“Thank you for the invitation, but I just moved my studio here. There’s still a lot to set up. I’m afraid I won’t have time,” she said politely. “But please give Mrs. Fraser my best wishes.”
“That’s a shame,” Oliver said, though he nodded with understanding.
After a few more friendly words, he finally left with a satisfied smile.
But the warm, easy scene looked completely different through Ethan’s eyes.
His car was parked not far away.
And when he saw Amelia smiling so gently at the older man, something sharp and unpleasant twisted in his chest.
Oliver had barely disappeared around the corner when Amelia turned to go back inside.
A cold voice stopped her. “Who was that man who just left?”
Amelia froze.
She slowly turned around – and saw Ethan standing there, his face dark and stormy, with Hannah beside him.
She frowned, about to explain that Oliver was a client, but Hannah stepped forward first.
Hannah sighed softly, her voice weak and pitiful. “Ms. Harlow … I know you’re upset with Ethan, and maybe things are tight for you right now … but … but you can’t do something like this.
“If you’re having a hard time, you can talk to Ethan. He’ll help you … “
Hannah’s words came out vague and hesitant. Paired with that look of sympathy in her eyes, it instantly cast an ambiguous light over Amelia and Oliver’s relationship.
She made it sound like Amelia was so short on cash that she’d already started making shady deals with her clients.
Ethan’s expression turned even uglier. He seemed to believe Hannah’s words. When he looked at Amelia, his eyes were full of anger. “Amelia, do you really have to provoke me like this? If you need money, you can just tell me. Why would you stoop so low?”
Amelia was so annoyed that she actually laughed. Her good mood from earlier vanished in an instant.
She stared at them coldly. “Don’t use your filthy, narrow-minded perspective to slander my perfectly normal business relationship with my client.
“The person who just left is Mr. Oliver Fraser,
No Sex for Six Years Because of Her? I’m Done!a rising ink painter in Cindara. The only thing we talked about was customizing a gown for his wife. Ethan, if you don’t believe me, you can go after him and ask him yourself.”
Ethan’s face stiffened. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
He hadn’t expected Amelia to be so straightforward.
“Amelia, I just got worried. I was afraid you … “
He tried to explain but choked on the words halfway through, suddenly aware of how irrational he sounded.
The tension in the room thickened.
Just then, Hannah handed Amelia two shopping bags with a soft smile.
“Ms. Harlow, I’m sorry.” She apologized gently. “I was just nervous about Isla’s allergy, and I overreacted. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“These clothes are all things Ethan bought me yesterday. There are way too many styles for me to wear, so let me … congratulate you on your studio’s opening with a little gift.”
Amelia’s gaze flicked over the glaring luxury brand logos on those bags.
“No thanks,” she said coolly. “I don’t have the habit of wearing other people’s clothes.”
Hannah looked at Amelia, looking hurt. “Ms. Harlow, I know these clothes probably aren’t that expensive, and maybe they’re not up to your taste … but it’s the thought that counts.”
Ethan frowned.
“Amelia!” he scolded instinctively. “Hannah means well. Why do you have to be so confrontational?”
Amelia laughed.
“You two really are something.” Her eyes swept over them, mocking.
“Hannah, you buy clothes with my husband’s credit card, then turn around and try to give them to me as a favor. Ethan, you claim you’re here to check on me, but you actually bring another woman along. How funny.”
She paused, the curve of her lips growing sharper. “Someone who didn’t know better would think you two were the real couple, coming to visit a poor lonely widow.”
Ethan’s expression changed completely, his voice rising. “Amelia, stop making things up. My relationship with Hannah is not what you think!”
“Oh? Then what is it?” Amelia raised her eyebrows and met his angry stare head-on. “Just now, the two of you were so quick to misjudge the relationship between my client and me. You were totally self-righteous about it.
“So you’re allowed to jump to conclusions, but the second someone does the same to you, you can’t handle it? Don’t be so hypocritical. That’s just plain double standards.”
With that, Amelia turned to shut the door in their faces. She didn’t bother looking at them again.
Hannah’s eyes instantly filled with tears.
She choked out, her voice full of guilt, “Ethan … it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t come today, Ms. Harlow probably wouldn’t have gotten so upset.”
Ethan grew even more frustrated.
He tried to swallow his anger and comforted her, “Don’t overthink it. It’s not your fault. Amelia’s just being stubborn and unreasonable.”
The car ride back was tense and silent.
Ethan drove without saying a word, but he kept replaying Hannah’s story of seeing Amelia at the mall. Hannah said Amelia wanted to buy clothes, but she walked away at the last minute …
The thought that Amelia might be struggling financially made his chest feel tight.
He picked up his phone and called his assistant. “Unfreeze Amelia’s bank account.”
After hanging up, Hannah let out a wistful sigh from the passenger seat. “Ms. Harlow is so lucky. Every time you fight, you’re always the first to give in. Once she sees your gesture, I’m sure she’ll make up with you soon.”
Ethan didn’t reply, but he silently agreed.
In his mind, taking the initiative to unfreeze her account was already a huge olive branch.
She should just take the hint and come home.
Hannah saw his silence and quickly changed the topic. She said with a worried look on her face. “Ethan, I want to find a better school for Isla, but every private school I’ve called just brushes me off as soon as they hear I’m a single mom. They all ended up rejecting us … “
Ethan thought for a moment and answered without much hesitation, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it for you.”
After dropping Hannah off at home, Ethan headed straight to the office.
He pulled some strings and quickly got Isla enrolled at one of the top private schools in the city.
Meanwhile, Amelia received a text from the bank saying her account was unfrozen.
She glanced at it, her face completely calm.
Ethan thought money could fix everything, but he didn’t realize what she wanted most was a peaceful, stable future.
She didn’t go home. Instead, she stayed at her studio, working on sketches and dresses, enjoying the calm.
She was counting the days until the divorce waiting period ended.
…
Meanwhile, Isla had no intention of settling in
No Sex for Six Years Because of Her? I’m Done!at her fancy new school.
She had a wild, hot-tempered personality, and she acted out often.
In an environment full of privileged elites, she didn’t blend in at all. Instead, she often clashed with classmates over minor issues and even got into fights.
And her favorite thing to say was, “Just you wait! Ethan’s about to marry my mom, and he’ll be my new dad! Then you’ll see what happens to you!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.