“No, I haven’t,” Lizzie replied.

Yolanda paused. “Don’t worry about it, okay, sweetheart? You’re still the one and only woman of Adrianne. Only you are our legitimate daughter in-law. I’ll speak to Adrienne, ‘ll tell him to return immediately and make sure he apologizes to you, okay”

Lizzie forced a weak smile. She wanted to say she didn’t need an apology. This was between her and Adrienne. Her in-laws had always treated her kindly, so there was no need to vent her frustration on them. “Thanks, Mom, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll be okay. I just… I’m not sure I can face the reporters right now.”

“No, no, no, you don’t have to. We’ll take care of them. You just rest for the night, alright?” Yolanda assured her.

Not long after Yolanda hung up, Adrienne’s call came through. Lizzie answered, putting him on speaker. Shortly after Yolanda’s call ended, Adrienne finally called. Lizzie answered, putting him on speakerphone. His voice was cold, as if she were some stranger intruding on his life. “It’s late. What’s with all the calls?”

“Nothing important.”

A brief silence followed before a voice came through the phone, “Mr. Lennox, Miss Bullock is awake and asking for you.”

“In a minute,” he replied, hanging up without another word.

The dial tone echoed in Lizzie’s ears. Adrienne and Ophelia had dated off and on throughout college. Lizzie had liked Adrienne since she was a teenager and he knew it. Watching him with Ophelia had been painful, but she’d kept her feelings hidden.

Then, at a friend’s wedding, Adrienne caught the bride’s bouquet and turned straight to her with a proposal. Not wanting to embarrass him, Lizzie said yes.

That night, she tried explaining her feelings, but Adrienne just started pursuing her. It seemed like a dream—just like everyone expected, they got married.

She walked down the aisle full of hope, only to be met with a husband who remained emotionally distant. Life with him had become monotonous. But now, thinking back, she realized Adrienne had never truly let go of Ophelia.

So, what was she to him? A convenient stand-in? A painful ache settled in her chest as her vision blurred. She curled up on the couch, trembling. Finally, she took a steadying breath and picked up the phone, calling her brother. “Darius, I’m coming back to London in a few days.”

“Will Adrienne be with you?”

“No, just me.”

He hesitated, concern lacing his voice, “Did you two have a fight?”

Lizzie stood by the window, letting the cold air sting her face. Her throat tightened. “No… remember I’d talked about going back to grad school? It’s about time I actually did it. Adrienne’s busy; maybe he’ll come around the holidays.”

Relieved, Darius let out a breath. “Alright. Just let me know when and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

After a few more exchanges, the siblings ended their call. Lizzie carefully folded the medical report on the coffee table and tucked it away, choosing to retreat into the silence around her.

Adrienne returned a week later, but not alone—he brought Ophelia back from Eastport and settled her in the house next door. That property had originally been a wedding gift from Darius to Lizzie. Even though it had been hers for years, she’d never lived there, only sending a housekeeper occasionally to clean it. But now, Ophelia was moving in.

In her relationship with Adrienne, Lizzie had always been submissive, so much so that she’d rarely voiced her needs. Even when conflicts arose, she would swallow her pride, choosing peace over arguments. This time, though, she wanted to ask Adrienne if he thought it was really appropriate.

But as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. She’d already decided to leave; why bother now?

After a moment, she looked away from him and went back to packing up her books from the bookshelf.

Adrienne noticed her distant, empty gaze and, feeling a need to explain, said, “It’s only temporary. It’s more convenient for her medical team to have her nearby.”

Facing away from him, Lizzie smirked but chose not to argue. “She can stay, but you’ll need to let Miss Bullock know. Real estate agents might be coming by soon to show the place to potential buyers, so it may get a bit disruptive.”

Adrienne’s brow furrowed. “Why do you want to sell it? Are you short on money?”

Lizzie slipped another book into the box and looked up at Adrienne. “Not at all. It was a wedding gift from my brother and it’s just sitting there gathering dust. I thought it might be better to sell it.”

Adrienne watched her, puzzled. With the Bradford and Lennox Family fortunes, there were plenty of things that sat unused. But he knew she was making up an excuse. He wanted to press her further, but Lizzie was focused on her task, clearly not interested in talking.

As he prepared to leave, Adrienne noticed her packing up the books in boxes. Initially, he’d thought she was just tidying up. “Why are you packing up these books?”

“Just organizing a bit. Thought I’d put these out in the sun for a while.”

