Lahat ng Kabanata ng Divorced, Then Married His Rival: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 25

Shopping with Sophie in tow turned out to be exponentially harder than shopping alone.By the end of it, Wendy had returned most of the haul, keeping only the glass rose for Sophie's sake.She understood exactly what that one meant to her, even if Sophie never said it outright.At the new apartment, Wendy directed the movers item by item, everything finding its place.Sophie stood on the balcony, scanning the space left and right."What are you looking at?" Wendy asked."This balcony's just sitting empty," Sophie said, thoughtful. "Feels like a waste of good space."It was a generous balcony plenty of room left even after accounting for drying laundry and bedding."We could do something with it," Wendy offered. "Turn it into its own little space."Sophie's whole face lit up. "Yes! Okay!"She pointed to a corner. "A hanging chair right there wouldn't that be so dreamy?""A hanging chair," Wendy repeated, picturing it immediately. "Sophie, that's actually brilliant. Perfect spot for cat

Flustered, Wendy tried to wave it off. "No, no, I've got my own money.""Spending money on your wife is just how this works," Julian said, dead serious.Wendy nearly laughed and shot him a look a reminder that they weren't actually a real couple, in case he'd forgotten.He either missed the look entirely or chose to ignore it, and simply kept holding the card out until she took it.Sophie cheered from the sidelines. "Take it already! My brother makes all this money just to spend it on his wife turn him down and he'll go find someone who won't."Julian's expression went dark. "Sophie."She clapped a hand over her mouth, glancing between the two of them, and when she saw Wendy wasn't actually upset, stuck out her tongue instead.Wendy accepted the card quietly. "I know you're not that type of person."She'd hold onto it, she decided, but she had no intention of actually using it unless something genuinely required it. They weren't really married spending his money with a clean conscienc

Sophie clearly didn't want to talk about it, and Wendy didn't push. "If something's bothering you, come talk to us about it. Okay?""Mm-hm," Sophie said, distracted, barely registering the comment.Figuring Sophie had a solid enough relationship with her family that she'd speak up if something were genuinely wrong, Wendy let it drop.Someone had been filming Wendy's piano performance, and a staff member approached afterward. "Would it be okay to post this on the school's social media?"Wendy hesitated. "I'd rather not show my face in it.""Of course," the staffer said quickly. "We'll keep that part blurred."Then, glancing at Sophie since Wendy had technically been her guest they angled for a word of support.Sophie skipped the question entirely and turned to Wendy instead. "You good with this?"The staffer handled the school's social presence and clearly had an eye on the engagement numbers this kind of clip could bring in.Sophie, for her part, couldn't care less about the school's