Chapter 3

Wendy didn't want to cause a scene, so she put up with it for a few minutes.

But Sean's lips kept wandering over her neck, growing bolder by the second.

Finally, she'd had enough.

"Pull over," she told the driver.

The assistant slowly brought the car to a stop by the side of the road. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"Mrs. Shaw?"

Wendy was surprised.

After three years, Sean's assistant was still willing to address her as Mrs. Shaw.

She opened the door and pushed Sean away.

"It's too cramped back here. I'm going to sit up front."

But Sean's arms were locked so tightly around her waist that she could barely move.

His grip was almost painful.

Wendy had to use some force to pry his hands off her, showing no mercy as she pulled his fingers away one by one.

She'd spent three years overseas learning to let go of the past.

Three years praying for the child she'd lost.

She wasn't about to fall for Sean all over again.

Without the slightest hesitation, she pushed him away.

The car's interior lights came on, and Sophie caught sight of the marks on Wendy's neck.

They were deep.

And unmistakably fresh.

Sophie's eyes widened in disbelief.

For a moment, she thought she must be seeing things.

Her hands curled into tight fists, her jaw clenched so hard that her teeth ached.

Wendy, however, merely rubbed her neck, frowning slightly, before climbing into the front passenger seat.

Sophie's nails dug into her palms.

Why had Wendy come back?

What was she even doing here?

Nobody in Kingswell wanted her around.

Even her own husband, the one person who should have been on her side, had never believed her.

Coming back would only bring her more humiliation.

Wendy settled into the passenger seat, still looking exhausted.

"Let's go."

"Of course, Mrs. Shaw."

The assistant, Liam Clark, glanced at his boss through the rearview mirror.

Sean could usually hold his liquor exceptionally well.

He shouldn't have gotten this drunk, much less started behaving so strangely.

Then again, perhaps he'd simply had too much to drink tonight.

The car fell silent.

Sean sat quietly in his suit, leaning against the seat with his head tilted slightly back.

Now this was the Sean everyone knew.

Reserved. Distant. Unreadable.

No one said a word.

The tension in the car was almost suffocating.

But Wendy had genuinely fallen asleep, completely oblivious to it.

Sophie slowly leaned closer to Sean.

She hoped he might rest his head on her shoulder, just as he'd done with Wendy.

But he remained perfectly still, never once shifting toward her.

Eventually, the car pulled up outside the villa.

It was the house Sean and Wendy had moved into after their wedding.

Though Wendy had lived there for only two years.

She got out first and headed straight for the entrance.

Liam blinked in surprise and quickly called after her.

"Mrs. Shaw, aren't you going to help Mr. Shaw inside?"

Wendy didn't even slow down.

Someone else was clearly eager to take care of him, so why should she bother?

She yawned and pretended not to hear.

Sophie helped Sean out of the car, her expression full of tenderness.

"It's fine. I've got him. Sean doesn't usually like other people getting too close to him anyway."

Secretly delighted, she supported him as they made their way toward the front door.

Wendy had left in such a hurry three years ago that she hadn't even packed her clothes.

She'd taken nothing but her ID and passport.

If it hadn't been for the changes at work, she never would have returned to Kingswell.

Out of habit, she placed her finger on the fingerprint scanner.

The door unlocked.

Wendy paused in surprise.

Her fingerprint still worked?

Sean had probably forgotten to have it removed.

He'd never paid much attention to anything involving the house.

Even during their two years of marriage, he'd usually left early in the morning and come home late at night.

He'd been just as rigid in bed.

Sometimes, Wendy would look at that gorgeous face of his and think what a shame it was that he had so little imagination.

Fortunately, while he wasn't particularly adventurous, he had impressive stamina.

At least that made up for what he lacked in creativity.

Everyone said Sean Shaw was a born businessman.

Steady, disciplined, and married to his work.

A machine without emotions.

Wendy had always thought so, too.

And if Sophie hadn't been in the picture, she might have been perfectly happy spending the rest of her life with him that way.

But once she'd seen how differently he treated Sophie, she'd realized just how enormous the difference was between being loved and merely being someone's wife.

Wendy slipped off her shoes and noticed several pairs of women's slippers by the door.

None of them belonged to her.

Hers had probably been thrown out years ago.

