Chapter 6

Half an hour later, the taxi pulled up to a luxury penthouse apartment building by Central Park.

It was a gift from my parents for my twelfth birthday. My mother had once gently stroked my hair and told me that no matter how stormy the world got, this place would always be my safe harbor, a place no one could take from me.

The moment I opened the door, the familiar scent of sandalwood washed over me.

The apartment still held traces of my parents' lives; every piece of furniture gave me a long-lost sense of security.

I threw myself onto the sofa, exhausted and hurt, and fell into a deep sleep.

For the next few days, I stayed in the apartment, nursing my wounds. I didn't think about Hudson once. Even the annoying comments had gone silent.

One day, my friend Anna, seeing I was down, insisted on taking me shopping.

She was stunned when she saw me at the coffee shop.

I had chopped off the long, waist-length hair I'd kept for years, replacing it with a chic, shoulder-length bob.

I'd shed the sophisticated dresses I once wore to seem older for Hudson, now in a simple white t-shirt and jeans.

"Liriel, you... what happened to you?" Anna's eyes were red as she touched my hair.

I just shrugged and stirred my coffee. "I'm about to be married off to Chicago for the Family. A new look for a new life, right? Time to say goodbye to the past."

Anna sighed, her voice a mix of sadness and acceptance. "Alright. Then let's go to that new Michelin three-star restaurant. A celebration of your new life."

But as the waiter led us into the lavish restaurant, I saw them: Bianca and Hudson, with an elderly couple, surrounded by a swarm of reporters with cameras.

Anna's face went dark. She grabbed my arm to leave, muttering, "Damn it. Lost my appetite."

I didn't want to see them either, but before we could get out the door, Hudson called my name.

"Liriel?"

Bianca immediately came over, holding the elderly couple's arms, and introduced them warmly. "Liriel, what a coincidence. These are my adoptive parents. They were so good to me during the years I was separated from my real parents."

"Hudson was worried I'd miss them, so he brought them here and even opened this restaurant for them."

Her voice was dripping with smug satisfaction.

I looked at her calmly and said flatly, "Congratulations. I hope you all have a nice meal."

Bianca's eyes darted around, and she sighed as if by accident. "Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you. My adoptive mother has severe asthma and can't stay in the cold guest rooms. Could you... let them have your master bedroom? The big one that faces south?"

Anna was shaking with rage, ready to curse Bianca out.

I gently held Anna back. Looking at Bianca's challenging face, I smiled magnanimously. "No problem. I won't be using it anyway. They can have the room. They can even throw my stuff out."

The smile on Bianca's face froze. She clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily, so calmly.

I turned to leave, not caring, but Hudson caught up to me. He looked down at me, his voice gentle. "Liriel, this is just temporary. I know you don't like Bianca. Your parents left you that apartment, right? Why don't you stay there tonight? I'll have someone pack your things and send them over."

I looked at his self-righteous expression and almost laughed.

He didn't even know I had already moved out of the estate.

"No need to trouble yourself, I've already—"

"Hudson!" Bianca's voice cut me off. "The reporters are waiting! We need to go do the interview!"

Hudson turned his head. As he raised his hand to soothe Bianca, I clearly saw the blinding Cartier wedding band on his ring finger.

It was an identical match to the one on Bianca's hand.

Of course. The broken ring was already forgotten. A new one was a better fit.

I looked away and walked out of the restaurant with Anna, not looking back.

In the car on the way home, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from Hudson: [What were you going to say?]

I stared at the screen, typed "Nothing," and hit send. I could see he was typing for a long time, but no reply ever came.