Chapter 4
After turning off the lights, William climbed into bed.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, but what used to be comforting warmth just made my back stiffen now.
Even after his shower, the sharp pine scent couldn't hide the overpowering sweet floral perfume that lingered on him—the kind that only Joanna ever wore.
Nausea rushed over me, dizzying and overwhelming, and I slipped out of William's arms.
He let out a sigh and slowly lay back down.
"Sophia, come on. Don't be mad. Joanna's all alone since her divorce. It's Christmas. Can you imagine how pathetic it is for her to go home by herself? See, even Charlie likes her. But you're still the lady of the house. Nobody's taking your spot."
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself. William, realizing he was getting nowhere, just rolled over and fell asleep.
As his even breathing filled the room, I clung to the blanket. I wasn't shedding another tear for this man. My tears had dried up.
All through Christmas, I never said a word against Joanna staying at the Kent family's house.
No matter how chummy Charlie and William got with her, I'd just stand off to the side, watching the whole show.
Even when Joanna started flaunting those hickeys without any attempt to hide them in front of me, I just stared past her like she was invisible.
Maybe his little loyalty test went exactly the way he wanted.
On the last night of the break, Margaret, who'd gone traveling the very first day, finally made it back home.
Before dinner, I caught William pacing nervously around the living room. It looked like he was finally going to come clean.
Sure enough, after dinner, William cleared his throat and said, "I've got something to announce. Joanna's divorced now, all alone out there. I've always treated her like a sister, so why don't we just let her move in?"
Joanna put on an act, covering her mouth in fake surprise, while Charlie practically jumped with excitement, clapping his hands.
Joanna was about to put on her usual conflicted act, but Margaret shot her a cold glare that shut her down fast.
Margaret never liked Joanna—not after she manipulated William and had him wrapped around her finger.
And me? Even as the real wife, I ended up just being the fallback girl.
All eyes landed on me. Charlie's face almost crumpled—he looked ready to start begging, terrified I'd say no. I just took a slow sip of champagne and met William's gaze.
"Sure," I said.
Joanna's eyes instantly sparkled with triumph. She and Charlie even shared a sneaky little victory high-five behind the table.
William, though, just frowned, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out. Before he could, I slid the divorce papers right in front of him.
"Let's get divorced," I said.
Margaret scoffed. "Sophia, you're pulling the divorce card now? Isn't it a little too late for threats? She's been living here for so long."
Margaret sized Joanna up, pure contempt written all over her face. Now that Joanna was tossed aside by the Larson family, even if Margaret couldn't stand me, there was no way she'd ever let Joanna actually become part of the Kent family.
I repeated myself, this time speaking in the dialect with deliberate precision. "This isn't a threat. I'm serious. We're getting divorced."
William looked completely blindsided, Charlie's face turned beet red, and Joanna let all that triumphant glee show on her face.
Everyone, Margaret included, stared at me in shock, clearly baffled by when I'd managed to master their dialect.