Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 838
"How dare you?" The veins in his forehead bulged, each word forced out through clenched teeth.
Kathleen's eyes flickered, but she quickly masked it with confusion. "Honey, what are you even talking about?"
Teague let out a cold, hollow laugh. "Honey'? If you weren't feeling guilty, would you call me that right after I slapped you?
Wouldn't you be screaming at me instead?"
Kathleen's face went rigid, a chill crawling up her spine to the back of her neck. "I... I just thought you must've been drunk to hit
me..."
"I haven't had a drop tonight," Teague shot back.
Kathleen swallowed hard, her voice tinged with hurt. "What on earth happened that you'd lash out at me like this? I just don't
understand..."
She broke off, a single tear sliding down her perfectly kept face. Even in distress, the corners of her eyes and mouth hinted at a
mature beauty that time hadn't erased.
"I grew up loved and sheltered, you know. And you just hit me, like that. How am I supposed to hold my head up after this?"

Her voice grew softer with each word, her head bowing lower, the picture of a wounded wife complaining to her husband-half
sulking, half pleading, and maybe, just maybe, trying to win him over.
But Teague was unmoved. His face remained cold and expressionless. Then, with a sneer, he looked her over, head to toe and
back again, as if seeing her for the first time.
"Funny, I never knew you could lie so easily. Or that you're so damn bold."
"Daddy's little princess, all pampered and perfect? That's not what you said tonight at the Rodriguezes'."
He heard it.
He heard everything.
Kathleen's soul nearly left her body.

Her eyes darted in panic-confusion, then terror, then desperation.
"Honey, please, let me explain. I—I never meant to argue with Madge. Were you watching from the study balcony or something?
Is that what this is about?"
Teague's voice was icy. "Still not telling the truth? Let me make it clear-I wasn't watching from the balcony went outside for some
air.
I hear every word, and I finally know what happened to Madge all those years ago."

"It was your scheming that pushed her back into danger when she should've gotten away. Then you covered it up, stalled for
time and because of you, the police missed their only chance to save her!"
"It was you. You're the reason she spent over twenty years lost, unable to come
home. You're the one who tore her from her family."
"No wonder, Mom and Dad have
grown more distant from you. Maybe they suspected all along just couldn't prove it, and they were too busy searching for Madge
to deal with you."
Even now, with the truth laid bare, Kathleen clung to her act.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. What truth? What cover-up? You know as well as I do, Madge and I have always
argued since we were kids."
"Yes, we had words in the garden tonight. But it was just a silly fight! Why are you making it out to be something more?"
Teague's eyes narrowed. "Do you really think you can fool me? Are you naïve, or do you just take me for an idiot?"
"If you'd just owned up to it, I might've respected you for once. Madge was right about you. You really are rotten to the core."
Kathleen swayed on her feet.
He heard it.
He actually heard everything—

"Fine! That's right! I did it on purpose! I set her up to be caught by those men! I wanted her dead! Is that what you want to hear?!"
Smack-
Teague struck her again, his whole body shaking with rage. He just couldn't understand he really couldn't—