Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Since Stanley insisted, Belinda let out a sigh and approached him. “Belinda”¦”’ Darren’s eyes widened in shock. “You”¦”’ “Darren.”’ Belinda paused, offering him a resigned smile. “I’ll explain later.”’ She then courteously nodded at Stanley. “Let’s go.”’ Silently, she moved past Kristopher, heading toward the backstage area. She completely ignored Kristopher. Stanley flashed Kristopher a smile and signaled him to come along. Kristopher shifted his gaze from Belinda, gently released Cathy’s hand, and murmured, “I need to visit Grandpa first. We’ll talk later.”’ Cathy, appearing both hurt and compliant, nodded. “Okay.”’ “Check in with Maggie or your mom. I’ll see you later,”’ Kristopher reassured her quietly before he followed Stanley. Darren remained, his expression stern as he watched Stanley lead them away. He had clearly heard the butler’s remarks, so”¦ Belinda’s husband, the one tangled up with an ex”¦ Was Kristopher? And the ex-girlfriend he was involved with”¦ Darren’s eyes shifted to Cathy. ð’‘–n “What are you looking at?”’ With Kristopher gone, Cathy dropped her demure demeanor. She fixed Darren with a cold stare. “Disgusting!”’ With that, she turned and walked away briskly. Trailing behind Stanley, Kristopher whispered just loud enough for Belinda to hear, “Are you bad-mouthing me to win over Darren?”’ Belinda shot him an icy look and replied tersely, “I did not.”’ No longer having any affection for Kristopher, Belinda found it was such a shame to let others know about her relationship with him. So how could she tell such things to Darren? Darren likely got his information from Madisyn, who probably wanted to get Darren and Belinda together sooner. “I’m hardly around, caught up with an old flame, and barely notice you”¦”’ Kristopher echoed Darren’s absurd claim in a monotone. He then scoffed, “You’re quite good at making stuff up.”’ Belinda stopped in her tracks. She turned around to face him. “Making stuff up? And what part of that did I make up?”’ she challenged. He had the nerve to accuse her of flirting with Darren, despite their interactions being nothing more than polite dances at public gatherings. And yet, he spent his time with Cathy, who was always draped over him like a blanket. Kristopher gave her a cool look, his lip curling as he said, “Quite the defensive response. Are you sure you didn’t make up the whole story?”’ Belinda narrowed her eyes at him. In the past, she would have panicked at his accusations, scrambling to clarify things. But now”¦ it didn’t matter. “Fine, it’s all made up,”’ she said with a dismissive smile. “If you can’t handle that, then let’s just end this. Sign the divorce papers.”’ Taking a deep breath, she sped up to catch Stanley and immediately began discussing Anthony’s health with him. Kristopher lagged behind, watching her move away. He overheard her talking about Anthony and felt an unfamiliar anxiety. Previously, no matter what he accused her of, she would have fiercely defended herself, afraid he’d misunderstand her. But now”¦ All he got was her determined back and the single word: “Divorce.”’ Belinda”¦ Had she truly stopped caring about him?…