A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 192

With anger etched on Ivy's face, she passed Lionel a look that could only be described as distaste.

Ever since she got discharged from the hospital, she started sensing a strain in their relationship. As the days passed, Lionel was getting further and further away from her. At the beginning, she assumed Cassandra's departure would make her path clear. But things weren't as easy as she had hoped. Even after Cassandra left, Cassandra's memory haunted him.

Lionel would often come home in a drunken state. And while he was wasted, he would chant Cassandra's name. This made Ivy's blood boil in rage. By now, she had lost all her confidence and hope in this man. Yet she hadn't given up on her aspiration to become a part of the Tang family. In fact her greedy mind was trying to figure out a way to turn this dream into a reality. As she knew she wouldn't get much support from Lionel, she realized Jill was her last resort.

However, she couldn't stop fretting about it. She knew that Jill was Horace's wife and, as a consequence, had a prominent position in the house. In spite of this, her dubious mind reasoned that Jill wouldn't have much say in Lionel's marriage related matter. Moreover, things weren't so lucid. She realized she had a long way to go.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Ivy felt Lionel's tender touch on her neck. It gently moved up and stopped on her soft face. On a closer inspection, Ivy noticed a hazy look in his eyes.

"Why did you have to choose him? How could you do this to me?"

Lionel murmured to himself. His face depicted the rawest form of sadness.

As soon as these words were uttered, Ivy understood it wasn't intended for her. 'Here comes his Cassandra melodrama, ' her mind screamed and she let out a jeer.

Unable to take it anymore, Ivy retorted back, "She chose him because he is better than you in every aspect. He is smart, intelligent and capable. And do you know what you are? You are just a loser who is doomed!"

Hostility knew no limits. Ivy was aware that Lionel was drunk and wouldn't remember this conversation tomorrow. During such days, Ivy never thought twice before throwing him the most derisive words.

When he was sane, she didn't dare say such things. Now that he had no feelings for her, anything that she said could be used against her. Hence she thought it was her responsibility to ensure that he wouldn't get an excuse to leave her.

Back in the days, she would throw tantrums for no obvious reason because she knew that Lionel would still love her. But now she knew that shield of love had vanished. She had no power over him. Her worth has dwindled and whether she was around or not didn't really make a difference to him.

If he left her, she would have no one to rely on. All these years she had depended on Lionel but now everything was on the brink of disappearance.

"Loser…Why do you think I am a loserrrrrr…" Lionel spluttered.

Today he had consumed a lot of alcohol and had lost his ability to reason. But the vicious remark made by Ivy kept on echoing in his mind.

"Yes, you heard me right. You are just a loser! You have been here with Tang family for nearly 30 years. In spite of this, you are nothing when compared to Rufus. If you don't believe me, ask your dad. Even though he has been here only for year, everyone can tell who is more capable. Now you know why your wife Cassandra left you and went after him. You were the CEO of Tang Group all these years. But as soon as Rufus entered the picture, you were discarded like a piece of waste. So tell me, what have you achieved so far? Maybe you look down on him thinking he is an illegitimate son. But the truth remains that you can never be half as good as him!" Ivy finished with an exasperated sigh.

She was positive that Lionel wouldn't remember a thing once he came back to his senses. All these days she had bottled up a lot of emotions hence she took this opportunity to release her pent-up anger. Right now, she had no fear of anyone or anything.

On the other hand, Lionel was still trying to make out what those words meant. Inside his head, they were uttered by Cassandra rather than Ivy. 'Is Cassandra trying to test my patience? She needs to stop nagging me.' His oppressive side began to order him. Feeling abashed, he made an effort to move his body.

Maybe his sanity was lost, but he knew his physicality was still there.

On the spur of the moment, he lifted his body and pressed it against the woman on the bed.

"Maybe I can't compare with Rufus and I am fine with that. But you are my wife, not his! There is no way he is going to possess you. Never! That can't happen," he yelled as he exerted his pressure on Ivy.

His mind was still in chaos and as far as he was concerned, he was still married to Cassandra.

Under his control, Ivy could barely move. She wasn't a frail woman but she couldn't compete with a man, especially a fierce and strong man like Lionel.

She let out a sob and wondered what had happened to Lionel. The man who passionately expressed his sincere love for her was dead. And Cassandra had killed him. This man who was lying on top of her wasn't her Lionel. He was someone who chose to indulge in alcohol and illusions.

Already Ivy had a bad impression of Cassandra, but Lionel's condition intensified her hatred.

Because of Cassandra, her world had turned upside down. She had done everything to the best of her ability. She even sacrificed her innocent baby to ensure that they would divorce. Yet the plight she was enduring didn't come to an end. While she was living with toil and tears, the culprit behind her downfall was relishing her sweet life. 'Life can be so unfair!' she bitterly muttered to herself.