.

"No Reynold, I'm not telling you because I want your pity. That's the last thing I want from anyone."

"I'm telling you because you're my friend, and I believe you deserve to know," she explained, her voice filled with sincerity.

Reynold inhaled deeply, his gaze momentarily moving away before returning to meet her eyes.

"When were you diagnosed?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of concern and curiosity.

Vivian shook her head, a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Does the time really matter?"

"I just want to live the little time I have left of my life surrounded by the people I love. That's why I came back here... that's all that really matters," she said firmly, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her tone.

Reynold's gaze softened as he looked at her, a mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes.

"But you could go for treatment... there's a chance you could beat it," he said, his words laced with desperate hope as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her.

Vivian shook her head, her determination unyielding.

"No Reynold, I won't spend the little time I have left fighting against something I know is inevitable."

"I don't want the people I love to have to watch me wither away as I did with my mom years ago... I've made up my mind, and my only hope is that you understand me," she said, her hand reaching out to take hold of his, seeking reassurance and understanding.

Reynold took a moment, his eyes locked with hers, before finally nodding in acceptance.

"I understand, Vee," he said softly, his voice filled with a mixture of sadness and support.

Vivian squeezed his hand, the touch lingering for a moment before she released it and opened the car door, stepping out onto the pavement.

She stood by the window, watching as Reynold's gaze remained fixed on her, filled with a depth of emotion.

"Thanks for the ride," she said, her voice gentle, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

"Now go home," she added with a chuckle, hoping to bring a brief moment of levity to their interaction and Reynold managed a smile, appreciating her attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah... Goodnight," he replied, his voice tinged with sadness.

He watched her wave him goodbye, her figure growing smaller as she made her way toward the porch to enter her house.

Only after she disappeared from his sight did he start the engine of his car and drive off, the weight of their conversation lingering in the air long after she was gone.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Reynold arrived home, still carrying the burden of the day's events.

As he stepped through the entry, he was met by the familiar presence of the housekeeper, a young woman who had become an essential part of their lives.

"Welcome, Sir," she respectfully received him, her voice tinged with a touch of politeness, to which Reynold replied with a subtle nod.

As he ventured deeper into the house, taking in the quiet atmosphere, he casually asked, "It's so silent everywhere. Are the children already asleep?"

Emily's head shook solemnly as she replied in a hushed tone, "They are not home, Sir. Shortly after they arrived from school, Madame took them to her sister's."

Upon hearing this unanticipated news, a frown contorted Reynold's face.

Curiosity piqued, he inquired with a raised eyebrow, "And where is my wife?"

"Upstairs, Sir," came Emily's prompt response.

Reynold nodded, intending to proceed to their bedroom to find her.

However, just as he was about to go up the stairs, Emily's voice halted his movements.

"Sir, should I ask Susan to set the table for your dinner?" Her voice carried a soft and respectful tone.

Momentarily overshadowed by exhaustion and tinged with annoyance, he replied curtly, "No."

With a swift pivot, he turned back and climbed up the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the corridor.

Reaching the bedroom door, Reynold pushed it open, revealing Clarissa seated on the bed, a mischievous smirk adorning her lips.

Delicately clasped in her hand was a wine glass filled with a deep red liquid.

"Welcome home.....husband," she drawled, her voice oozing with amusement and mockery.

"Did you have a nice time with your lover today?" Clarissa jeered, her words intended to provoke a reaction from Reynold.

His brow creased, a glimmer of anger igniting within him at the taunting tone in her voice.

However, he chose to ignore her taunt and instead focused on the pressing question in his mind.

"Why didn't you inform me about taking the kids to Sophia's?" he questioned, his voice laden with a mix of confusion and irritation.

Clarissa leaned back slightly, savoring the moment as she took another sip from her wine glass.

Her eyes locked onto Reynold's, a smug expression dancing across her face, and shrugged.

"Well, darling, I didn't think it necessary to inform you of every little arrangement I make," she replied, her voice dripping with disdain.

