After a few more exchanges, the siblings ended their call. Lizzie carefully folded the medical report on the coffee table and tucked it away, choosing to retreat into the silence around her.
Adrienne returned a week later, but not alone—he brought Ophelia back from Eastport and settled her in the house next door. That property had originally been a wedding gift from Darius to Lizzie. Even though it had been hers for years, she’d never lived there, only sending a housekeeper occasionally to clean it. But now, Ophelia was moving in.
In her relationship with Adrienne, Lizzie had always been submissive, so much so that she’d rarely voiced her needs. Even when conflicts arose, she would swallow her pride, choosing peace over arguments. This time, though, she wanted to ask Adrienne if he thought it was really appropriate.
But as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. She’d already decided to leave; why bother now?
After a moment, she looked away from him and went back to packing up her books from the bookshelf.
Adrienne noticed her distant, empty gaze and, feeling a need to explain, said, “It’s only temporary. It’s more convenient for her medical team to have her nearby.”
Facing away from him, Lizzie smirked but chose not to argue. “She can stay, but you’ll need to let Miss Bullock know. Real estate agents might be coming by soon to show the place to potential buyers, so it may get a bit disruptive.”
Adrienne’s brow furrowed. “Why do you want to sell it? Are you short on money?”
Lizzie slipped another book into the box and looked up at Adrienne. “Not at all. It was a wedding gift from my brother and it’s just sitting there gathering dust. I thought it might be better to sell it.”
Adrienne watched her, puzzled. With the Bradford and Lennox Family fortunes, there were plenty of things that sat unused. But he knew she was making up an excuse. He wanted to press her further, but Lizzie was focused on her task, clearly not interested in talking.
As he prepared to leave, Adrienne noticed her packing up the books in boxes. Initially, he’d thought she was just tidying up. “Why are you packing up these books?”
“Just organizing a bit. Thought I’d put these out in the sun for a while.”
Adrienne nodded and paused as he remembered Lizzie’s recent call. “By the way, how’s with your medical check-up? Is everything’s fine? It was all so rushed that day; I didn’t get a chance to call you back.” Lizzie paused, reminded of the tumor in her head that could burst at any moment. She gave a slight shake of her head, downplaying it.
“Nothing serious.”
Adrienne responded with a slight hum. “Well, Ophelia’s injuries are quite severe and her mood’s been all over the place. I’ll be staying over there more often.”
“Sure, take care of her,” Lizzie replied with calm indifference, showing no sign of any reaction. Adrienne didn’t press further and left for the other house.
Watching him go, Lizzie stood by the window, a small, bitter smile forming as her eyes grew misty. This house—the living room couch, the bed in the bedroom, the entryway painting, the curtains on the windows, even the spare slippers—she’d chosen each item, carefully decorating every corner with hopes for their future together. But now, every detail seemed like a cruel joke.
After finishing with the books, she picked up her phone to call Mara for dinner. But just as she was about to dial, a call from her came in.
“Lizzie, check the news.”
Lizzie opened it to find a trending post about Adrienne and Ophelia rekindling their relationship.