She casually picked up a pair and slipped them on.

After all, if another woman could help herself to her husband, surely Wendy could borrow a pair of slippers.

She yawned. She really was exhausted.

Turning to Liam, she asked, "Where's my suitcase?"

She'd arranged for someone to deliver her luggage from the airport earlier that day, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"I had your suitcase taken up to the master bedroom, Mrs. Shaw."

Wendy gave him a puzzled look.

For someone who'd worked as Sean's assistant for years, Liam was surprisingly bad at reading the room.

Surely he knew how ugly things had gotten between her and Sean?

Putting her belongings in the master bedroom would only make things uncomfortable for his boss.

She sighed and patted Liam on the shoulder.

"You really need to work on reading people, Liam."

Liam had been with Sean for many years.

He lowered his eyes.

"Perhaps I'm better at it than you think, Mrs. Shaw."

Wendy couldn't be bothered to figure out what he meant.

She turned and headed upstairs.

Behind her, Sophie helped Sean into the house and carefully lowered him onto the couch.

She gazed at his handsome face with barely concealed longing, swallowing hard.

Just then, Sean slowly opened his eyes.

Frowning, he raised his long fingers to rub his forehead, the tendons in his wrist standing out as he moved.

Sophie seized the opportunity.

"Sean, would it be okay if I stayed here tonight?"

“Yeah.”

He kept his eyes lowered.

Delight flashed across Sophie's face.

"Then let me help you upstairs, okay?"

"Mm."

She quickly took his arm and helped him up the stairs.

When they reached the master bedroom, they ran straight into Wendy, who was dragging a large suitcase out of the room.

The three of them came face-to-face.

A smug smile spread across Sophie's face.

"Sean's drunk, so I'm going to help him into bed."

She fully expected Wendy to lose her temper.

After all, Wendy used to be incredibly strict about Sean's interactions with other women.

She hadn't allowed him to get too close to them.

She'd insisted that his assistants be male.

She'd even forbidden him from bringing female companions to business functions.

Back then, Sean had agreed to every demand.

Everyone assumed Wendy could afford to be so demanding only because Sean spoiled her.

For a while, Wendy had believed it herself.

She'd thought his willingness to compromise meant he loved her.

Then one day, she'd overheard him talking to someone.

He'd said that giving in to Wendy's demands was the easiest way to keep her from making a fuss.

From a business perspective, it was a worthwhile investment.

His words had been brutally matter-of-fact.

There hadn't been a trace of affection in them.

And still, Wendy had swallowed her hurt.

Because she'd loved Sean.

She'd loved him so much it hurt.

She'd noticed how differently he treated Sophie, how he always seemed to make exceptions for her.

Thinking he might prefer delicate, gentle women, Wendy had even tried changing herself for a while.

She'd traded her bright, eye-catching style for a softer, more understated look.

But all she'd gotten from Sean was a cold remark.

"Stop trying to be someone else. It doesn't suit you."

Those few words had left her utterly humiliated.

Three years ago, if Wendy had walked in on Sophie bringing Sean into their bedroom, she probably would have slapped her across the face.

But now?

What would be the point?

She'd come back to end her marriage and let the two of them be together.

So she simply pulled her suitcase toward her and gave Sophie a smile.

"Thanks for taking care of him."

Sophie froze.

The argument she'd been expecting never came.

By the time she recovered, her expression had darkened.

Wendy had to be putting on an act.

But Wendy was already walking away, pulling her suitcase behind her without a backward glance.

She headed straight for the guest room at the far end of the hallway.

The one farthest from the master bedroom.

Sophie took a deep breath and helped Sean inside.

He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

For several minutes, Sophie stood beside him, gazing at him with open longing.

Finally, she made up her mind.

She bent down, intending to kiss him on the lips.

But just as she leaned closer, Sean opened his eyes.

Startled, she immediately straightened and pretended to be adjusting his blanket.

"Sean, I'll go make you something to help you sober up."

Sophie had always kept her feelings for Sean carefully hidden.

In front of everyone else, she showed nothing more than the affection of a younger sister.

That way, she could maintain her innocent image and let everyone else condemn Wendy on her behalf.

But now Wendy was back.

Sophie needed to make sure she and Sean got divorced as soon as possible.