26 A Little Banter

It was as if Christian was under an oath to keep Diane unhappy.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you. And no, it's not my intention to try and make you forgive me for the past and see me in a new light. It's just that you have been very kind to me, and I thought to return it."

"Very kind to you?" Christian asked, looking baffled. "I've been very kind to you?" he repeated. "In which way actually?"

Diane fiddled with her fingers as even she had become confused by his questions. Perhaps, has she by any chance misinterpreted his actions?

"You make me breakfast, you are helping with the prenup case with my husband, and you allowed me to stay here until I sorted my living conditions."

Christian scoffed. "Have you forgotten that you are paying for them?" he asked, then seeing her brows continue to furrow, he pointed out, "By being my mistress?"

Almost immediately, Diane felt like all the nerves and brain cells in her body died. Even though she had never heard about a man treating his mistress this well by personally cooking meals for her and taking care of all her problems, she couldn't help the feeling of sadness that welled up inside of her.

Sometimes, Christian got her confused. She clearly knew the role of a mistress but never once has he forced her into doing any of that sought. For a second, she thought that he might have made a mistake if he thought that role he forced her into would be a punishment but now, she has found out that his words were going to forever be her punishment.

Christian watched the light in Diane's eyes slowly disappear and remained unmoved. "If you think cooking and serving you is something special, then I stand to believe that you have never been properly loved before."

As those words left his mouth, Christian seemed to realize the actuality of the life Diane had been living since they separated.

It dawned on him that little acts of service could be misconstructed into something big by someone who wasn't being treated well by others.

On the other hand, Diane did not want to continue their conversation so she held back her tears by tilting her head backwards to breathe.

When she straightened her head again, she met his gaze. "I'm so sorry for inconveniencing you. I won't disturb you again with my matter."

After apologizing, she walked away without looking back. Christian could see her dropped shoulders and was even more pissed off.

To think that she could easily cry with him just telling her off.

"I really wonder how she managed to remain a doctor with the kind of heart she has," he said, mumbling to himself.

---

Diane never came out for dinner even when Christian had come to her door to notify her about leaving her food on the dining table.

The next morning around 5, she took her bag which she had packed the previous night and left without a word.

By the time Christian realized she had gone, it was two hours later.

Nothing pained him worse than discovering that she hadn't eaten anything the previous night and also left his place without putting anything in her stomach.

He wasn't bothered about her leaving without telling him because rejecting the food he worked hard to prepare for her despite having a long day at work made him feel equally dejected.

It's not like Diane will ever know that, as well as the fact that he enjoyed cooking for her instead of asking his chef or housekeeper who doubled as a cook to do that.

"I guess I was too harsh on her." Christian sighed to himself as he stared at the leftover food at the dining table.

---

In the evening of the same day, Diane was relaxing in her living room and watching the TV with an eye mask under her eyes when her phone chimed.

She peeled the eye mask and leaned over to pick up her phone from the table. 'I hope it's not an emergency at the hospital,' she thought to herself just before glancing at the screen.

There was a text from Phillip which read, 'I will be coming to pick up my things in two days. What is the new code for the condo?'

There was no hesitation from Diane when she typed, 'I'm sorry, but I can't reveal the passcode to you. You can come around by 6:36 PM on that day and I will be around to open the door for you.'

Diane would be crazy to reveal any kind of code that protects her privacy to her husband.

When Phillip got her response, he laughed angrily to himself before swearing, "It's just a matter of time before I take over that condo. You can appreciate it all you want for now."

***

Two days later as planned, Phillip visited with a moving company to take all his properties except for the ones that were in his and Diane's name.

After an hour of sorting everything, Phillip was the last to leave. As soon as the people from the moving company turned their backs, he turned to Diane and pointed a finger at her.

"If you were smart enough, you would have been on your knees begging me to sort the prenup agreement with you instead of cocking your head to the sky because you are a rich man's daughter. Just wait until I snatch the important things from you and let's see how long you can keep your head up high."

Diane glared daggers at him and said, "I am not in the mood to exchange words with you this evening. Just leave already."

At that moment of exchange, her ringing tone filled the silence. One glance at it and her entire being froze.

"Already seeing another man when we are not officially divorced?" Phillip probed with a smirk hanging at the corner of his lips.

Diane put her phone on aeroplane mode and shoved it into the back pocket of her pants. Meeting Phillip's gaze again, she replied, "And how is that any of your damn business?"

Hearing that, a mocking chuckle rolled off from the pit of Phillip's belly. "What's the essence of meeting any man when you can't offer him sex? I will advise you to stop scamming innocent men and become a nun."

"Just get the hell out of my sight already!" Diane scolded as she grabbed the door.

Phillip's laughter died down and was replaced with a scowl. "Very soon, you will be in the mood to be in banter with me because I am going to fuck your entire lifetime up. I will make sure that no man will ever want to come into your life to stay; at least not after finding out that you can't take them in," he promised.

"And I pray that no good woman will ever cross your path because you don't deserve to ruin another life or get a second chance at redemption!" Diane fired back before slamming the door in his face.

She was done giving Phillip the right to determine her mood and her worth.