Elliana batted her lashes and mimicked Trinity’s syrupy voice, soft and dripping with fake regret. “Oops, I’m so sorry,” she said sweetly. “I saw a mosquito on your face and got a little carried away trying to drive it away. I didn’t mean any harm. It was just an honest mistake. I hope you can forgive me for having such good intentions.”
Elliana had a real gift for mimicry. The gentle, innocent expression she wore now looked nearly identical to Trinity’s usual act. But Lance saw through the fake apology without even trying.
“Elliana, this is no accident. You’re clearly doing this on purpose. Why are you pretending to be all sweet and harmless?” Lance snapped.
Right then, tears sprang to Elliana’s eyes as if on cue. “If you won’t forgive me, then I guess you just don’t want me to live here with the Evans family anymore. That’s fine. I’ll go pack my bags and leave. That way, you won’t have to say it out loud.”
“You!” Frustration boiled over as Lance clenched his teeth. “When did I ever say I wanted you gone? You’re twisting everything! Are you seriously trying to fool everyone with this little act?”
Hearing this, Elliana swiped at her tears in a dramatic flourish, then gave him a wicked smile before heading up the stairs.
Lance stood frozen, something clicking in his mind a moment too late. Embarrassment crept over him as he turned his head toward Trinity. A bright red flush spread across Trinity’s cheeks. Now she didn’t know what to do. Slipping back into her usual act confirmed her employment of those low tricks, but dropping the act was out of the question. Elliana had backed her into a corner and made her look ridiculous. At this point, nobody could ignore the label stuck on Trinity-manipulative and two-faced.
“Trinity, don’t take it too seriously. I know you’re not that kind of person,” Lance said awkwardly.
Trinity pressed her lips together, nearly tempted to cut Lance out of her life entirely. Still, she swallowed the irritation bubbling inside her and kept up the appearance of a fragile, wounded woman. “It’s okay, Lance. I know you didn’t mean any harm. But Elliana still sees me the wrong way. What can I do to make her forgive me?”
“Ha!” Jeff let out a sharp laugh. The same kiddo who had always stood up for Trinity now stared at her with pure disdain. “Lance, maybe it’s time you started looking at yourself for once.”
Lance narrowed his eyes and snapped, “What are you even talking about now?”
Lifting his chin, Jeff met Lance’s glare with a look full of contempt. “Elliana couldn’t have made things clearer, and you still don’t get it? Such a moron.”
“‘You!” Lance clenched his jaw, furious, but couldn’t do anything to Jeff. Trinity poured more emotion into her performance, tears running freely down her face. “Jeff, you used to care about me so much. Why have you suddenly misunderstood me so deeply?”
Before, seeing her cry would have made Jeff rush to her side. But now, he gave her a look full of disgust and rolled his eyes. “It’s not that I suddenly misunderstood you. I just finally woke up and saw your true colors.”
He turned his attention to Lance with a glare that made his opinion crystal clear. “Too bad some people still choose to fall for the obvious manipulation like fools. If that’s what you want, go ahead. It’s your decision.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jeff turned on his heel and walked up the stairs, leaving Trinity and Lance standing in a silence that neither of them could shake.
“Trinity, do you want to move out of the Evans residence?” Cole asked out of nowhere. His voice stayed steady and emotionless, but something about it weighed heavily in the room.
Trinity’s body went rigid as her posture straightened. A strained smile stretched across her tear-streaked face. “Not at all, Cole. I’m fine living at the Evans residence.”
Cole’s face didn’t shift. His eyes remained fixed on her as he replied, “Anyway, you’re always free to return to the Craig family’s residence.” The words hit her like a slap across the face. Heat rushed to her cheeks as the sting of humiliation settled in. Coming from the heir of the Evans family, that statement felt like a formal dismissal. But walking away wasn’t what she wanted. If she planned to stay, the only option left was to bite her tongue and swallow the shame.
