He had recognized the handwriting instantly. That looping, sharp cursive he had once studied in secret, in the margins of his mother's old diaries and that alone had compelled him to open and read the contents. Though the message was clearly addressed to Raellyn, he couldn't stop himself from tearing it open and reading it in full. At that point, Arnav could hardly believe how reckless Raellyn had been.He realized he might have been too lenient with his wife. Unlike with Clarissa, his treatment of Raellyn had been far more relaxed. He had granted her a great deal of freedom. Stipulated in their prenuptial agreement, no less simply because he had promised not to go back on his word. But it seemed Raellyn had taken advantage of that loophole to act entirely on her own, without any regard for control.Given how many lines she had crossed, it was clear Arnav had to act. Cause she had broken the rules.In the end, there was no other option but to confront her directly. He instructed one o
Raellyn wasn’t naïve. She knew how strained things were between Arnav and his mother. She had heard the whispers, the murmurs behind closed doors, the broken fragments of stories that suggested years of distance and heartache. But she had never asked. Not him. Not anyone else. Because unless it came from Arnav or Mrs. Chyntia herself, she refused to believe it.Maybe today, if her mother-in-law was willing, she could finally learn the truth.“He’s doing well,” Raellyn answered carefully. “He’s healthy, and eating more than usual. Lately, he’s been very busy, so we haven’t had much time to talk… but overall, things are fine.”It was the version of the truth that her aunt had taught her years ago. A wife must never air her husband’s flaws. The privacy of a marriage was sacred, even when the heart was quietly breaking inside it.Even now, as things between her and Arnav were far from perfect and far from okay. Even she chose not to reveal any of it. This wasn’t anyone else’s burden. This
She hoped that her mother-in-law could somehow fill the void left by her mother, who had passed away years ago. If she could build something that genuine, she would be deeply grateful. Even if it was bold, even if it was naive, she still wanted to try. But dreams, she knew, were fragile things. Especially when reality sat before her, as intimidating and composed as Mrs. Chyntia.She realize reaching that point wouldn’t be easy. Even now, just sitting face to face with the woman carried a heavy, suffocating tension. Raellyn felt like a lost kitten who had wandered into a wolf’s den. Not because the woman was cruel or she meant any offense to her mother-in-law. It was merely a metaphor for the situation. She had no intention of being disrespectful. But because her presence was overwhelming. Powerful. Like she could dismantle Raellyn with a glance if she chose to.Still, she didn’t.Mrs. Chyntia sat with a kind of stillness that felt both graceful and guarded. She reached for her coffee
Raellyn only gave a small smile and then glanced at her watch. “Without doing anything, I can impress you. It’s been fifteen minutes. I have to go now.” Then she got up from her chair. She remembered that everything was over, and there were still things that needed to be taken care of. Her business with Arsene was now finished. Only the matter with Arnav needed to be properly resolved. Facing her husband was apparently much harder than dealing with this ex-boyfriend.“Shall I take you home?” the man offered when he suddenly rose from his seat as well.Raellyn had to understand that they were no longer together. That was just a gesture of manners from a gentleman offering help. But Raellyn knew that she was independent enough to handle something as simple as that on her own.“No, thank you. That would only hurt my pride if you dare to do that. So let me handle it myself.” Raellyn refused quickly, then walked ahead of Arsene, the owner of the house.“Be careful, the roads at night are v
“Well, since I spent time with you back then, I always thought about how this relationship would go in the future,” Arsene began, his voice steady but laced with vulnerability. “I even doubted that you truly wanted to marry me if I decided to divorce Sylvia. You’re the most independent, fearless woman I’ve ever met. Sometimes I always doubted whether you needed me or not. Sometimes in certain situations, I felt afraid when I was with you. You looked like you were shining brightly, but when I was with you, I felt like I was the one blocking that light,” he explained at length.Raellyn only gave a brief smile and closing her eyes momentarily, accepting Arsene’s honest explanation and simply taking it in.“You made the right choice,” she finally said. “Going back to your wife was the right thing to do.”Because in the end, they were just two lost souls colliding in a storm. Arsene, for all his flaws, was still a decent man. Despite his betrayal, he chose to take responsibility. He return
Raellyn asked, struggling to respond in a casual tone but the tension beneath it was unmistakable. She reminded herself over and over that she couldn’t let herself be swept away in this kind of conversation. She had to remember who she was now and things between them were no longer the same. Everything had shifted and more importantly, she need remember that everything had changed a full one hundred and eighty degrees."I used to," Arsene admitted, his voice low and grave, like the words were being torn from somewhere buried deep inside, "But I don’t think it would do either of us any good if I admitted that now. By the way, you didn’t bring any weapons tonight, did you?" His attempt at humor sliced through the heaviness in the room, but Raellyn couldn’t bring herself to laugh."No, I didn’t bring anything that could be used as a weapon. Not even a gun, because frankly I don’t need one tonight," she replied dryly, a wry smile tugging at her lips earning a soft chuckle from Arsene. Th