Adrienne nodded and paused as he remembered Lizzie’s recent call. “By the way, how’s with your medical check-up? Is everything’s fine? It was all so rushed that day; I didn’t get a chance to call you back.”  Lizzie paused, reminded of the tumor in her head that could burst at any moment. She gave a slight shake of her head, downplaying it.

“Nothing serious.”

Adrienne responded with a slight hum. “Well, Ophelia’s injuries are quite severe and her mood’s been all over the place. I’ll be staying over there more often.”

“Sure, take care of her,” Lizzie replied with calm indifference, showing no sign of any reaction. Adrienne didn’t press further and left for the other house.

Watching him go, Lizzie stood by the window, a small, bitter smile forming as her eyes grew misty. This house—the living room couch, the bed in the bedroom, the entryway painting, the curtains on the windows, even the spare slippers—she’d chosen each item, carefully decorating every corner with hopes for their future together. But now, every detail seemed like a cruel joke.

After finishing with the books, she picked up her phone to call Mara for dinner. But just as she was about to dial, a call from her came in.

“Lizzie, check the news.”

Lizzie opened it to find a trending post about Adrienne and Ophelia rekindling their relationship.

She clicked into the post to find a message from Ophelia: “No matter how far I wander, my heart always returns to you.” The image showed Adrienne’s silhouette, standing over a simmering pot of soup.

The comments were a mix of delighted fans celebrating their favorite couple’s reunion and people slamming Lizzie, claiming she’d driven Ophelia away so she could marry Adrienne. Some even suggested that her abandonment was karmic justice. To them, she was the one who had separated their beloved Ophelia from Adrienne and now that he had seemingly left her, it was no more than what she deserved.

As Lizzie scrolled through in silence, Mara’s voice came through on the line. “You want to tell me what’s going on? Did you and Adrienne split up?”

After a brief pause, Lizzie replied, “Not yet.”

“Then what the hell is he doing with that woman?” Mara burst out with frustration.

Lizzie gave a small, weary laugh. “Calm down. I was about to ask you to dinner when you called.”

“You at home? I’ll come pick you up.”

Smiling, Lizzie agreed. “Sounds good. I wasn’t in the mood to drive anyway.”

Mara arrived quickly. Lizzie took a quick shower, changed her clothes, applied some light makeup and was ready just as he arrived. They went to a cozy restaurant they’d frequented over the years.

Once they were seated and had placed their orders, Lizzie looked at Mara and said, “Help me find a good lawyer. I’m ready to end things with Adrienne.”

Mara’s concern was apparent, but Lizzie brushed it off with a small smile. “I’ve got a tumor in my brain and I’ll need surgery. I’ve already applied for my visa and will head to London as soon as it’s approved.”

At her words, Mara’s eyes filled with tears. “Since when? What did the doctors say? Have you told your parents yet?” She fired off questions, her voice laced with worry.

“The same day when Ophelia had her accident. The doctors wanted Adrienne there to sign, but he was rushing off to find her. The surgery’s risky, so I need family by my side. I’ll head home to have it done.”

Tears started streaming down Mara’s face. “Forget about him. No one is worth going through this alone. I’ll going with you.”

Lizzie gently wiped her tears, offering a comforting smile. “I’m okay, really. Don’t worry about me.”

When Lizzie returned home after dinner, Adrienne was sitting in the living room.

“Where were you?” he asked.

“Out for dinner with Mara,” Lizzie replied, setting down her coat, bag and shoes before taking a seat across from him.

“Adrienne, we’ve talked for years about making a wish trip together. Think you could go this year?” Lizzie asked, referencing the trip to Lhasa.

She’d once heard that couples facing tough times needed to go on such a journey to pray with sincerity and resolve the hurdles in their relationship. Adrienne had always dismissed it as nonsense, never taking her seriously. Now, with Lizzie bringing it up again, Adrienne sighed. “How many times did I tell you that kind of things aren’t real? Besides, with Ophelia in this state, there’s no way I can go. Not until after the New Year.”

His response didn’t surprise her, but he’d never even offered to go “after the New Year” before. In the past, she’d probably be thrilled, planning the tickets and itinerary. But now, she only responded with a quiet “Alright” and nothing more.

Adrienne was growing increasingly uneasy with Lizzie’s silence; she seemed like a stranger these days. His gaze swept over the room, feeling as though something was missing. “Did you take down our wedding photo?”

“Yeah, just giving the frame a clean. It looks a bit dusty.”