Leah woke up quite late. By the time she opened her eyes, Kian was already gone from the room. She had clearly fallen asleep on the floor, so how did she end up in bed?
After washing up, she went downstairs to find the whole family gathered. Hearing her footsteps, Kian glanced her way. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his eyes were smiling. Last night he had been so angry he looked ready to explode, yet now he was the picture of calm. He was probably just putting on a show of marital bliss for the elders.
Grace waved her over. "Leah, come have breakfast."
The moment Leah sat down, Auntie May placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of her. Auntie May exclusively served the old lady; no one else could boss her around. Yet today, she had actually taken the initiative to serve Leah.
Jean cast a sidelong glance at her husband, but Owen was completely engrossed in his newspaper.
Grace beamed at Leah. "Eat up, Leah. It’s the only way the baby will be healthy in the future."
Leah froze.
Kian smoothly took over the conversation. "Grandmother, did we wake you last night?"
"What are you talking about? My hearing isn’t what it used to be," Grace chuckled, covering her mouth as she shot Auntie May a knowing look.
Leah was so embarrassed she lost her appetite entirely. He was out there being all lovey-dovey with Selene, yet came home to play the doting husband.
Grace had Auntie May bring over a blue velvet box containing a sapphire bracelet. She took Leah’s hand and fastened the jewelry around her wrist. "This was part of my dowry from my father when I first got married. Once you have the baby, I’ll have an even bigger gift for you."
The Hawthorne family hadn’t given the Sinclair family a bride price when they married; all of Leah’s jewelry had been purchased by Grace using her own private funds. Leah felt she didn’t deserve it, but she couldn’t refuse.
Off to the side, Jean was green with envy. Grace had entrusted her with keeping her jewelry over the years, and Jean had long since come to view those pieces as her own. The old lady had always been reluctant to take this particular bracelet out, yet today she was handing it straight over to this unworthy new bride.
"Mother, Leah is still so young. Won’t a sapphire bracelet like that make her look old?" Jean asked with a forced smile.
Grace merely rolled her eyes at her and ignored the comment.
His stepmother’s displeasure was Kian’s delight. He turned his head smoothly and said to Leah, "Well, Leah? Aren’t you going to thank Grandmother?"
Leah braced herself and murmured her thanks.
"Here’s to having a child soon," Kian said, patting her on the head. He deliberately used enough force to make her head bob forward.
Leah secretly ground her teeth. Did he think he was funny?
***
As dusk fell, Kian drove Leah home. Neither of them spoke a word during the ride.
Halfway there, Kian broke the silence. "You got Grandmother’s bracelet. Why do you still look so unhappy?"
Leah thought to herself, "What is there to be happy about? I’ll just have to return it when we get divorced."
Kian cast a glance at her. "In a while, I’ll hire someone to custom-design a jewelry display cabinet to show off all your pieces."
Leah lowered her eyes. He sounded so grand and generous, but she knew he would turn right around and give it all to Selene.
Kian’s phone rang. The name flashing on the screen was "Selene." He pulled the car over to the side of the road and answered. Leah noticed his expression gradually darkening; it seemed Selene was in some sort of trouble.
The call lasted ten minutes. Hanging up, Kian stared straight ahead and said coolly, "Get out and wait by the road. I’ll have the chauffeur come pick you up."
The moment the words left his mouth, a loud CLICK echoed through the car as the doors unlocked—a clear eviction notice.
Leah grabbed her purse and pulled the door open. She had barely stepped out and hadn’t even found her footing before the car sped off, nearly running over her foot.
By seven o’clock, the sky was pitch black. The wind was howling, signaling an impending storm. She was stranded in the middle of an expressway with nothing for miles in either direction.
The chauffeur, Lewis, called to say he was coming from far away and was stuck in traffic, asking her to wait patiently. Leah tried to hail a ride-share on her phone, only to find there were over thirty people in the queue ahead of her.
A clap of thunder roared. Lightning illuminated the night sky.
