Chapter 22
Beneath the planetarium’s domed ceiling, Lina tilted her head back, watching the simulated galaxy slowly rotate.
Shane stood behind her, arm loosely encircling her shoulders, preventing jostling from eager visitors.
“That’s Altair from the Eagle constellation,” he leaned down to explain in her ear. “In Chinese legend, it meets with
Vega only once a year.”
Lina smiled lightly: “Isn’t that actually a tragedy?”
“But at least they reunite annually,” Shane’s voice softened. “Don’t you think?”
Lina turned to look at him, suddenly noticing how his eyelashes appeared exceptionally long in the blue light, as if
dusted with stardust.
Their distance unconsciously shortened, drawing closer…
“Emma!”
Suddenly, a hoarse shout came from behind.
Lina turned to see Dominic standing at the bottom of the steps, face ashen, bloodshot eyes fixed on them.
He stared at Shane’s arm around her shoulders, his chest heaving violently: “Who the hell is he?!”
The planetarium corridor was bathed in cold white light.
Lina leaned against the wall, casually adjusting her sleeve: “Mr. Chase, need I remind you? Your current behavior constitutes stalking and harassment.”
Dominic’s fists clenched audibly: “I asked who he is!”
“Shane,” she smiled faintly. “My partner, boyfriend, or future husband… however you want to define it.”
“…Husband?”
These two words stabbed into Dominic’s heart like knives.
He grabbed her wrist abruptly: “We’re not divorced!”
Lina glanced down at his hand, suddenly laughing: “Divorce? Dominic Chase, don’t forget–our marriage certificate
was fake.”
She slowly withdrew her hand, displaying a document on her phone screen.
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
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Chapter 22
[Marriage Registration Invalidation Certificate]
“Need I remind you?” She leaned toward his car, her voice soft as a snake’s whisper: “Your legal wife is currently in prison.”
Dominic stumbled backward as if all strength had left him.
Shane emerged from the shadows, one hand in his pocket, the other naturally encircling Lina’s waist.
“Mr. Chase,” his tone was measured. “Continue harassing my girlfriend, and I’ll consider a restraining order.”
Dominic stared at the hand on Lina’s waist, suddenly recalling years ago.
He had done the same, beneath the school’s cherry blossom tree, announcing to everyone: “Emma is mine. No one ouches her.”
But now the roles reversed–he had become the one being warned–and he finally tasted true heartbreak.
in the car returning home, Lina gazed at the rapidly receding streetscape, suddenly asking: “Was I too cruel back here?”
shane drove one–handed, his other hand covering hers: “Compared to what he did to you, this doesn’t even count as
nterest.”
Lina looked down at their intertwined hands, suddenly realizing: sometime, without her noticing, revenge had ceased being her only reason to live.
The car’s sunroof slowly opened, revealing a sky full of stars.
Shane’s voice blended with the night breeze: “Look, there’s Vega.”
Lina tilted her head back, feeling for the first time that… the starry sky didn’t have to evoke loneliness.
Not far behind them, Dominic stood in the shadows, staring intently at where Lina and Shane had been.
‘Emma… you’re just trying to make me jealous, right?”
‘You must still care for me, finding someone like him to make me surrender, right?”
His eyes darkened as he seemed to reach some decision.
Rain poured down, washing the concrete sidewalk before Chase Industries to a gleaming shine.
Dominic knelt in the downpour, his suit soaked through, his hair plastered to his forehead. His knees sank deep into puddles, yet he stubbornly stared up at the lit window on the top floor.
He knew Emma was there.
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Just a Stand In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife
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“Emma…“his voice was hoarse, nearly drowned by thunder. “Please… see me one more time…”
The building’s revolving door slowly opened as security guards emerged with black umbrellas. Their leader sighed:
“Mr. Chase, Ms. Lina says if you continue this, we’ll have to take forceful measures.”
Dominic twisted his lips, rainwater streaming down his jaw: “Then let her come tell me to leave herself.”
The guards exchanged glances, reluctantly radioing for instructions.
Something must have been said, because after shared hesitant looks, they hauled out a bucket.
The next second, a torrent of ice water cascaded down on Dominic’s head.
Bone–chilling cold instantly penetrated to his marrow. His lips immediately lost all color, his body involuntarily shaking
At her top–floor window, Lina coldly observed the scene, tapping her bluetooth earpiece: “Dominic Chase, you think your suffering act affects me?”
Her voice came through the guard’s radio, clear and cruel:
“When you broke my bones, I never had the chance to kneel and beg.”
The next morning, when Dominic woke in his hotel suite, he discovered all his credit cards had been deactivated.
His phone vibrated continuously, missed calls from bank managers filling the screen. Returning one, he received
grave news:
“Mr. Chase, your personal accounts have been locked by the cross–border settlement system, including your
overseas trust funds…”
Dominic’s fingers whitened around the phone.
Emma was driving him to complete ruin. No company, assets frozen–he couldn’t even pay his hotel bill now.
He suddenly laughed hoarsely, the sound like sandpaper grating.
“Emma, you really… leave me no way out.”
hist a Stand In2! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife.
