vy smoking etched into their yellowed surface, and a sharp scream tore from her

readable second before turning away and drawing Jes

urface yet edged with cold steel, as he sa

at his words were mea

ouldn't help but fee

e one she had carried feeling

m him had always stirred

e memories, an abrupt voice cut

hat are you

tending to smoke in a quiet corner, when she

rd the club entrance before letting out a derisive snort. "You've go

ssica had no doubt that

her hands in refusal. She then signed

with open disdain as she said, "Jessica, you really are something. So desperate to seduce Adrian that you

t with Lexi, and she hadn't ch

onable standard, yet to people like E

xplain, but then, s

ch, her current jo

pt etched across her features. "Give it up. Your cheap tricks will never work on Adrian. In his heart, there's only me. Even if you stripped

s chest like a blunt strike. "That's absurd. The title of Mrs. B

icking up what I discard. When we were kids, you wore my castoff clothes and je

aining from her face, her shoulders quivering f

ling the truth, and so d

an's heart had never

sen to marry another man so early on,

directing others to move a cage holding the she

lf firmly in front of Jessica and snapping at Elean

m and the dog hair clinging to her clothes, then

"No wonder you two are friends. People like you

es you think you have the right to say that to us? It's freezing out here, yet you

gh her, her teeth grinding as she shouted, "Who do you think you are

ned the scene spiraling further, drawing Adrian's

shaking her head urgently. Then, she quickl

n. "Jessica, who is this vile woman

ingers paus

sed to explain an

the woman her husband had loved all his life, or confess that her ma

fficult to reve

e, Jessica lowered her he

whipping around to glare at Eleanor as she blurted, "So, y

ion snapped somethi

alled a homewrecker

the one who had stood

e title of Adrian's wife, Eleanor believe

outsider judge

nor lifted her hand,

hat Eleanor was the one wrecking Jessica's m

to hit me?" She caught Eleanor's wrist mid-swing and shoved her

is way. Humiliation burned through her as she

orward. She reached down, yanked Eleano

rang out in qu

you," Lexi said, "but

disheveled, her flawless makeup smeared, two

tred, glaring at Jessica and Lexi as though sh

Adrian stepped o

ground, his expression hardened with cold

, the malice drained from her features

ck me," she sobbed weakly. "I only asked whether sh

ace. "They didn't just hit me; they even called me a homewrecker. I

ords, concern flickering through his

, he walked over to Eleanor, carefully smoothing

s eyes stripped of warmth. "Jessica,

arried Eleanor into the cl

ache in her chest swelled until it felt impossible for he

exi finally found her voice. "Je

me, but he wa

nodded slowly, a single te