Chapter 3

"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, we're here to celebrate with you," said a man.

As soon as the door swung open, Daniel Yates, one of the Kent family's closest business partners, was standing on the doorstep.

Daniel had already bowed in greeting as the door opened, but the moment he spotted Joanna, he couldn't help but look a little embarrassed.

"Uh, Ms. Coombs... You're here too?" Daniel stammered.

William accepted the gift from Daniel with practiced ease and said, "Yeah, Joanna just got back not long ago. Spending Christmas alone can feel pretty depressing, so I brought her over."

Mrs. Yates, trailing Daniel, gave me a sympathetic look. Everyone knew what was going on between William and Joanna.

This was William's way of sending out the first signal, making things official.

Charlie popped his head out from behind and said excitedly, "Ms. Coombs is going to be with us from now on."

The Yates family looked even more awkward. I couldn't help but scoff. Charlie just blurted out everything William was thinking.

William didn't bother explaining. He just flashed a gentle smile and gazed fondly at Joanna and Charlie. They really did look like one big happy family, except for the fact that I—the actual wife—was still standing right there.

Thankfully, Daniel was a smooth operator. He quickly jumped in with a sheepish grin, trying to steer the conversation away from the awkwardness.

"Kids say the darndest things, don't they?" Daniel joked.

I gave a wry, self-mocking smile. Before long, our house was packed as guests kept arriving in waves.

That same awkward, sympathetic look showed up on every face. After a while, I was just exhausted by it all.

Finally, after ushering out the last batch of guests, I relaxed my face that had been frozen in a polite smile. William pinched the bridge of his nose and confronted me. "Sophia, it's been eight years. Why is it you still can't handle people properly? Didn't you take all those fancy etiquette classes?"

I went stiff. William must have forgotten—over the years, I'd managed to claim a seat right at the heart of Grynavia's wives' club, rubbing shoulders with Brianna Larson, who happened to be Joanna's ex-husband's mother.

I'd brought the Kent family plenty of behind-the-scenes connections. Did William really think the Larson family's projects couldn't move forward without him?

Brianna even gave me her word that I'd be hosting the first big event after Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, just to make sure everything stayed on track, she made me run through the whole schedule with the hotel staff.

I didn't say anything. William kept up his usual routine—criticize me and then try to soften the blow with a token gesture.

"Whatever, you were probably exhausted yesterday. Here, take this card. After Christmas, go sign yourself up for more classes," he said.

I accepted the card in silence. Since I'd already made up my mind to leave, having a little more financial security was only practical.

As I took the card, both William and Joanna shot me looks filled with disdain, their judgment all too clear.

As the moon dangled over the treetops, William pursed his lips and said, "It's late. It's not exactly safe for you to head home alone, Joanna. Why not crash at my place tonight?"

Joanna's place was basically right next door—a five-minute walk.

He glanced at Charlie, who immediately grabbed Joanna's hand, slipped into the dialect, and said, "Ms. Coombs, come upstairs. We've got a room all set up just for you."

I froze. That room at the end of the second floor—William had never let me set foot in there.

Once, when the maid was cleaning, I couldn't resist sneaking a look inside. Everything was so obviously decked out for a girl. Later that night, as William and I were being affectionate, I asked, "Why is the guest room upstairs decorated like it's for a woman?"

Just like that, William's passionate gaze turned ice cold. He pushed me aside, and the sudden chill in the room made me shiver.

"Sophia, you've crossed the line. I told you that room is off-limits," he said.

Maybe noticing how harsh he'd come across, William rubbed his nose and added, "I have a distant cousin. When we were fixing up the house, she kept asking my mother to save a room for her."

Back then, I was so madly in love with William that it never even crossed my mind—this cousin he kept mentioning had never once actually appeared.

Joanna marched straight upstairs, eyes fixed ahead, heading directly for that room. My nails pierced my palms. So she'd known all along—William had kept a room ready for her.

With the three of us tangled up like this, I was nothing but the clown in their show.

Choking down my hurt, I rushed into the bathroom, cranked up the shower, and only then did I finally allow myself to cry.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, my phone buzzed with a message from Simon: [Ms. James, everything's set. Just file for divorce as soon as the holiday is over.]

I gripped my phone tightly. Good thing I set everything up a year ago. It saved my own skin.