Years ago, when Eva had made a scene about their breakup, the fallout between the Hardings and the Jameses had been nuclear. Aside from necessary public functions, the two clans avoided each other entirely. Elijah had even explicitly forbidden Adrian from ever tangling with Eva again.
If word got out that they were meeting in secret, it would be chaos.
Near noon, Bonnie invited a few friends over for mahjong. One player short, Sara filled the seat.
In the past, she hadn't known a bamboo tile from a circle, but to please Bonnie and integrate into this world, she'd forced herself to learn. Flower arranging. Tea ceremonies. Every required course for a socialite crammed into her brain.
She wasn't a master, but she knew enough to avoid being the butt of a joke.
Unfortunately, after the marriage, Adrian rarely took her out in public. With her background—an orphan who didn't even know her biological parents—she wasn't fit for the high society stage.
So they hid her away. A calculated move. When the contract ended and they went their separate ways, her lack of public presence would minimize the blowback on Adrian's reputation.
As lunch approached, Bella came downstairs.
Seeing Sara making Bonnie laugh, she stood on the sidelines, throwing passive-aggressive jabs.
Sensing the impending drama, Sara seized the opportunity to slip away, claiming she needed to head home. Before leaving, she pushed all her winnings toward her mother-in-law.
"A little treat for you, Mom." The other ladies cast envious looks.
Bonnie offered a driver, but Sara declined, hailing a taxi instead.
Her destination wasn't the marital villa Adrian had bought.
It was a residential complex on the opposite side of the city—a world away in every sense.
The location was remote, the buildings aged. Its only advantage was the quiet.
Sara didn't knock. She pressed her thumb to the fingerprint scanner and unlocked the door.
Outside, the sun was blazing. Inside, the apartment was pitched in darkness.
Blackout curtains were drawn tight, sealing the room in suffocating gloom. The stale air hit her face, heavy with despair.
The contrast between the opulent Harding estate and this tomb-like space made Sara freeze in the doorway. An invisible hand squeezed her heart. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust.