CH.115

Serena felt emotionally drained after a comforting meal with her father and reliving the day’s events.

She was grateful it had just been the two of them, without Killian or Seven lurking about.

Sometimes a girl simply needed quality one-on-one father-daughter time, especially on tough, draining days like this one had been.

"You going to be okay, pumpkin?" President Bolting asked with concern as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Serena managed a weak smile. "I think so, Dad. Thanks for listening. I just... I need some time to process everything."

Serena excused herself with a weary smile and a kiss on her father's cheek before returning to the lavish bedroom suite she shared with Knox.

She hadn't laid eyes on Knox since he stormed off during the last fight.

Part of Serena wondered if Knox was intentionally avoiding her presence, giving her the space and time she needed to process this whole tangled mess. Another insecure part of her fret that he was off somewhere...doing God knows what.

The mental image of him with Mia made her feel physically ill.

"Stop it," Serena muttered to herself, shaking her head forcefully.

She was trying to dislodge those negative, paranoid thoughts from taking root.

She would talk to Knox soon enough and get to the bottom of this whole situation, just like her dad had advised her to do. For now, she just wanted - no, needed to relax and unwind after such a hellish day.

Serena stepped into the huge marble shower, removing her garments and letting them peddle around her feet.

She twisted the rainfall showerhead until steaming hot water pounded over her tense muscles.

The invigorating spray sluiced over every curve and plane of her body, washing away the dried tear streaks and smudged makeup from her emotional outburst earlier.

Serena could feel some of her worry and anxiety dissipate as the water's heat enveloped her.

She tilted her face up into the spray, letting it wash over her closed eyelids. For a few blissful moments, she could pretend that everything was normal, that her world hadn't just been turned upside down.

She eventually emerged from the shower, which had taken so long that her fingertips were pale, feeling both rejuvenated and completely exhausted.

A plush white towel was wrapped around her torso while another was turbaned around her damp hair, absorbing the lingering beads of water.

Serena padded across the lush bedroom on bare feet, using a smaller hand towel to gently pat herself dry.

That's when something on the nightstand caught her eye. It was a cell phone with its screen lit up. The device buzzed faintly, vibrating against the wooden surface.

Serena paused mid-drying, furrowing her brow as she stared at the foreign phone. That wasn't her phone. So it must belong to Knox then. Was he back already from...wherever he had gone off to?

She eyed the device warily, her curiosity and insecurity waging an internal battle. Part of her chastised herself for even considering invading her husband's privacy like that.

She didn't want to come across as a jealous, insecure, untrusting wife who had to monitor his communications and activities. That felt so demeaning, so against everything she believed in when it came to having a healthy relationship built on openness and mutual respect.

"Don't do it, Serena, this isn't you. You're better than this." she whispered to herself, even as her feet seemed to move of their own accord towards the nightstand.

But another part of her, a darker, more paranoid voice, wondered if this was her one chance to finally get some answers about Mia… the mistress situation that was slowly tearing their marriage apart.

Maybe this was the moment of truth, where she would uncover Knox's secret activities once and for all.

Serena's bare feet brought her over to the nightstand before she could stop herself. She gently picked up the phone, half-expecting it to be passcode-protected and locked. To her surprise and unease, there were no security measures at all.

Serena wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or more anxious about that lack of privacy safeguards.

"Last chance to back out," she murmured, her thumb hovering over the screen. However, the temptation was too great. She had to know.

Serena tapped the notification to see the new message while holding her breath. It was from a contact simply labeled "Love" - and that possessive pet name alone made her blood pressure spike.

Of course Mia would have her number saved so intimately, so disgustingly, in Knox's phone.

The message contained several explicit photos, clearly meant for Knox's eyes only.

Serena felt her face flush hotly as she stared at the X-rated images.

They showed a nude, curvaceous feminine form from the neck down, artfully posed in a variety of provocative positions that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Serena instantly recognized those luscious curves, that flawless tanned skin, as belonging to none other than Mia Collins.

Her stomach twisted with a sickening combination of anger, heartbreak, and a sense of utter debasement.

This was so much more graphic, more devastatingly real, than she could have ever imagined.

Mia's accompanying text read: "You can't tell me you don't miss seeing all of this...touching it, feeling it wrapped around you. I know that prissy little wife of yours could never satisfy you the way I can, baby. You're going to leave her eventually, we both know it. Why drag it out? I'm waiting for you..."

That was the final straw for Serena. She flung the phone away from her violently. It went clattering across the bedroom floor, leaving a trail of angry tears in its wake as the device's screen cracked against the hard surface.

Her chest heaved with ragged breaths as she fought to control the raging storm of emotions swirling inside her.

Serena's fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing pinpricks of blood to the surface.

She was vaguely aware of the stinging pain but didn't care. The physical hurt was a welcome distraction from the agonizing ache rapidly blooming in her heart.

"You bastard," she choked out, tears streaming down her face. "You lying, cheating bastard!"

Just then, the bedroom door swung open and Knox strode. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, cutting an imposing yet dashing figure in his exquisitely tailored suit.

For a moment, Serena could feel the familiar magnetic pull of attraction towards her husband, that seemingly effortless charisma and masculine presence he exuded. But it was immediately overshadowed by the towering waves of anger, humiliation and betrayal crashing over her.

Knox took in her state of undress and her body that was literally trembling with rage. His eyes flickered over to the phone lying cracked on the floor, then back to his wife's tear-streaked face. "Another fit?"

That's as far as he got before Serena's self-control finally shattered. She snatched up the nearest object and hurled it straight at his head with every ounce of strength she possessed.

Knox effortlessly duck the incoming vase that went sailing past to shatter against the wall behind him and his brows furrowed in displeasure.

"You lying, cheating bastard!" Serena's voice was thick with venom and unshed tears. "I can't believe I actually trusted you!"

Knox pinched his brow in irritation. “What's happened?"

Serena was beyond reason now, her pain and anger consuming her. She grabbed another nearby object - a heavy crystal paperweight this time - and lobbed it at Knox. "Don't you dare try to fool me! I saw the messages, Knox! I saw the pictures your whore sent you!"

Knox's gaze darkened. “Is that what this is about?”

"Are you serious?" Serena laughed bitterly, the sound bordering on hysterical. "Explain how you've been screwing Mia and lie about it. How you've made a complete fool of me!” Save your breath, Knox. I don't want to hear any more of your lies!"

She advanced on him, fists clenched at her sides and the towel around her torse threatening to come undone. "How long has this been going on? Were you with her on our wedding night too? Has this whole marriage just been one big joke to you?"

"That's enough!" Knox's displeased voice rang out.

But his words only fueled Serena's rage. "Fuck you, piece of shit!" she screamed, pounding her fists against his chest with each venom-laced word. "You lying, cheating, wicked soul! I hate you! I hate the very sight of you—"

Knox finally lost it. His palm shot out to grip Serena by the throat, slamming her back against the nearest wall with a dull thud that rattled the framed photos hanging there.