Chapter 345

Nora stood at the upstairs railing, watching Donna issue instructions to the staff below.
If she remembered correctly, Donna’s husband was gravely ill, battling a terminal disease.
Yet, looking at Donna, you’d never guess anything was wrong. She carried herself with effortless grace, not a trace of sorrow on her face. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on.net
Mrs. Chambers seemed to share the same thought. “Poor Baron,” she murmured.
There he was, lying in a hospital bed waiting for the end, while his wife busied herself throwing parties, showing no sign of the pain that should come from losing a husband.
Nora’s lips curled into a thin, skeptical smile.
Donna was hardly a saint, but could Mrs. Chambers really claim the moral high ground?
After all, Donna neglected her dying husband, and Mrs. Chambers had once pushed a pregnant woman to the floor without a second thought.
No matter how you looked at it, they were cut from the same ruthless cloth.
“Lilian?”
Brian’s voice broke the silence beside her.
Mrs. Chambers shot him a frosty look, clearly unimpressed with her soon-to-be ex-husband.
“What are you doing here?”
The men in the Chambers family had always been handsome, and Brian was no exception. Even in his fifties, time had barely left its mark on him. Perhaps that was why he still managed to attract younger women.
Brian reached for Mrs. Chambers’s hand, his tone dripping with affection. “Lilian, I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
She slapped his hand away in disgust. “Stay away from me.”
Brian sighed softly, his eyes full of practiced tenderness. “Lilian, we’ve been married for so many years. Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
He lowered his voice, all charm and composure. “Dan’s grown up now, he can take care of himself. Why don’t we go travel together? I know a few stunning places you’d love.”
Mrs. Chambers didn’t even flinch. “Brian, you honestly make my skin crawl.”
She turned on her heel and walked off, leaving him standing there.
Brian watched her retreat, the warmth in his eyes quickly cooling. But when he turned to Nora, the softness returned, as if nothing had happened.
“Nora, could you talk to her for me?”
Nora’s expression was flat. “And what exactly should I say?”
Her tone was icily blunt.
Brian lowered his voice. “She cares most about Dan. You’re carrying Dan’s child-
if you ask her, for the baby’s sake, she’ll come around.”
The baby?
Nora’s lips twisted in mockery. So, in Brian’s mind, Mrs. Chambers was supposed to swallow her pride and forgive years of infidelity, all for her son’s unborn child? It was suffocating.
“She doesn’t even like this baby,” Nora said plainly.
She laid a protective hand on her belly, her tone detached. “I can’t help you.”
Brian’s face flushed with irritation. “Nora, you’re the Chambers’ daughter-in-law, you-”
“That’s enough, Brian.” Mrs. Chambers reappeared, her voice cold as she swept in to take Nora’s arm. “She’s Dan’s wife, and you’re about to be out of the family. This isn’t your concern.”
With that, she led Nora away.
Nora headed to her room to rest. About an hour later, Daniel woke her.
She sat up, disoriented, before finally gathering her thoughts. “You’re here.”
Daniel looked relieved. “Are you alright?”
As soon as he’d heard what happened, he rushed back, only to get stuck in traffic. He’d tried calling Nora, but couldn’t reach her-eventually, Mrs. Chambers had phoned to assure him, and only then did he feel a little calmer.
“I’m fine. What time is it? Your aunt took my phone,” Nora asked, still a bit groggy.
“It’s six,” Daniel said, helping her sit up and draping his jacket over her shoulders. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
Leaning on his arm, Nora got to her feet and splashed some water on her face in the bathroom before heading downstairs with Daniel.
Downstairs, the lights were bright, and the party was already in full swing.
Donna moved through the crowd with Judy at her side, her warm, inviting smile winning over everyone she spoke to. It was no wonder people always had a good impression of her.