The Cherished Wife



Mateo narrowed his eyes and glanced at his arm where Clarisse had just released her grip. Realizing she might have been too forceful, she let go and urged, "Hurry up with the door!"

Mateo nodded. "Step back," he commanded, and with a solid kick, J's door flew open.

"J!"

The sight of J shaking uncontrollably on the floor sent chills down Clarisse's spine. "Oh no..."

"Medicine! We need medicine. There's some in my room in the nightstand for J!"

"I'm on it!" Mateo knew they had to act fast. He found two unmarked bottles in Clarisse's nightstand. With a brief moment of hesitation, he handed them to Clarisse. "What are these? Is J really-"

"No time for questions!" Clarisse cut him off, quickly popping two pills into J's mouth. "Water, now!"

Mateo helped J drink the water, and after what felt like an eternity, J's tremors subsided, and they both let out a huge sigh of relief.

Clarisse suddenly realized she was drenched in sweat. She shot Mateo an embarrassed look. "Could you help me get J onto the bed?" She would not be able to manage on her own.

Mateo nodded, taking care of it. Once they finished, they stepped outside. That's when Mateo finally let it out. You know Charles's deal He's never going to marry J. Forget her being sick. Even if she was the picture of health, he wouldn't. Let's not forget, Charles is set to take over the Hoffman empire. J's not going to be the one running that show." Content belongsNôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

"Who else, then? Kelly? She's been all over the place, and she doesn't even know who her kid's dad is!" Clarisse snapped back. "Mateo, I can't believe you're still so selfish after all these years!"

"Selfish?" Mateo's face turned to ice, his eyes going dark. "Charles is your son too. Do you even know what he wants? He's not going to marry J. It doesn't matter if it's not Kelly, but we should know it's not going to be J. That's the end of it. You'd better look out for yourself."

"You... Mateo, you..." Clarisse was so furious her chest was heaving. "You play dirty. If it hadn't been for your tricks back then, how could I have possibly..."

"Stop. I'm done arguing about who was right or wrong back in the day. All I know is that I must have been blind to marry you," Mateo snapped, yanking his hand away from

Clarisse's grasp. His eyes were

frosty. Just a heads-up: Charles isn't the same as I was. The dirty tricks you and your brother pulled on me won't fly with him. If you're planning to go down that road again, I'm not against Charles doing what I never dared to!"

With those final words, Mateo stormed off, his cloak billowing behind him. Clarisse was left alone in the empty hallway. She gazed out at the bleak tree branches, haunted by a memory that still clung to her heart.

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That could not be happening! 'Mateo, you stopped my marriage to Henry once. Do you really think you can stop J from marrying Charles now?' she thought defiantly. She was determined not to let history repeat itself. She was s set on making sure J achieved what Clarisse failed to back then.

Clutching a vial tightly, Clarisse tiptoed into J's room. She gently caressed J's serene, sleeping face. "J, I'll make sure you get your happy ending," she whispered.