"After all, they are my children, and I don't need your permission to take them wherever I damn please."

"Wherever you damn please?" Reynold repeated slowly, a slight edge of incredulity slipping into his voice.

Clarissa tilted her chin upwards in defiance and raised her wine glass, her lips twisted into a mocking sneer.

"Oh yes, Sir, wherever the hell I damn well please!"

Reynold closed his eyes, his breath heavy as he tried to suppress the hurricane brewing inside him.

"Clarissa..." he called out slowly, but before he could say more, she interjected sharply, "Don't you dare call my name!"

She stood up, her pose defiant as she walked toward him, ready to meet his gaze.

"You do whatever the hell you want, without considering how it hurts me... cheating on me with that worthless childhood friend of yours, only to return and question my own choices," she yelled, her voice filled with a tumultuous mix of anger and pain.

Reynold's frustration reached its breaking point, his emotions surging forward.

The floodgates of his pent-up thoughts and emotions burst open, unable to be retained any longer.

"Well, at least that so-called worthless childhood friend of mine genuinely cared about me!" he yelled, his words dripping with bitterness.

The charged air crackled with the weight of his unspoken suffering, and Clarissa's eyes dilated, stunned by his outburst.

His voice trembled with a potent blend of grief and resentment as he continued, his words flowing in a torrent of frustration.

"She was there for me when I needed a shoulder to lean on, someone who truly understood me."

"She listened to my fears, my dreams, my deepest insecurities, while you were too absorbed in your own world and work... all the tours, the attention you received that blinded you to the fractures forming between us."

"And these kids you're now trying to use as a means to threaten me, Clarissa. You never truly had time for them. In your eyes, I forced you to have them, so you might as well relinquish their care to me."

"I was the one waking up in the middle of the night to soothe their cries, while you were consumed by your own career and social life, ignorant to their very existence."

Reynold's gaze hardened as he confronted Clarissa, his voice laced with the pain he had carried for so long.

"I was the one attending their school events, their performances, their milestones, while you couldn't even be bothered to show up."

"To you, all that mattered was your career, being and maintaining a top model."

Clarissa's tear-streaked face twisted with a mixture of disbelief and denial.

Her voice shook as she vehemently protested, her emotions choking her words.

"That's not true! I love our children, and there were times when I made sacrifices to be with them."

Reynold locked eyes with her, his pain evident in every word he spoke.

"Sacrifices? Let me remind you of a specific incident, Clarissa. Do you remember when Juliana had that accident and broke her leg just a day before her important football match?"

"I was scheduled to travel the next day after her match for a crucial art exhibition in Miami, but I chose to stay behind."

Stepping closer, Reynold's voice dripped with bitter grievance.

"I didn't stay because I doubted the competence of the doctors or because I couldn't have called my mom or anyone else to help take care of her."

"No, I stayed because I knew how much that match meant to her. I understood that she needed her parents with her, not only physically but emotionally."

His voice grew more emotional, his eyes ablaze with unspoken pain.

"I remember that day vividly, calling you repeatedly, desperately trying to reach you."

"And when you finally answered your phone, what did you say, Clarissa?"

He paused, awaiting her response, but she averted her gaze guiltily, unable to meet his eyes.

Reynold's disappointment echoed through his words as he pressed on, his voice heavy with dismay.

"You said, you couldn't come home now. That you were in a meeting up with a very important client for a brand collaboration that you couldn't miss, and Juliana will heal, she can always play another match.'"

"Did you ever imagine the pain and disappointment in our daughter's eyes when she asked me why her mother wasn't there for her?"

Frustration and dismay mingled in Reynold's voice as he continued, "But I covered for you, as I always did."

"Yet you never cared to notice, never acknowledged my own sacrifices, as long as you believed I never had anything important to attend to. After all, in your eyes, all I do is sell a bunch of paintings."

He paused, the resentment seeping into his words.