Pea-sized raindrops began to smash against the pavement. Before she could even find a large tree for cover, the heavens opened up in a torrential downpour. Subtropical rain was always sudden and violent.
Leah stood beneath what felt like an endless waterfall. Rain plastered her face, making it hard to even breathe. Her phone was waterlogged and likely ruined.
Her husband had received a call from his lover and dumped her on the side of an expressway. Not even a stray dog or cat would be tossed out halfway by its owner like this. But when someone acted foolishly, they had to pay the price.
Leah turned and fumbled her way forward, hoping to find some shelter up ahead.
Suddenly, a black SUV pulled up beside her, its hazard lights flashing. The window rolled down, and the rain instantly poured inside. Josh sat in the driver’s seat. "Hurry, get in!"
Leah didn’t hesitate. She pulled the door open and climbed into the backseat. As soon as she settled in, he took off his suit jacket and handed it to her. "Put this on."
She didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the jacket and draping it over herself. She was drenched to the bone, her clothes clinging transparently to her skin.
"Josh, what a coincidence," she said.
"I was just passing by."
"With rain this heavy, I can’t believe you managed to spot me." Leah smoothed the water out of her hair. "If I hadn’t run into you, Josh, I might have washed away in this storm."
Josh didn’t reply.
Leah glanced at him through the rearview mirror. He was angry. Why?
***
The rain poured in sheets.
Vehicles formed a long, serpentine line through the downpour, their red taillights stringing together as they crawled slowly forward. Josh pulled up the navigation map on the screen. It showed a sea of deep red, with only one route flashing intermittently with green light.
"I’ll probably have to get off the expressway at the next exit and head to my place first." He glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror. "If this keeps up, you’re going to catch a cold."
Leah huddled into the seat, her lips pale. She had his jacket draped over her shoulders, but the clothes underneath were thoroughly soaked. She had started shivering ten minutes ago; if this continued, she would develop a fever. She still had to take care of her uncle—she couldn’t afford to get sick right now.
Before she had a chance to answer, the sky above the road suddenly flashed. A bolt of lightning struck down, immediately followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
Josh furrowed his brow. "My dog is still at home. It’s terrified of thunder, so it’s probably cowering in a corner right now."
"Let’s go to your place first, Josh."
After inching forward another few dozen meters, they reached an off-ramp. Josh took the exit. Although this road was also congested, traffic was at least moving.
Half an hour later, the car turned down a very quiet street. Ancient weeping figs lined both sides of the road, their low-hanging branches concealing private garden villas tucked behind the shade. In the past, this area had been a conclave for wealthy merchants.
Josh pulled the car into a small courtyard. It wasn’t large—roughly two hundred square meters. At the back stood a three-story, red-brick western-style house. It boasted Neo-Romanesque architecture with white window frames and white columns. In the rainy night, it looked like an establishing shot from an old classic movie.
He parked the car, grabbed an umbrella, and hurried around to the back to open her door. Shielding her from the rain, he guided her out of the car and into the house.
The lights flickered on. Standing in the foyer, Leah paused in surprise.
The interior was decorated in a classic American style, featuring cherry wood furniture in a deep, calming red. A white wool blanket was casually draped over a leather sofa, weighed down by a few thick books.
Josh’s clothes were wet too. He turned on the electric fireplace, and a warm yellow glow spread across the room, slowly driving away the dampness.
"The bedroom is upstairs. I’ll get you some dry clothes to change into."
Leah followed him up the stairs. While he went into the walk-in closet, her gaze landed on the bathroom door.
A moment later, Josh emerged carrying some loungewear, looking slightly apologetic. "I only have my own clothes here. But dry is better than wet, so try not to mind."
"Josh," Leah began, her teeth chattering from the cold. Pushing past her embarrassment, she said, "I’d like to take a shower."
Josh froze for a second.
"Oh, right," he said, snapping back to reality. "Let me show you how to turn on the hot water."