Chapter 27

The first time, at the restaurant, Cedric hadn't known that his wife of two years could play the piano. He'd made a bet on her and lost.

The second time, at the Forrest estate, he had wanted to fuck her. That was all he'd

wanted.

As for Sylvia, the woman who had destroyed her marriage, she had barely confronted her directly.

The first time, Sylvia had been addressed as "Mrs. Forrest" right in front of her.

The second time, Sylvia had packed Cedric's intimate apparel and produced black silk stockings and a lace bra from his bed.

Compared to all that, a few rejected job interviews seemed trivial. And as much as the divorce tore her apart, it was the only path forward. It wasn't easy to let go of two years of devotion, but a clean break was better than a slow, agonizing death.

She understood all the logic, but she couldn't find peace. She couldn't bring herself to do as Juniper suggested-put on a full face of makeup and get her divorce certificate in style.

She hadn't slept all night. In the morning, she applied a light layer of makeup to hide her exhaustion and left with her ID.

She arrived at City Hall two hours early. It wasn't even open yet. A young couple stood near the entrance, dressed up and glowing with excitement, their happy laughter filling the morning air. In stark contrast, Liliana felt like a ghost, her face a mask of despair.

The early autumn morning was cool and crisp. Two large, leafy trees stood guard at the entrance. Withered yellow leaves drifted down, one landing on her shoulder, another settling beside her white flat shoe.

As if her strings had been cut, she slumped where she stood, her gaze vacant and fixed upon the joyous pair.

She remembered the day she and Cedric had gotten their marriage license. She had dressed with care in a crimson dress, her dark hair pulled into a neat bun. The whole thing had happened so suddenly that she'd been completely unprepared. Unsure if akeup was allowed for the photo, she had come bare-faced.

In her marriage certificate photo, she looked young and tender, leaning slightly toward Cedric. Her small, heart-shaped face was radiating a happiness so palpable it seemed to leap out of the picture. For a long time, she had thought the photo was unflattering. Not ugly, just... not her at her best. Next to Cedric's chiseled, statuesque features, she had felt she didn't measure up.

How silly that seemed now. It was just a photo. A photo that was about to disappear forever.

From this day forward, she would no longer love Cedric. She would make sure of it.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice her phone ringing repeatedly in her purse. The sound finally broke

through her trance. She came tonet

realizing her cheeks were wet and her vision was blurry. Wiping her eyes, she pulled out her phone and answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Liliana, you have to save Hale! He.... he hit someone with his car, and that person died! Your father wants to hire the best lawyer in Riverbend City, Attorney Chase, but he's not available. You have to go beg Cedric! He knows Attorney Chase, hell do it as a favor to him. Please?"

Vida managed to get the words out before dissolving into gut-wrenching sobs. Her cries, mixed with the roar of morning traffic, drilled into Liliana's skull like a power tool.

"What happened to Hale?"

"Don't ask questions! Just go beg Cedric, find Attorney Chase, and get to the police station! The victim's family and their lawyer are already there. You know Hale's temper. If he says the wrong thing and they use it against him, he's done for!"

Urged on by Vida's frantic pleas, Liliana ran to the curb and hailed a taxi, heading straight for Zephyr Group. The divorce would have to wait. Nothing was more important than Hale—the only person in the Preston family who had ever made her feel a shred of warmth.

**Zephyr Group**

For the past two days, the atmosphere in the company had been tense. Employees walked on eggshells, especially on the top floor, where no one dared to breathe too loudly Timothy, being closest to Cedric, bore the brunt of it

constantly finding himself the target

of his boss's foul mood.

Just now, after briefing Cedric on his schedule, he'd been met with a glare that could

cut glass.

"Is the Apex project not urgent?" Cedric's voice was icy, his eyes dark.

Timothy instinctively replied, "Of course it's urgent!"

The next second, the schedule was thrown at his feet. "If it's so urgent, how did you find time for a trip to City Hall? How do you manage my schedule?" Cedric hissed, his words laced with fury.

Timothy swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. "Should... should I cancel the appointment now?"

Cancel it? After days of waiting for Liliana to come crawling back, he was supposed to be the one to back down? Not a chance. He was surprised she had held out this

long.

He clenched his jaw, the line of his chin sharp and unforgiving. She was either planning to stand him up or planning to make a scene at City Hall.