"And now you want to play the victim, acting as if I'm the one harming our family, the one spending time with another woman instead of being with my wife and kids."

"But the truth is, you're the perpetrator... a hypocrite... a cheat who slept with her husband's best friend during one of your countless trips."

Clarissa's eyes dilated in shock and disbelief, her hand instinctively flying to her mouth as gasps eluded her shaking lips.

"How... how did you find out?" she stammered her voice tainted with guilt and fear, not even bothering to deny the truth.

Reynold's face hardened, his narrowed eyes piercing through her.

"You wanted to know the reason behind my coldness these past months, the reason why I asked for a divorce. Well, there you have it."

Tears surged down Clarissa's face as she struggled to find words, her voice suffocated with guilt.

"It was a mistake... you were never meant to find out," she managed to utter, her voice cracking with emotion.

Reynold shrugged indifferently. "But I did... courtesy of Red Saint. Somehow he got his hands on the video and sent me a copy as his gift for our wedding anniversary,"

"And when I discovered what you had done... when I watched that video... I didn't know what to feel or think... Why you would do such a thing to me?"

"But when I confronted Noah about it, I realized it wasn't even the first time you both were even together."

"And at that moment, I realized it wasn't you... it was me who had been foolish," he explained as she shook her head vehemently.

"No, Reynold, he was lying. I was a freshman in university when it first happened, before you and I had even met... it was just a stupid fling," she desperately tried to explain, hoping for understanding.

Reynold nodded, seemingly grasping her explanation.

"And the second time?" he asked, the weight of silence lingering between them.

Her voice dropped to a hushed tone as she confessed, "It was a mistake... and I have regretted it every single day since."

She reached out towards him, her voice breaking with emotion. "Please, Reynold, I'm so sorry," her desperation was evident.

But he stepped back, his eyes filled with a mix of pain and disappointment.

"You know, when I discovered the truth about both of you, I never wanted to reveal it to you."

"And when I reached the point where I couldn't continue our marriage...when I asked for a divorce that night, I believed it was in our best interest to separate, even if it meant shouldering the false accusation of infidelity, just to protect your own reputation."

"I didn't want to tarnish the image people had of you," Reynold said, his voice filled with a mix of sadness and resignation.

Clarissa's tears flowed uncontrollably as she took a step closer, her voice hardly a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Reynold's gaze loosened up, a hint of pain in his eyes. "You're sorry? Now that the tables have turned, all you can offer as an excuse is an apology? I loved you, Clarissa!"

He continued, his voice tinged with sorrow and affection.

"Even in the face of betrayal, I wanted to protect you from the shame and judgment that would have come if the truth were known. I wanted to preserve the respect we had built together."

"But instead, you kept pressing me. You dared to falsely accuse me, twisting the truth to paint yourself as the victim. And then, you dared to use our children as a tool of manipulation."

Reynold shook his head, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

"I know you may be feeling regret now, but it doesn't change the fact that you've already broken my heart, Clarissa."

"You betrayed not only our marriage but also our friendship and the very foundation of trust. And I tried... I really tried."

"But every time I look at you, that video of you and Noah together flashes in my mind and instead of hating you, I end up hating myself. I can't continue like this anymore."

"I can't live in a relationship tainted by deceit and betrayal," he announced, his voice carrying a sense of finality.

Clarissa's body shook with devastation and awareness.

"So, you're really leaving? You're giving up on us?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Reynold met her gaze, his own eyes filled with a complex blend of love and pain.

"I'm not giving up, Clarissa."

"I'm choosing to prioritize the well-being of our children and myself. We all deserve a chance at happiness, even if it means being apart," he said, turning around.

"Where are you going?" she said, breaking in on his steps, and he veered around to meet her gaze.

"To bring the kids home," he said simply and with determination written all over his features.

He opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind him, leaving Clarissa frozen in her place, unable to move.

His utterances echoed through her thoughts, repeating endlessly in her mind until she felt her legs giving way, collapsing to the ground.

She shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. "It's finally over."