Chapter 3
Briony slid into the driver’s seat, slipped the pregnancy test into her purse, and was just about to start the car when her assistant, Hannah Lane, called.
“Briony, I just got off the phone with the client. They want us to deliver the Veiled Elegance artifact by tomorrow.“–
Briony frowned. “I thought we agreed on a week for delivery?”
“Something must’ve come up on their end. The project manager said as long as we make the deadline, payment isn’t an issue.”
Briony considered for a moment. “Tell them we’ll deliver the day after tomorrow–at a fifty percent markup.”
“But the manager sounded pretty adamant-”
“That’s my absolute limit,” Briony said firmly. “If they can’t accept that, I’ll refund the deposit.”
“Understood. I’ll get back to them right away.”
As soon as the call ended, Briony was about to put her phone away when her thumb accidentally tapped a trending news alert.
Stewart was trending.
More specifically, Stewart and the famous actress Rosita Lockwood were trending together.
#Oscar–winner Rosita Lockwood Spotted With Billionaire Boyfriend–Romantic Week in Paris Ends With Late–Night Return!#
The photo didn’t show Stewart’s face, but even from the side, Briony recognized him instantly.
She stared at the image, unable to look away.
After a long, silent moment, her lashes fluttered. She swiped out of the news feed and opened Rosita’s Instagram.
Just as she’d expected, at five in the morning, Rosita had posted a sunrise photo.
The caption read: *“Searching and searching, I ended up right back where I started. Thankfully, you’re still here.“*
Staring at the picture, Briony could almost see Stewart and Rosita wrapped in each other’s arms, watching the dawn together.
So that was why he’d rushed off last night–to catch the sunrise with the woman he truly loved.
A bitter smile tugged at Briony’s lips.
She mocked herself for being pathetic.
She knew she held no place in his heart, and still, she couldn’t help checking up on him–like a petty thief hiding in the shadows, spying on the man she loved and the woman he adored.
She couldn’t control her feelings. Like a moth to a flame, she only had herself to blame.
At least Rosita was back in town now.
Soon enough, Briony thought, Stewart would ask for a divorce.
Maybe that was for the best.
Once they split, she could finally disappear from his world–strangers again, nothing left to tie them together.
Maybe then, she could finally kill off the foolish hope she’d buried so deep inside.
15:39
Chapter 3
Briony pulled up outside the Wentworth family’s old estate, parking in a temporary spot.
She got out and walked toward the house. The staff she passed barely spared her a glance before hurrying on with their work.
Briony’s expression didn’t change.
Five years of marriage to Stewart, and Fiona had looked down on her from the start. The staff followed suit, barely concealing their disdain. If it weren’t for Irwin, Briony wouldn’t have set foot in this house at all.
“Mom!”
A bright, childish voice rang out just as Briony stepped into the grand living room. A small, familiar figure launched itself at her.
“Mom, you finally came to get me!”
Five–year–old Irwin clung to Briony like a little koala, his voice trembling with hurt. “Grandma just told me you didn’t want me anymore.”
Briony froze, her gaze flicking up to Fiona.
Fiona, perfectly coiffed and dripping with jewels, sat in her usual spot at the head of the room. Beside her, graceful and stunning, sat Rosita.
Seeing Rosita here took Briony by surprise.
But on second thought, it made sense.
Stewart had already proposed to Rosita, and now they were making headlines together–clearly, things were going public. Rosita showing up at the Wentworth estate meant she had Fiona’s approval, too.
“Mom, why aren’t you saying anything?” Irwin peered up at her anxiously. “Is what Grandma said true? Are you really divorcing Dad? Are you leaving me behind?”
Briony looked down, meeting Irwin’s worried little eyes, and felt her heart ache.
She’d raised Irwin as her own for five years–every scraped knee, every bedtime story, every tear wiped away was hers to tend to. The bond they’d forged wasn’t something she could just walk away from.
The thought of leaving him behind after the divorce was almost unbearable.
“Irwin, come here,” Fiona called coldly from across the room.
“I don’t want to!” Irwin clung to Briony even tighter. “I want to go home with Mom!”
Fiona’s face darkened, her tone turning sharp. “How many times do I have to tell you? Briony isn’t your mother. This is your mother–the acclaimed actress, Rosita.”
Briony’s breath caught.
Irwin’s real mother was Rosita?
But Stewart had always said Irwin’s biological mother had passed away years ago.
Had Stewart…been lying to her all this time?
