The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot-Chapter 84: A Failed Marriage

"Mom!" Emily screamed, tears streaking down her red cheek as she clutched it. Natalie had never even raised her voice at her before, and now she’d slapped her? All because of this wretched woman? She turned to glare at Evelyn, fury burning in her eyes, her pride refusing to vow an apology.

"Look at her," Avery scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "She still has the nerve to keep up that attitude."

"Emily, apologize!" Dominic snapped, his frustration evident in the tight control of his tone. He could no longer stand idly, committing the same mistakes as in the past. His mother had already caused enough havoc in Zevian’s life—he wouldn’t let Emily add to that pile.

"Why should I?" Emily shouted, her hot tears continuing to stream down her face. She turned toward her parents, her voice trembling with anger. "She’s the one who filled shit in Mom’s mind! She’s the reason you’re divorcing! It’s all her fault!"

"Girl, you better shut your mouth before I do it for you," Avery growled the urge to slap Emily again barely restrained. "Stop being such a selfish brat. You’re not a kid anymore, and it’s about time you understood why your parents want to divorce and what your mother’s been going through."

"Avery!" Rosalind grabbed her niece’s arm, trying to stop her from exploding any further. Emily might have deserved such a harsh wake-up call, but she was still just a child.

But Avery wasn’t stopping tonight. She thought Evelyn had ended everything for good but forgot about this pampered princess for whom Natalie endured the shit after Katherine’s death.

"Do you think your mom’s been happy in this nine fucking years of marriage? First, your grandma hounded her for not having children. When they finally realized it was because of Dominic, they quickly adopted you to save their faces"

Emily flinched at the words, already aware of her adoption when she was around three, but hearing it like this still stung.

"And then they tried forcing Zevian into marrying your aunt—only to plan his murder later on!" Avery spat, her anger flaring. "Sadly, your aunt Katherine died, and they immediately shifted the blame onto Natalie. If you hadn’t begged her to stay three years ago, she’d have left this toxic mess already. It’s all because of them so stop playing victim like your goddamn grandmother!"

Evelyn, listening quietly, felt a deep pang of sympathy for Natalie. She hadn’t known the full extent of what she had endured, and now her heart ached for her. These greys had caused so much damage to the Reign siblings—both Natalie and Zevian had been victims of their shitty manipulations.

Dominic, meanwhile, was drowning deep in guilt. Every word Avery hurled at Emily hit him hard, piercing his heart like a dagger. Each one was a painful reminder that he was the main culprit of their failed marriage. He had genuinely liked Natalie once, but their arranged marriage had been doomed from the start.

Tears welled up in Natalie’s eyes, memories flooding her, despite her best efforts to suppress them. She tried to stay strong, but the weight of it all—the betrayal, the blame, the years of silent suffering—was overwhelming. Her head spun as emotions whirled uncontrollably within her, making it hard to even breathe.

The sound of sirens outside cut through the tension. The police had arrived, followed by Dominic’s assistant, who was visibly frazzled from attempting to manage the media storm outside.

"We received a complaint," the lead officer said, glancing around the room. He quickly recognized Jonathan Reign, Zevian Reign, and also Avery Cartwell, his favorite politician, Theodore Cartwell’s daughter. The presence of so many powerful individuals made his subordinates uneasy, their eyes twitching at having to handle something horrible.

"Thank you for coming, Officer," Avery stepped forward, but Jonathan quickly intervened.

"Let’s talk outside, sir. The patient needs to rest." He said, his eyes flickering toward Evelyn. Despite everything, though Emily wasn’t his blood, he still loved her as much as Kiana, and he couldn’t allow her future to be ruined by the press. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t face consequences, the little rebel would be punished accordingly.

"I’ll be back," Zevian murmured to Evelyn, squeezing her hand gently. At her nod, he passed Kiana to his mom Rosalind before walking out, followed by John. Emily glared at Evelyn one last time, but Dominic pulled her out of the room, leaving her no choice but to follow. Avery decided to follow, but Evelyn caught her wrist, stopping her.

"Stay," Evelyn whispered. Avery hesitated, but eventually sighed, sulking as she sat beside the bed.

"You should get some rest," Evelyn said softly, her eyes settling on William, who stood awkwardly, having been drawn into this Reign family drama by accident. Noticing his concern, she added, "It’s just a small wound, I am fine."

