Chapter 22
Adrian cut in quickly, his voice firm. “Mom, please listen to me. I can’t take her dowry.”
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Evelyn’s eyes burned with fury. “You’re being a fool, Adrian! That woman has humiliated us beyond measure, and yet you want to let her go so easily? She wants me gone, and you’re still defending her?”
I watched from the shadows of my thoughts, the sharp sting of his words cutting deeper than I’d expected. My chest tightened, but I kept my expression calm, unreadable. I had been prepared for this, but hearing it still sent a bitter wave through me..
Adrian straightened, his jaw tight with resolve. “Keeping her dowry wouldn’t be right. I refuse to take it. Dad, Fredrick, I’ll need you to invite the family heads from both sides tomorrow. And we’ll need a matchmaker present as well. Let’s make this official.”
JoAdrian frowned, clearly uneasy. “The matchmaker who arranged your marriage was Lady Avis. She’s Cassandra’s maternal aunt.”
Evelyn scoffed. “Then we won’t invite her. Bring in the matchmaker from the western district- the one who first delivered our proposal to the Sinclair family,”
I felt the weight of their decisions, their calculated maneuvering. They wanted to erase me as easily as they had written me into their lives.
Lady Avis, her mother’s cousin, had little power, but she was still connected to the royal family. The Warren family wasn’t foolish enough to openly disrespect a royal consort, no matter how little influence she wielded. They were careful, but their intentions were clear: they wanted her gone, and they wanted her wealth to stay right where it was–in their hands.
Adrian ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. “Fine. I’ll leave the details to you. I need
some air.”
Fredrick raised a brow. “At this hour? Where are you going?”
“Just out for a walk,” Adrian muttered before striding toward the door.
But everyone knew exactly where he was going.
Vivian.
The thought of her name sent a dull ache through me, though I had long abandoned the hope that Adrian would ever see me as anything more than an obstacle in his path.
He needed to justify himself to her, to explain why he was divorcing me, to convince her that he
wasn’t cruel, just misunderstood. He wanted her to believe that I was the one making things
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Chapter 22
I clenched my fists beneath the folds of my dress, willing myself to remain composed.
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Adrian had visited the Yates estate many times before under the cover of night. Vivian’s father, Tristan Yates, had once worked alongside my own father. But an injury had cost him his leg and his place on a business trip. He had to watch from the sidelines as his daughter rose to power, earning the many accolades he no longer could.
Tristan had never been fond of the idea of Adrian marrying me. I was too privileged, too sheltered, too much a reminder of everything his family had to fight for. But Vivian had convinced him otherwise. She had told him I understood. That I had accepted my place. That I agreed to this arrangement.
I wondered, just for a moment, if she had truly believed that.
Or if she had simply told him what he needed to hear.
Vivian’s mother was ecstatic about the idea of her daughter marrying into the Warren family. She made sure to stir up a fuss, demanding an extravagant sum in betrothal gifts, as if scaling a business merger rather than a marriage.
A small pebble tapped against Vivian’s window, barely audible in the silence of the night. Moments later, the door cracked open just enough for Adrian to slip inside.
Her room was nothing like mine–no delicate furnishings, no unnecessary decorations. Instead, it was lined with weapons, blades gleaming under the dim glow of a single lamp. It wasn’t wealth. she surrounded herself with, but strength. The way the flickering light danced off the swords gave the whole room an ecric yet powerful aura.
Without hesitation, they embraced, their bodies molding together in the quiet intimacy of stolen
moments.
“Why are you here so late?” Vivian whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
The Yates residence was small, the walls thin. A single careless word could wake her elder brother and his wife, who lived in the adjoining room. She kept her voice hushed, her eyes scanning hist face for an answer.
Adrian cupped her shoulders, his fingers pressing slightly as if grounding himself in the moment. “Vivian, I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving Cassandra. I need you to understand that.”
She blinked, caught off guard. “Seperation? Why now?”
“Tonight, my mother collapsed. Her condition is getting worse.” His jaw tightened, frustration evident in every line of his face. “I tried to get Nathaniel to come, but he refused. He won’t treat her because of Cassandra.”
Vivian’s expression darkened. “Is your mother alright now?”
“She’s stable for now. A physician treated her, but he said her heart condition requires Snowdrop
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Chapter 22
he won’t go against Cassandra’s wishes. If she tells him not to come, he won’t.”
Vivian’s fists clenched at her sides. “She’s using your mother’s illness to force submission. That’s low, even for her.“”
you into you
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Adrian nodded, his voice firm. “That’s exactly what she’s doing. But I won’t be controlled. I made it clear to her tonight–I’m filing for divorce. And before you ask, no, I’m not taking a single cent from her dowry. I won’t be accused of mistreating her.”
He searched her face for understanding, for reassurance that she wouldn’t doubt him. He needed Vivian to see that he wasn’t just another man casting aside a woman for convenience.
Vivian exhaled sharply, her anger evident. “She’s not just being petty, Adrian. She’s dangerous. Holding your mother’s health hostage? That’s calculated. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“So, you agree with me?” Adrian asked, his voice low, uncertain.
Vivian met his gaze, her lips pressed into a firm line. “Of course, I do. You shouldn’t have to fight a war on two fronts–one in business, and another in your own home. You deserve better than this. Adrian.”
Relief flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by something more determined. He had made his decision. Now, all that was left was to see it through.
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