\u201cAlright, I\u2019ll try and make it quick. Can\u2019t keep my wife waiting too long.\u201d With a smile, Vincent planted a quick kiss on Nora\u2019s forehead before leaving.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The onlookers couldn\u2019t help admiring the affectionate display.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my, Mr. Zeller is such a model husband. He\u2019s always checking in\u2013unlike mine, who disappears the moment I let go of him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly. That\u2019s why they say we should choose younger husbands. They know how to dote on their wives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora smiled modestly, though the happiness on her face was impossible to hide. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty much all he\u2019s good at.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Somehow, the conversation drifted to Miles. His mother, Beatrice Archer, beamed with relief. \u201cThat boy has finally come to his senses. He\u2019s started working at the company. It\u2019s rare to see him be serious for once.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna, who had been fighting off drowsiness, perked up at the mention of his name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feigning surprise, she exclaimed, \u201cReally? That explains why I\u2019ve been seeing him so often on the set of \u2018The Chronicle of Fallen Stars\u2018 lately. He must\u2019ve been busy with work. He\u2019s very kind to the crew and treats everyone to snacks every now and then. Everyone praises him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She never mentioned Melody. Rather, she deliberately left room for Beatrice to draw her own conclusions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure enough, Beatrice\u2019s expression shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene frowned slightly and turned to Sienna. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be spending too much time in places like that. They\u2019re full of all kinds of people, and it\u2019s dusty too. It\u2019s not good for your health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right, Mom. I only drop by occasionally to visit friends.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had barely finished speaking when her gaze froze at the sight before her. Wilfred and Daphne had arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilfred ambled in with Daphne\u2019s arm hooked around his elbow. Daphne wore a fitted silk dress in pale pink, her every movement elegant and composed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna\u2019s fingers curled involuntarily. She instinctively glanced around, and as expected, there he was. Ethan stood in a shadowed corner, silently watching her. Their eyes met for a fleeting second before the two of them looked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIrene, good to see you again,\u201d Wilfred greeted with a beaming smile, his voice loud enough to draw glances from nearby guests. \u201cEnna hasn\u2019t been causing you any trouble, has she?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene offered a polite smile. \u201cOh, not at all. Sienna is gentle and well\u2013mannered. Dad adores her, and she takes good care of Clay. You\u2019ve raised her wonderfully.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou flatter me,\u201d Wilfred said with a dismissive wave. \u201cShe used to be quite the rebel. I\u2019ve always worried she\u2019d be difficult and cause you trouble. If she\u2019s ever out of line, please forgive her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna sat there without a word, feeling as if something was lodged in her throat. The chandelier above suddenly felt too bright, blurring her vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was her biological father. In front of her in\u2013laws, his first concern was always whether she had \u201ccaused trouble\u201c, never whether she was happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In front of strangers, he portrayed her as a troublesome daughter in need of constant forgiveness for repeated mistakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Irene smoothly redirected the conversation. \u201cYou\u2019re being too harsh. Sienna has been very sensible. She\u2019s following the doctor\u2019s advice and taking supplements to get her health in order and prepare for\u00a0<\/p>\n
pregnancy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 78\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daphne seized the opening, her smile overly eager. \u201cMrs. Hale, there\u2019s an afternoon tea gathering at Rose Manor on the day after tomorrow. I wonder if you\u2019d be available to honor us with your presence?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene returned a gentle, impeccable smile. \u201cWhat a pity. I already have a card game scheduled that afternoon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A thin layer of awkwardness settled over the group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, there was an invisible barrier between the two women\u2019s respective social circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo worries, another time then.\u201d For a split second, Daphne\u2019s smile faltered. Anyhow, she recovered so quickly that the flicker of embarrassment on her face went unnoticed by anyone not paying attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a few more pleasantries, Wilfred suddenly turned to Sienna. \u201cEnna, come here for a moment. I need to speak with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna instinctively looked at Irene. Only after receiving her small nod of consent did Sienna rise slowly and follow them to the corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 79\u00a0<\/p>\n
172\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 79\u00a0<\/p>\n
She got the divorce and bolted 78 \u201cAlright, I\u2019ll try and make it quick. Can\u2019t keep my wife waiting too […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-she-got-the-divorce-and-bolted-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20152\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}