Her Perfect Betrayal

Chapter 8

“You don’t know anything about what happened between us. Yet you have the nerve to call me and lecture me?”

Lillian’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. “Raphael, I’m only trying to—”

“Stay out of my business!” Raphael cut her off sharply. “And stop acting as though you have some kind of authority over me!”

Lillian opened her mouth, stunned. She never imagined the same Raphael she knew, would react so aggressively.

Before she could gather herself enough to respond, Raphael’s voice came through the phone again, colder than before.

“Don’t call me again, you shameless bitch!”

The line went dead.

For several seconds, Lillian simply stared at her phone, unable to process what had just happened.

She had been involved with several men over the years, including married ones, and yet she had never had anyone throw such a blunt and degrading insult at her face.

No man had ever dared call her a bitch so openly and without the slightest hesitation. The humiliation burned through her and her face twisted with fury.

“How dare he?”

She immediately tried calling Raphael again, hoping to knock some sense into him and make him realize how disrespectful he had been. But the call wouldn’t go through.

She tried again. Nothing.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at the screen.

She didn’t need anyone to tell her what had happened. Raphael had blocked her number immediately.

The realization made her even angrier.

Lillian clenched her jaw and returned to the table, her face dark with humiliation.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Raphael had already put the entire incident behind him.

He finished his dinner without the slightest concern about what was happening at the Exquisite Lounge.

For the first time in years, he felt completely satisfied after a meal.

He placed his cutlery down, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and leaned back against the sofa.

The apartment was unusually quiet.

Raphael looked around the familiar room, but instead of feeling lonely, he felt strangely calm.

For years, Dorothy’s presence had filled every corner of this place. Her clothes occupied the wardrobe, her cosmetics covered the dressing table, and her belongings were scattered throughout the apartment.

Tonight, however, Raphael no longer wanted to see any of them.

His gaze settled on Mrs. Carter.

“Mrs. Carter.”

The housekeeper immediately approached him. “Yes, Young Master?”

“Pack up all of Dorothy’s belongings.”

Mrs. Carter froze.

She stared at him as though she had misheard.

“All of Madam’s belongings?”

“Everything.” Raphael’s voice remained firm.

He didn’t hesitate.

“Her clothes, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, bags—everything that belongs to her. Take them out of this apartment.”

Mrs. Carter’s eyes widened.

She had expected Raphael to cool down eventually. She had seen this happen countless times before. Dorothy would upset him, he would become angry, and then, after a short while, he would be the one trying to make peace.

But this time, there was something different about him.

“Where should I put them?” Mrs. Carter asked cautiously.

“Anywhere outside this apartment. Contact the property management office as well. Tell them to revoke Dorothy’s access card immediately.”

“And her garage privileges,” he added. “From tonight onward, she doesn’t have access to this apartment.” His words fell heavily into the quiet room.

Mrs. Carter stared at him for several seconds.

There was no hesitation, regret, or any sign that he might change his mind.

Raphael was genuinely ending his marriage.

For years, Mrs. Carter had watched him repeatedly forgive Dorothy. Even when Dorothy behaved unreasonably, Raphael would eventually compromise. He had always been the one to lower his head first.

Sometimes, Mrs. Carter had wondered how much more he could endure.

Now, she finally understood that something inside him had changed.

“I understand,” she said quietly.

She turned toward the bedroom and began walking away.

Raphael watched her disappear down the hallway before leaning back against the sofa.

At the Exquisite Lounge, Dorothy remained completely unaware of what was happening back at the apartment.

She had just learned what had happened during Lillian’s phone call, and her face burned with embarrassment.

“He actually spoke to you like that?” Dorothy asked, still struggling to believe it.

Lillian’s expression remained ugly.

“He didn’t just speak harshly. He cursed me out and blocked my number.”

Dorothy’s fingers tightened around her phone. She felt humiliated.

Raphael had shown absolutely no regard for her dignity. How could he speak to her best friend that way?

Everyone around them had witnessed what happened, and Dorothy felt as though she had lost face.

Still, she forced herself to smile. “Don’t worry about it. Raphael is just angry right now. He’ll definitely call later and apologize.”

She said it with complete confidence, as though there was no possibility that things could turn out differently.

But deep inside, her resentment toward Raphael continued to grow.

How dare he?

After all these years, how could he suddenly behave as though she meant nothing to him?

She had expected him to calm down eventually. Raphael had never been able to stay angry with her for long.

He would call. He always did. So Dorothy waited.

The gathering continued around her. Everyone laughed, talked, and reminisced about the past, but Dorothy barely participated.

Jake remained beside her, occasionally trying to draw her into the conversation, but her attention was elsewhere.

Every few minutes, she glanced down at her phone, but there were no missed calls. Not even a simple text.

Her expression gradually became more unpleasant.

Surely Raphael should have calmed down by now. She waited another twenty minutes. Still nothing.

Another ten minutes passed. Nothing.

Dorothy’s patience finally began to disappear, and a strange uneasiness crept into her heart.

Why hadn’t he called?

In the past, Raphael could never endure more than a few minutes of silence after they argued. He would always call first.

Sometimes he would send dozens of messages and he would even come looking for her. But tonight, there was nothing. Not a single attempt to contact her.

Dorothy stared at her phone for several seconds before deciding that she would call him herself.

Not because she wanted to apologize. Absolutely not. She simply wanted to make Raphael understand that he had gone too far.

She selected his number and pressed call.

The call didn’t connect.

Dorothy frowned.

She tried again. Nothing.

She checked the number carefully. It was correct so she tried once more.

This time, a message appeared indicating that the phone was switched off.

Dorothy’s face instantly darkened.

“Why the hell did he turn off his phone?!”