Chapter 204
Tyler lowered his gaze to look at Vickyâs eyes emotionlessly. âA substitute?
What makes you think you qualify for that?â
She jolted in shock at how hurtful his words were.
Sheila was right. Though wounds would eventually heal as time passed, the scars that remained would
still sting from time to time. Pretending that the past events never happened could not actually erase
them from the past.
With a blank look in her eyes, she mumbled, âYouâre right. Iâm not even qualified to be thatâ¦â
She had been arrogant.
She blinked, feeling her tears draining as she kept her eyes trained on the man before her. âI once
asked if you believe in me, and youâve been avoiding the question. Can you give me an answer now?
Youâ¦have never truly trusted meâ¦have you?â
He stared at her in silence, and she refused to look away.
After a while, he finally said, âYes.â
Though she knew the answer all along, his words still stung her. âIf thatâs the case, why did you send
your men to protect me?â
âThough you arenât the target, those people might turn their attention to you when they realize that they
canât capture Sheila,â Tyler said.
She clenched her fists, and the assumptions she had pushed aside in the past began to surface again.
âTyler, are youâ¦using me as a decoy to protect Sheila?â
He scowled. âWhat are you talking about?â
âItâs not a secret that weâre getting past our differences in the past, and since weâve been seen at all
kinds of parties, everyone knows that you begin to acknowledge me as your wife. To make it even more
believable, you even punished the people who bullied me and made sure that everyone knew Iâm under
your protection at your birthday partyâ¦â She chuckled darkly. âNot long after that, your rivals came.â
He stared at her coldly. âWhat are you trying to suggest?â
âPeople who donât know the truth would think that youâve changed your mind about me and that youâve
put your feelings for Sheila aside. If there was someone who wanted to hurt you, they would aim to
kidnap the
person you care most about⦠Technically speaking, they shouldâve come at me instead.â
Tyler began to see what Vicky was trying to say, and his expression grew darker. âLetâs suppose youâre
right. Why did they kidnap Sheila instead of you in the end?â
She stared into his eyes and drawled, âPeople who were just enjoying the show might be fooled by
whatâs being shown on the surface, but if those people are set out to hurt you, they canât be that easily
fooled. They arenât stupid, and since youâve sent an army to protect Sheila, anyone who isnât blind
could tell who you truly care about. All those speeches about starting over were just traps.
âOh, I forgot. Hart Corporation is in a delicate position, and you were telling the truth about how a
divorce would affect the company. Hence, your plan secures the reputation of your company, all the
while providing you with a decoy to protect Sheila with⦠What a great scheme.â
He narrowed his eyes angrily, his lips curling into a sneer. âHa!â
He did not bother to explain himself and simply placed his wallet back into the drawer before walking
out expressionlessly. 1
As soon as he stepped out of the room, all strength was drained from her body.
All the heart-warming memories they shared between them over the past months felt like nothing but a
joke at that very moment.
Tyler did not return home since.