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.”

Adrienne was scrolling through her phone, both of them sitting in silence. Lizzie stood up, heading upstairs to freshen up.

After showering and drying her hair, she came out to find Adrienne sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her phone.

“Mara called. She said she got the lawyer. She’ll send you the details soon.”

Lizzie's expression faltered slightly. She wasn’t sure if Mara had said anything else. She gave a soft hum in response and noticed Adrienne was staring at her, as though trying to read her every thought.

“What do you need the lawyer for?”

Lizzie sighed, instinctively lowering her gaze. She calmly applied some essential oil to her hair.

“Helping out a friend.”

“You could've use Hodge. Why bothering Mara to get you one?”

Adrienne’s voice was cold. Lizzie responded, “I’m not really close to him. Besides I didn’t want to involve anyone from the company.”

The excuse felt surprisingly convincing and Lizzie almost surprised herself with how smoothly the words came out.

By the time Lizzie returned downstairs, Adrienne had already showered. She lay down and he followed soon after, but the moment they settled into bed, Lizzie didn’t even bother with her phone. She turned her back to him and lay still, silent.

Things felt different now. It wasn’t the same between them. Ever since he returned from Eastport, Lizzie had seemed distant. There was an awkwardness between them that hadn’t been there before. He turned to face her, reaching for her waist, pulling her gently toward him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly.

Lizzie stiffened slightly and Adrienne felt it. His mind raced as he realized they hadn’t been intimate in a long time. He moved closer, but Lizzie turned toward him and gently pushed him away.

“I’m tired. Let’s just sleep," she said, her voice quiet.

Adrienne lay back down, but a question lingered. “Are you mad about Ophelia?”

Lizzie pulled the corner of her lips into a tight smile. “Why should she be mad? Was she supposed to get angry at a tool being used?

“No.” She paused, adding, “Why would I be mad?”

The words hit Adrienne harder than he expected. Of course, she had every right to be upset—he had been spending so much time with Ophelia, even having her stay next door. Lizzie should be angry.

But she wasn’t.

Adrienne felt a knot tighten in his chest, his confusion growing. He didn’t understand Lizzie anymore.

“She’s an actress. This kind of scandal could destroy her career. There’s nothing between us. Don't believe what those people are saying.”

Lizzie recalled the post Ophelia had made and Adrienne’s words confirmed he’d seen it. But the fact that he didn’t stop her, making it like he was allowing it. When the media went crazy over the rumor that Lizzie had stolen Adrienne from Ophelia, Adrienne didn’t say a word. Now, what did the post mean?

“What did they say?” Lizzie asked, her tone flat. “I’ve been too busy, I hadn’t had time to check on the news.” 

Adrienne let out a small sigh of relief.

“Well…it’s nothing. Just go to sleep.”

Lizzie closed her eyes, but Adrienne lay awake, restless. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. After a while, he slipped out of bed and headed downstairs. Passing the study, he pushed the door open, only to stop short when he saw the box in the corner had been sealed shut.

He froze when he saw the books Lizzie had organized were in a cardboard box in the corner, tightly sealed with tape. Then he noticed the photo frame from their wedding, lying at the bottom, but the photo was missing. He stood there stunned, processing everything that had been saw, before finally reaching for his phone. Ignoring the fact that it was midnight, Adrienne immediately called his assistant.

“Do you have Lizzie’s medical report?”