บททั้งหมดของ Silenced Bride, Relentless Love: บทที่ 51 - บทที่ 60

The following afternoon, Ava sat in front of her laptop trying very hard not to overthink every possible outcome of the interview scheduled to begin in twenty minutes.Which was failing completely.The baby monitor rested beside her while several documents remained open across the dining table. Translation samples. Communication briefs. Certification records she had not touched in years.The longer she stared at them, the more nervous she became.What if she had forgotten too much?What if years spent buried inside marriage and motherhood had quietly erased parts of her professional confidence?What if“You are doing it again.”Ava looked up sharply.Vivian walked into the dining room carrying iced coffee and a bag of pastries like she owned the estate now.Ava frowned immediately. “Why are you here again?”Vivian dropped into the chair opposite her. “Moral support.”Ava signed dryly, “You are the least calming person I know.”“Exactly. Anxiety cannot survive around this much personal

The next few days passed with a rhythm that felt unfamiliar to Ava.Not peaceful exactly.But real.The house no longer carried the suffocating emotional stillness that once defined every hallway and conversation. There were interruptions now. Small arguments. Accidental laughter. Ordinary moments. Even the staff seemed less tense moving around the estate.Which was probably because Adrian had stopped walking through the house looking emotionally haunted every five minutes.Mostly.Ava noticed the changes carefully but refused to analyze every feeling the way she used to. That had become part of her transformation too. She no longer wanted her entire existence consumed by Adrian’s emotional weather.So instead, she focused on herself.On work.On rebuilding.On becoming someone outside the role of wife.That morning, she sat in the living room finalizing another translation sample while their daughter crawled dangerously close to the coffee table attempting to eat paper.“No.”The bab

Three days later, Ava attended her first in-person onboarding meeting with the agency.And Adrian was behaving strangely about it.Not controlling.Not dismissive.Just… strange.“You packed too lightly,” he said for the third time that morning while watching her place documents into her bag near the kitchen island.Ava looked up slowly. “It is a two-hour meeting, not international exile.”“You still need proper preparation.”“I have proper preparation.”“You forgot a charger.”Ava blinked. “How do you know that?”Adrian held up the charger calmly.Silence.Then Ava narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Have you been watching me pack?”“No.”A small pause.“I noticed inefficient organization.”“That means yes.”From the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Holt quietly hid a smile while pretending to arrange flowers.Adrian ignored both women completely. “Traffic will also be worse near the business district today.”“I know.”“You should leave earlier.”“I know.”“And your folder”“Adrian.”He

By Friday evening, the estate felt unusually busy.Staff moved quickly through the halls preparing for the charity foundation dinner Adrian had apparently forgotten to warn Ava properly about until that morning.“You neglected to mention there would be two hundred people,” Ava signed sharply while standing in the dressing room surrounded by fabric options she already hated.Adrian leaned against the doorway with entirely too much calm. “I assumed Mrs. Holt informed you.”“Mrs. Holt looked personally betrayed while informing me.”“That sounds accurate.”Ava glared at him.He deserved it.Because tonight would be her first major public appearance beside him since the media attention exploded earlier in the week.And unfortunately, people were interested now.Very interested.Vivian had already sent her six screenshots of online discussions analyzing “the emotional tension of the Coles” like it was international politics.Ava still wanted to disappear thinking about it.“You are overthin

The moment Adrian’s hand settled against her waist, Ava realized dancing with him had been a catastrophic decision.Not because he lacked skill.Unfortunately, the opposite.Adrian moved with calm confidence, guiding her effortlessly across the ballroom floor while the orchestra music softened around them. Every movement felt controlled. Intentional. Too smooth.And the entire time, his attention remained completely fixed on her.Not the crowd.Not the executives nearby.Her.Ava tried focusing on literally anything else.The chandeliers.The music.The elderly couple dancing nearby.World economics.Nothing worked.Because Adrian kept looking at her like the rest of the ballroom no longer existed.“You are overthinking again,” he murmured quietly.Ava blinked. “How do you know?”“You tense your shoulders.”That answer affected her more than it should have.Because it meant he noticed now.The tiny details.The things he used to overlook.Ava looked away briefly. “You are very observa