Chapter 31

Scarlett I couldn't sleep. No matter how many times I closed my eyes. No matter how many times I turned over in bed and tried to force myself to relax, seep simply refused to come. The guest bedroom felt unfamiliar. The silence felt unfamiliar. Even the air felt unfamiliar. Everything about this place reminded me of a version of myself that no longer existed. Five years ago, I had walked out of this mansion with a broken heart and a suitcase full of shattered dreams. I had promised myself I would never return. Never. Yet somehow life had brought me right back to the place where everything had fallen apart, back under Adrian Mattson's roof. Back inside the house where I had once been his wife. Back inside the walls that still held memories I wasn't ready to face. I released a slow breath and sat up. The digital clock beside the bed glowed softly in the darkness. 2:17 a.m. Great. Another sleepless night. I rubbed my face tiredly before slipping out of bed, maybe a glass

Chapter 32

Scarlett The mansion felt unusually quiet after the twins left for school. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no laughter echoing through the hallways. No cartoon theme songs blasting from the television. No Lily asking endless questions about everything she saw. No Liam passionately explaining why dinosaurs were superior to every other creature that had ever existed. Just silence. A strange, unfamiliar silence. I stood in the kitchen holding my coffee mug and realized how much life the twins brought into every room they entered. The house felt bigger without them. Emptier and lonelier. Even Dorothy had disappeared into her office for the morning, while Adrian had spent most of breakfast handling phone calls and business meetings. The entire mansion felt suspended in a strange calm. A calm that gave me far too much time to think. Especially when most of my thoughts lately seemed to revolve around one person. Adrian. I sighed softly

Chapter 33

Scarlett I couldn't stop thinking about it. Hours had passed, yet the memory refused to leave me alone. I had tried everything. I buried myself in work and even forced myself to focus on tasks that normally demanded my full attention. None of it worked. No matter how hard I tried, my mind kept wandering back to Adrian's bedroom. Back to the way his eyes had darkened when he looked at me. The way he moaned my name as he touched himself. This was so clear that he hadn't slept with Avery, he wanted me. He needed me. My mind went back to the tension that had wrapped itself around us like a living thing. I groaned and shut my laptop harder than necessary. I wasn't some lovestruck teenager daydreaming about her first crush. I was a grown woman. A successful businesswoman who managed an international company. A mother raising two incredible children. A woman who had survived heartbreak, betrayal, divorce, and years of rebuilding herself from the ground up. So why was I

Chapter 34

Adrian The silence was unbearable. "You're flirting." Liam looked entirely too proud of himself. As if he had just solved an impossible mystery. As if he deserved some kind of award for exposing us. Beside him, Lily gasped dramatically, placing both hands over her mouth like she'd just witnessed the biggest scandal in history. My eyes immediately found Scarlett and that was a mistake. Because her face had turned a shade of red I'd never seen before. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. Judging by the look she was currently giving our son, she was debating whether grounding him until adulthood would be considered excessive. "Excuse me?" she finally managed. Liam shrugged. "What?" "Nothing is happening." "Uh-huh." I blinked. Where exactly had a five-year-old learned sarcasm? Because it certainly wasn't from me. At least, I hoped not. Lily walked further into the office and folded her arms. "You were looking at each other." Scarlett looked horrified.

Chapter 35

Avery I hated her. I hated everything about her. The feeling burned through me like acid as I stared at the photographs scattered across my coffee table. Scarlett. Adrian. The twins. A perfect little family. A perfect little reunion. My nails dug into my palms as I picked up one of the photographs. Scarlett was smiling. The kind of smile that came from genuine happiness. The kind of smile I hadn't seen on Adrian's face in years. Adrian stood beside her, his focus wasn't at the camera but at Scarlett, my doom. As if she was the only person in the world worth looking at. The sight made my stomach twist. Every photograph felt like a slap across my face. Every smile felt like a cruel reminder. I had spent five years, loving Adrian, waiting for him,supporting him, defending him. Standing beside him through business scandals, family drama, and endless stress. Five years believing that eventually he would see me. Eventually he would choose me. Eventually he would realiz

Chapter 36

Scarlett Something felt wrong and I couldn't explain it. I couldn't point to one specific thing and say, that's the problem. But ever since the reporters had shown up outside my house days ago, I'd been unable to shake the feeling. The feeling that eyes were constantly following me, they were studying every move I made. As though someone was standing just outside my field of vision, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. I hated how paranoid it made me feel. I hated how every unknown phone number made my stomach tighten. Most of all, I hated that deep down, I knew I wasn't imagining it. Someone was doing this. Someone was deliberately trying to disrupt my life. I had a feeling things were only getting started. I forced a smile as I sat in the school auditorium. The large room buzzed with excited chatter. Children ran between rows of chairs while parents laughed and took photographs. Teachers moved around trying and mostly failing to keep everyon