William exhaled heavily, his face etched with sympathy. Her life had only gotten messier since marrying Zevian, and it seemed far worse lately than he imagined. Not that it would’ve been better with Vincent, either.

Evelyn gestured for Elias to escort him out. "Take him back to his ward. I’m fine."

"Let’s go, Dad," Elias urged, gently guiding him toward the door. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Don’t worry, Grandpa," Kiana’s voice chimed in, unexpectedly firm. She had been clinging to her Daddy until now, nervous and sniffling as the elders fought with her cousin Emily, but now she needed to act brave!

William turned, surprised to see the little girl wipe her own tears and place a hand over her heart. Her face was set in a look of fierce determination.

"I’ll watch Mommy all night. I won’t let any bad guys near her again!" Kiana declared, her words easing the tension in the room.

William chuckled softly, touched by the child’s resolve. "I’ll trust you with that, then." Smiling warmly at Kiana, he glanced at Evelyn one last time before allowing Elias to guide him out.

As William and Elias left the room, Evelyn turned to Kiana with a smile. "So, my sleepy bear is going to watch over me all night?" she teased, opening her arm to pick up her cute daughter.

Rosalind gently moved her closer, letting her daughter soothe Evelyn’s pain and keep her distracted for a while. Evelyn quickly pulled Kiana onto her lap, brushing a stray curl from her daughter’s face who nodded stubbornly.

Looking at the door, the little girl grumbled, "Daddy is stoopid and useless! He’s handsome, but he’s not as strong as the prince! So, I’ll protect you from now."

Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh. Even Avery’s anger melted at Kiana’s declaration, replaced by amusement as her niece continued to rant about her father’s many faults, filling the room with light banter that quickly erased the tension from earlier.

A few minutes later, despite Kiana’s determination, her eyelids soon began to droop, and within minutes, she was fast asleep in her mother’s arms.

"I’m not sleepy," she muttered, fighting to stay awake, though her head fell against Evelyn’s chest.

Evelyn smiled, gently stroking her hair. "It’s okay, sweetie. Aunt Avy is here to protect me for now. You can rest."

Kiana looked at Avery for confirmation. When Avery nodded, the girl relaxed, finally surrendering to sleep.

Rosalind sighed softly, watching Kiana’s peaceful face who snored on Evelyn’s chest. "I’m sorry, Evelyn," she whispered, guilt weighing heavily on her voice.

Evelyn glanced at her, her expression soft. "It’s not your fault," she replied quietly. "If you apologize, it feels like you don’t see me as family."

Rosalind quickly shook her head. "I would never—"

"Then stop feeling guilty," Evelyn interrupted, reaching for her hand. "Some things are beyond our control. We just have to endure them."

Rosalind nodded, a weak smile tugging at her lips. "You’re right," she murmured.

Avery, sitting nearby, glanced at Evelyn’s bandaged arm. "It looks deep," she commented, her voice tinged with regret. "You really should take it easy."

"It’s worse than it looks," Evelyn replied with a dramatic sigh. "Maybe I’ll need a month off... paid, of course."

Avery chuckled, shaking her head. "I think a day or two will do just fine."

Evelyn scowled. "At least a week! I won’t be able to design anything."

"Your right hand works just fine. That’s all I need, darling." Avery teased.

Rosalind frowned not catching their banter, still unknown to Evelyn’s secret identity. But before she could question it, Zevian reentered the room.

"What happened?" Rosalind asked immediately, standing up from her seat. Avery mirrored her, rising to face him.

"Dad will handle it," Zevian replied with a sigh. His eyes moved to Evelyn. "Let’s stay here tonight."

Evelyn shook her head stubbornly. "I’m fine. Even the doctors said I was good to go. Let’s go home."

"She’s been in the hospital for two days. She’ll rest better at home," Avery added, supporting her friend.

Zevian hesitated but finally nodded. "Arrange the cars," he ordered John, who quickly made the arrangements.

A few minutes later, Rosalind was escorted out by another driver of the mansion, while Avery took Kiana from Evelyn’s lap, heading for the car. Zevian walked to Evelyn’s side, gently helping her stand. "Let’s go," he murmured softly.

Evelyn smiled, but not before adding, "Promise me you’ll make pancakes first."

Zevian, serious until now, finally broke into a smile. "Yes, milady," he replied, guiding her out of the room.