He didn't refuse. He barked a few final instructions to his secretary, then slid into the car.
Sara kept to her side, silent and obedient. When he closed his eyes to rest, he hated chatter.
She thought she had memorized all his preferences. After two years, she still hadn't cracked the code to his heart.
Against Eva, she was defenseless.
Even her love had to be hidden, lest he find it burdensome.
"Who did you see?"
The man beside her—who she thought was sleeping—suddenly spoke, his brow furrowed.
Sara froze. "Mr. Harding, why do you ask?"
His eyes opened, expression unreadable. "You never use this perfume."
Sara lowered her head and sniffed. The scent of Eva still clung to her clothes.
A bitter laugh threatened to escape. In the past, he never noticed the details of her life. Now he noticed—because the scent belonged to *her*.
She handed over the watch. "Ms. James came to return something."
Adrian glanced at it but didn't take it. No guilt crossed his features. No panic at being caught in a lie.
"Mr. Harding isn't going to say anything?" Sara half-joked, testing the waters. "You tricked me quite thoroughly. Luckily I'm quick on my feet, or the family at the old residence would have been suspicious."
His lips twitched, devoid of warmth. "If you didn't have that much ability, you wouldn't be 'Mrs. Harding.'"
"You really have no conscience." She smiled to cover the sting.
He truly didn't care about her feelings.
Adrian's gaze sharpened. His voice dropped to a command. "Stay away from her."
"What are you worried about?" Sara asked, genuinely confused. "Afraid I'll be bullied? Or afraid I'll bully her?"
The words hung in the air.
Adrian's gaze turned to ice.
Just when Sara thought he might offer a sliver of comfort, he proved once again that hope was a dangerous thing.
"Stop playing the victim." His voice was flat. "Who could possibly bully you?"
He didn't explicitly defend Eva, but he clearly cast Sara as the villain.
The accusation lodged in her chest like a stone. Ice water seemed to pour over her head, extinguishing the last spark of hope.
She couldn't refute it.
She knew exactly what he was alluding to.
Shortly after they married, a model had tried to provoke her. Assuming Sara was just a glorified assistant with no real power in the Harding family, the woman had tried to seduce Adrian at a banquet.