Adrienne was scrolling through her phone, both of them sitting in silence. Lizzie stood up, heading upstairs to freshen up.
After showering and drying her hair, she came out to find Adrienne sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her phone.
“Mara called. She said she got the lawyer. She’ll send you the details soon.”
Lizzie's expression faltered slightly. She wasn’t sure if Mara had said anything else. She gave a soft hum in response and noticed Adrienne was staring at her, as though trying to read her every thought.
“What do you need the lawyer for?”
Lizzie sighed, instinctively lowering her gaze. She calmly applied some essential oil to her hair.
“Helping out a friend.”
“You could've use Hodge. Why bothering Mara to get you one?”
Adrienne’s voice was cold. Lizzie responded, “I’m not really close to him. Besides I didn’t want to involve anyone from the company.”
The excuse felt surprisingly convincing and Lizzie almost surprised herself with how smoothly the words came out.
By the time Lizzie returned downstairs, Adrienne had already showered. She lay down and he followed soon after, but the moment they settled into bed, Lizzie didn’t even bother with her phone. She turned her back to him and lay still, silent.
Things felt different now. It wasn’t the same between them. Ever since he returned from Eastport, Lizzie had seemed distant. There was an awkwardness between them that hadn’t been there before. He turned to face her, reaching for her waist, pulling her gently toward him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly.
Lizzie stiffened slightly and Adrienne felt it. His mind raced as he realized they hadn’t been intimate in a long time. He moved closer, but Lizzie turned toward him and gently pushed him away.
“I’m tired. Let’s just sleep," she said, her voice quiet.
Adrienne lay back down, but a question lingered. “Are you mad about Ophelia?”
Lizzie pulled the corner of her lips into a tight smile. “Why should she be mad? Was she supposed to get angry at a tool being used?
“No.” She paused, adding, “Why would I be mad?”
The words hit Adrienne harder than he expected. Of course, she had every right to be upset—he had been spending so much time with Ophelia, even having her stay next door. Lizzie should be angry.
But she wasn’t.
Adrienne felt a knot tighten in his chest, his confusion growing. He didn’t understand Lizzie anymore.
“She’s an actress. This kind of scandal could destroy her career. There’s nothing between us. Don't believe what those people are saying.”
Lizzie recalled the post Ophelia had made and Adrienne’s words confirmed he’d seen it. But the fact that he didn’t stop her, making it like he was allowing it. When the media went crazy over the rumor that Lizzie had stolen Adrienne from Ophelia, Adrienne didn’t say a word. Now, what did the post mean?
“What did they say?” Lizzie asked, her tone flat. “I’ve been too busy, I hadn’t had time to check on the news.”
Adrienne let out a small sigh of relief.
“Well…it’s nothing. Just go to sleep.”
Lizzie closed her eyes, but Adrienne lay awake, restless. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. After a while, he slipped out of bed and headed downstairs. Passing the study, he pushed the door open, only to stop short when he saw the box in the corner had been sealed shut.
He froze when he saw the books Lizzie had organized were in a cardboard box in the corner, tightly sealed with tape. Then he noticed the photo frame from their wedding, lying at the bottom, but the photo was missing. He stood there stunned, processing everything that had been saw, before finally reaching for his phone. Ignoring the fact that it was midnight, Adrienne immediately called his assistant.
“Do you have Lizzie’s medical report?”
