Chapter 26
Chapter 26:
“I thought we agreed to keep expenses reasonable,” Liam said, walking to the table. “The board is watching my spending p>
Seraphina’s face fell. She pouted. “But it’s my birthday! Don’t be mean p>
They sat down. The dinner was a disaster.
Seraphina talked about a reality TV show she wanted to be on. She talked about how a shop girl had looked at her wrong. She talked about how much she hated Skye.
“So,” Seraphina said, shoving a piece of cake into her mouth, “when are you divorcing her? The old hag—Beatrice—she hates me. But once Skye is gone, I can win her over p>
Liam dropped his fork. It clattered loudly against the plate.
“Don’t call my grandmother a hag,” he said. His voice was ice-cold.
Seraphina froze. She swallowed the cake with difficulty. “I… I just meant p>
“And stop talking about Skye,” Liam snapped. “Skye is handling family business. She is dealing with things you don’t understand p>
“Business?” Seraphina scoffed, trying to recover. “Skye is stupid. Everyone knows that p>
“She got a perfect score on her Master’s entrance exam,” Liam said. The words tasted strange in his mouth. He was defending his wife to his mistress. Again.
Seraphina’s eyes widened. “She… what p>
“She’s not stupid, Sera. She’s been playing us p>
Liam stood up. He looked at Seraphina—the cake on her lip, the ridiculous tulle dress, the vacant expression.
“I lost my appetite,” he said.
“Liam!” Seraphina cried, standing up. “You can’t leave! It’s my birthday! We haven’t even opened the champagne p>
“Drink it yourself,” Liam said. “I’ll call you a cab p>
𝗙і𝘯𝗱 ո𝗈𝗏𝘦𝗅 𝘗𝖣Fs 𝘰n 𝘣𝘦.сo𝗆
“A cab?” Seraphina shrieked. “But the driver… Arthur is outside p>
“The driver is for family,” Liam said, buttoning his jacket. “And right now, you don’t feel like family. You feel like a liability p>
He walked out.
He left her standing there, a princess in a tower of empty boxes.
Liam drove home himself. He drove fast, the city lights blurring into streaks of neon.
He pulled into the driveway of Kensington Manor. The house was dark, except for a single light in the library window.
He went inside. He walked to the library.
Skye was there.
She was curled up in a large leather armchair. She had changed into oversized silk pajamas and was wearing thick-rimmed reading glasses. A stack of financial journals was piled next to her.
She looked cozy. She looked real.
Liam leaned against the doorframe. He loosened his tie. The silence of the room was a balm after Seraphina’s screeching.