Chapter 2

The room was filled with the sweet smell of cake and the rich aroma of alcohol.

Sophie gave Sean a gentle nudge.

"Sean, why don't you bring Wendy a slice? The cake happens to be her favorite flavor."

Wendy had always loved raspberries, and tonight's cake was pink and raspberry-flavored.

Sophie smiled warmly, looking as though she genuinely wanted to help the two of them reconcile.

Sean stood out in any crowd. With his impressive height and striking appearance, he commanded attention without even trying.

He hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly searching for an excuse to refuse.

In the end, he took the plate and walked over to Wendy.

Even the way he moved had an effortless elegance about it.

He held out the cake with the detached politeness of someone handling a business obligation.

"It's Sophie's birthday. Won't you have a little?"

Wendy looked up at him, her expression calm.

"No, thanks, Sean. I'm trying to lose weight."

Several people immediately rolled their eyes.

Of course Wendy had to ruin the mood.

Sean studied her face.

There was none of the hysteria he'd seen three years ago.

None of the hatred in her eyes when she'd driven a knife into his shoulder.

None of the despair she'd shown when she declared that everything and everyone in Kingswell disgusted her.

She was so calm now.

Almost unnervingly so.

It was as though she didn't feel anything at all.

But everyone else was convinced she was putting on an act.

The whole world knew Wendy Wynn could never get over Sean Shaw.

Sean withdrew the plate, maintaining his usual composure.

"All right. I won't insist."

They'd known each other since childhood, yet now they spoke like strangers.

He turned and went back to Sophie, exchanging a few words with her and offering a faint smile.

The celebration continued around them, lively and cheerful.

But Wendy had no part in it.

She simply went back to replying to messages on her phone, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone was excluding her.

An hour later, the party finally came to an end.

Sean had spent the entire evening drinking on Sophie's behalf whenever someone offered her a toast.

By the time they were ready to leave, he was so drunk that he had to lean against her for support.

Sophie held him up, looking helpless.

"Sean, I told you I could handle a few drinks. Why did you keep drinking for me? You really need to stop treating me like a little kid."

The others immediately started teasing them again.

Sophie helped Sean toward the door.

Only then did everyone seem to remember that Wendy was still there.

The awkward looks returned.

Sophie turned to her.

"Wendy, are you coming with us?"

Wendy stood and smiled.

"Sure."

She was dressed simply in a white blouse and black skirt.

There was a fresh, effortless beauty about her, as though she'd left behind all the things she'd once needed to make herself stand out.

But the others exchanged wary looks.

They couldn't shake the feeling that Wendy was planning something.

One of them quickly stepped in front of Sophie, shielding her.

"You used to get so jealous of Sophie that you made everything awkward for her. She and Sean grew up as brother and sister, but you still forced her to keep her distance from him just to make you happy. Wendy, when are you going to stop bullying her?"

Another person joined in.

"Sophie was so worried about hurting your feelings that she hasn't even officially changed her last name to Wynn. She said she'd wait until you came back. And what did you do? The Wynns raised you for all those years, and you just turned your back on them! You left without a word and refused to come home for three years. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for everyone?"

Then came another warning.

"Wendy, if you bully Sophie again, you'll have us to answer to. You're not exactly in a position to cause trouble anymore."

They weren't wrong about that last part.

Wendy was no longer the cherished daughter of the Wynn family.

As far as these people were concerned, she was nobody now. Just a girl with no family connections or powerful background.

By their standards, she didn't even belong in their social circle anymore.

Wendy looked at the way everyone had gathered protectively around Sophie and almost laughed.

What had she even done?

She hadn't so much as said a word against Sophie.

Yet here they were, acting as though she were about to attack her.

Sophie, meanwhile, looked genuinely nervous.

Her face had gone pale, and when she spoke, her voice was timid.

"Wendy, please don't be upset with them. They're just worried about me."

It seemed Sophie had gained even more loyal defenders over the past three years.

She'd always been frail, and she had a way of looking so helpless and wronged that people couldn't help wanting to protect her.

That was exactly why Sean had never believed Wendy.

He hadn't believed her when she said Sophie had secretly destroyed her belongings.

He hadn't believed her when she said Sophie had deliberately pushed her into the swimming pool.

No matter what Wendy told him, Sean refused to believe a word.

