Chapter 6
The carriage rumbled through the lively Jadewae Boulevard and finally pulled up in front of a grand manor.
Thorn Manor.
My old home.
Now, it was nothing but a cage.
The stone pillars at the manor entrance still carried the crimson ribbons I had tied there myself.
Now the color had faded, like my heart, dead long ago.
Julian got out of the carriage first.
He stood outside, reaching out his hand to me. "Mia, we're home."
His voice carried a gentleness that felt almost rehearsed.
I ignored his outstretched hand.
I gripped the carriage door myself and stepped down slowly.
I stood before the manor and looked up at the gilded family name mounted over the entrance.
Inside me, only cold silence.
The servants at the gate stared at me in shock.
They must have been wondering how the woman driven out three years ago had returned, and with Julian himself.
"What are you standing there for?" Julian snapped. "Go inform Serena."
The servants snapped out of their daze and scrambled inside.
It wasn't long before a familiar figure appeared at the gate.
It was Serena.
She wore an elaborate brocade gown with pearl hairpins, her hair swept into an intricate updo, her makeup flawless
She carried herself with the easy confidence of a woman who had settled comfortably into running the household.
When she spotted me, her smile faltered for a moment.
But she quickly slipped back into her gentle, graceful act.
She walked over to Julian and slipped her arm through his in a familiar, intimate gesture. "Honey, you are home."
Her voice was still as soft and sweet as ever.
Then she turned her gaze to me, pretending not to know who I was. "Who's this?"
Julian's face stiffened with embarrassment. "Serena, this is Mia. I brought her back."
Serena's surprise was perfectly measured. "So this is Mia."
She released Julian's arm and approached me with open arms. "You must have suffered so much out there, my dear. Come inside. I've already had quarters prepared for you."
Her performance was impeccable, the picture of a magnanimous wife forgiving the past.
She reached for my hand.
I stepped back, avoiding her touch.
Her hand hung in midair, and her smile faltered.
I looked at her and spoke slowly, my voice hoarse and harsh. "Mrs. Thorn." I let the title land heavy. "You needn't call me 'dear.'
"I'm merely the mistress Julian brought back. I don't deserve such familiarity from the lady of the house."
My words made everyone's expression shift.
Julian's brows furrowed deeply.
Serena's complexion shifted between pale and flushed.
She clearly hadn't expected me to disrespect her so openly.
"Mia," Julian warned under his breath. "Don't speak nonsense."
I turned to him, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "Am I wrong? What exactly am I now? What place do I hold in your household?"
I kept pressing him, cornering him until he had no way out.
My questions left him completely speechless.
Indeed. My position was nothing if not awkward.
Not wife. Not concubine. Merely a burden Julian had brought back in a moment of pity.
Serena quickly composed herself.
She slipped her arm through Julian's again and spoke in a gentle voice. "Sweetheart, Mia just got back and must be tired after such a long trip.
"Let's head inside instead of lingering out here."
She handled the awkward moment with ease and changed the subject, demonstrating her poise and understanding as the lady of Thorn Manor.
Julian gratefully accepted the escape she offered and nodded. "You are right."
He didn't look at me again. He put his arm around her and led the way inside, as if they were the loving masters of the house and I were merely an unwanted guest.
I followed them into the familiar manor.
The grounds had changed greatly since my departure.
The rose garden I had planted with my own hands had vanished.
In its place stood Serena's favorite dahlias, blooming in vivid color.
The place remained, but nothing else did.
A nurse emerged carrying a swaddled infant.
Seeing Julian and Serena, she smiled and approached. "Mr. Thorn, Mrs. Thorn, the baby just woke up."
Serena immediately reached out and gently took the baby from the wet nurse.
As she held the child, her face glowed with maternal affection. "Honey, look. Hasn't our little one grown?"
Julian gazed at the baby, his eyes filled with a tenderness I had never seen before.
He reached out and gently brushed the baby's cheek. "Yeah, he looks like you and a bit like me, too."
The three of them formed the perfect picture of family warmth, a portrait of domestic bliss.
And I stood outside that portrait like an ill-omened ghost, unwanted and out of place.
I stared at the child.
The child I was supposed to bear for Julian.
The hand hidden inside my sleeve curled into a fist, nails biting deep into my palm.
Warm blood seeped through.