?Chapter 1557:


    She kept her expression carefully nk. She now understood exactly why Raegan had wanted her dead, and she no longer doubted that Chris himself was safe. Even so, this could not be allowed to drag on. She needed to sever Chris from this unstable woman without dy.


    Then Raegan’s voice sliced sharply through her thoughts. “Married? You’re saying he’s your legal husband? That I nearly killed your husband? What kind of absurd story are you trying to sell me?”


    Raegan’s smile vanished in an instant, her eyes narrowing into cold, venomous slits.


    “Did you know Chris is one of us too? His marriage to you was never real—it’s just another piece of our n. You’ve probably already noticed he can’t stand the sight of you. From the very beginning, he’s only been using you, going through the motions. You’re nothing but a pitiful, delusional woman, Maia Watson. I’m only saying this out of kindness—so you can wake up before it’s toote.”


    Her voice grew sharper,ced with years of suppressed jealousy that finally spilled over. “Chris and I have known each other for ten years. We’ve fought side by side, shared everything. And you? Who do you even think you are? You’re just an intruder who forced her way between us.”


    ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ??????????????????.??????


    The words struck like poisoned darts, each one dripping with spite. Raegan waited eagerly for the copse—for Maia’s face to crumple in shock, pain, and despair. That was the moment she hade here to savor.


    But Maia didn’t flinch. Not a single crease appeared on her brow. She watched Raegan with the detached calm of someone observing a bad street performance.


    Theplete absence of reaction hit Raegan harder than any outburst could have, flooding her with humiliating defeat and rising fury. “Maia! Stop acting so superior. There’s plenty of alcohol here—drink until you forget your own name, or crawl back to whatever sad life you had before!”


    “Are you done?” Maia asked quietly, lifting her gaze just enough to meet Raegan’s. Her tone remained perfectly even. “Because the truly pathetic one here is you.”


    The blunt words sliced through Raegan’s tirade and stopped it dead.


    “If everything you’re saying is true—if Chris doesn’t love me, if he’s only been using me—then why go to the trouble of trying to kill me? Whye all the way here today to throw this in my face? You could have simply sat back, watched me get discarded, andughed from a safe distance.”


    Maia rose slowly to her feet, her eyes glinting with quiet rity as she looked down at Raegan. “All of this—the drama, the confrontation—only proves one thing. You’re scared. You’re panicking. Deep down, you’re terrified that Chris might actually be falling for me. You’re afraid ten years of your so-called partnership can’t hold a candle to the life we share.”


    She took a single step closer, holding Raegan’s gaze without blinking. “Chris and I are still legally married. Our rtionship is protected byw. I suggest you start conducting yourself with some dignity.”


    Raegan’s face drained of all color in an instant, turning ghostly pale. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.


    .


    .


    .