Their arguments became more frequent, and little by little, Wendy lost hope.

Every time, Sean had the same thing to say.

"Wendy, there's a limit to how unreasonable you can be."

Of course.

Everyone knew Wendy was tough and stubborn.

She'd been a wild, headstrong girl since childhood, the kind who could fall down, scrape her knees, and insist she wasn't hurt.

So when she finally said someone had hurt her, no one believed her.

Instead, they decided she was a liar.

It was as though she couldn't do a single thing right.

She'd been trapped in that miserable situation, with no way out.

And then she'd lost her baby.

Sophie had pushed her, causing her to miscarry.

But even then, everyone had taken Sophie's side.

They insisted Wendy had slapped Sophie first.

Three years ago, Wendy had been hurt and wronged beyond anything she could bear.

And even now, remembering it still made her heart ache.

Sophie helped Sean toward the exit, but none of the others offered to lend a hand. Instead, they kept teasing her.

"Since when was Sean such a lightweight? How'd he get this drunk tonight? Or is he just so happy having Sophie by his side that he couldn't help himself?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Sophie's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink.

"Keep teasing me and I'm going to get mad!"

Still, Sean really had gotten drunk unusually fast tonight.

With some difficulty, Sophie helped him into the back seat of the car and climbed in beside him.

Wendy got in from the other side.

She had no intention of helping Sophie with Sean. After all, why interrupt their little romantic moment?

She settled into the corner, closed her eyes, and tried to get some rest.

She was still jet-lagged.

She'd barely gotten off the plane when Sean messaged her and told her to come here.

She'd assumed he wanted to discuss their divorce.

Instead, she'd arrived to discover that he'd summoned her to Sophie's birthday party.

He was probably worried that people in their social circle still believed the rumors from three years ago, that Sophie had caused Wendy's miscarriage.

Now that Wendy had shown up at Sophie's birthday celebration and behaved so pleasantly, those rumors would naturally lose all credibility.

She couldn't pretend it didn't hurt.

She'd barely set foot back in the country, and Sean had already manipulated her.

Three years later, and it was still all about Sophie.

He really did care about her that much.

Wendy was lost in thought when she felt something settle gently against her shoulder.

She froze.

Turning her head, she found Sean with his face buried in the crook of her neck.

Sophie, who had been rummaging through her bag for something to help him sober up, froze as well.

Then she quickly apologized.

"Sean's drunk. He probably mistook you for someone else."

Sean slipped both arms around Wendy's waist and pulled her tightly against him, burying his face even deeper against her neck.

He'd always been the golden boy of their social circle.

Everything he'd ever set out to do, he'd succeeded at.

But the ambition, nerve, and ruthlessness behind his success had also forced him to grow up long before his time.

Sean never let anyone see him vulnerable.

He seemed almost larger than life, like someone no one else could ever hope to surpass.

Yet now he was clinging to her so tightly that it was starting to hurt.

Sophie hurriedly tried to pull him away.

"Sean, you're drunk. Come on, take something to sober up first, okay?"

Her voice was gentle, almost coaxing.

But Sean didn't answer.

He kept his face buried against Wendy's neck.

Sophie tugged at him again, but he wouldn't budge.

Wendy was getting irritated.

"Just leave him. We'll be there in ten minutes anyway."

Sophie looked uncomfortable.

But Sean's assistant was driving, and Sophie would never let her true feelings show in front of someone else.

So she merely smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry for the trouble, Wendy."

Wendy almost laughed.

She and Sean weren't even divorced yet.

What right did Sophie have to thank her for taking care of her own husband?

But Wendy couldn't be bothered to argue.

The sooner she settled things with these people and put this whole mess behind her, the better.

She closed her eyes, determined to get through the next ten minutes in peace.

Unfortunately, Sean had other ideas.

Wendy had never seen him drunk before.

He was always so calm and controlled, his emotions carefully guarded behind that cool, detached exterior.

Perhaps Sophie was the only person who ever got to see his softer, more indulgent side.

Wendy certainly hadn't known that Sean was the affectionate type when he drank.

Her brows drew together as she felt his lips pressing against her skin.

Then his teeth scraped roughly against her neck.

There was nothing gentle about it.

It felt almost as though he were taking out his anger on her.