Trinity bowed her head, keeping her lips sealed.
Without another glance at her, Cole turned toward Ruben and said, “I’m sorry, Grandpa. Please forgive me for coming home so late.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back at all. I assumed you had given up your place in this family,” Ruben said, his voice cold and his expression even colder.
Cole understood the anger in his grandfather’s words, though he couldn’t offer a proper explanation. All he could do was soften his tone as he said, “Grandpa, that was never my intention.”
Ruben narrowed his eyes at Cole and, after a pause, lifted his cane and brought it down on Cole’s leg. “You ungrateful brat! You abandoned Elliana without a second thought.”
“Thought. And yet, she’s the one who stood up and saved the Evans family when we needed it most!”
Cole stood there in silence, quietly brooding over how unfair the scolding felt. This wasn’t about him abandoning Elliana. She had rejected him-twice. But he couldn’t say that out loud.
“Elliana sacrificed her treasured Venacure, a keepsake from her mother, to help the Evans family through this crisis. Venacure was priceless and held deep sentimental value for her. Do you understand the magnitude of her sacrifice?” Ruben raised his cane and struck Cole again. “Do you have any sense of gratitude?”
Cole lifted an eyebrow, his frustration barely contained. He wasn’t blind to what Elliana had done. He understood it all. But knowing didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want anything to do with him. With a stern glare, Ruben asked, “After all she’s done, don’t you think the very least you can do is consummate the marriage with her?”
Cole found himself at a loss for words when Ruben threw the question his way. Even if Elliana hadn’t done a single thing for the Evans family today, he would still have been more than happy to kiss her. But what did his feelings matter if she rejected him? Moreover, last night, he had kicked that little firecracker out of his car, leaving her fuming with rage. That glare she threw his way downstairs was still burning in his memory. He hadn’t even figured out how to make it up to her yet.
“Is your heart really that shallow? Do appearances mean everything to you?” When Cole stayed quiet, Ruben slammed his cane against the floor with frustration. “Elliana might not turn heads, but she’s got more character than most. Can’t you grow a little substance in that soul of yours? Or are you the clueless type Jeff mentioned?” The room went still. Nobody expected Ruben to go that far-a scolding just to bring Cole closer to Elliana.
Cole’s mouth twitched, his patience finally reaching its limit. Without saying another word, he turned on his heel and walked away toward the stairs.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ruben snapped, his eyes locked onto Cole’s back.
“I’m going upstairs to grow a little substance in my soul, Grandpa,” Cole shot back without breaking stride.
Ruben let out a huff, glaring at him until he vanished around the staircase. Then, turning to look at the others in the room-most of whom were trying not to laugh-Ruben shouted, “None of you is any better!” With that final grumble, Ruben stood and headed up the stairs as well. Those left behind couldn’t help but twitch their lips. Ruben wasn’t holding back today.
On the upper floor, inside the bedroom, Elliana lay stretched out on the balcony sofa, letting the sunlight warm her skin as if she hadn’t a single worry in the world. She took slow bites of her sandwich, sipped on her milk, and lazily scrolled through her phone.
The incident downstairs had already slipped from her mind. She didn’t see any reason to dwell on it.
What truly occupied her thoughts was the search for her mother and the truth buried in this marriage. As for those scheming, double-faced girls, she had only dealt with them while she was at it.
Finding her mother remained a complicated and twisted endeavor-one that couldn’t be rushed. Elliana knew she had to take things slow. For now, the more pressing issue was uncovering the real story behind her marriage to Cole, that maddening man. The sooner she figured it out, the sooner she could walk away and return the title of “Mrs. Evans” to him. That alone would save her from the constant headache of dealing with him.
With that in mind, she tapped out a message to Matthew: “Any updates on the marriage registration between me and Cole in Podgend?” Matthew replied quickly, “I’ve found a few things, but it’s a bit messy. We should talk face-to-face.”
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.