Chapter 7

~Adeline~

In the past, the glare Adrian was shooting at me would have been enough to make my heart wither.

But now, all I felt was a hollow numbness.

“I’ve tolerated your behavior for long enough because Elizabeth keeps pleading on your behalf,” Adrian said coldly. “But today, you’ve crossed the line. Apologize, Adeline.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Thomas beat me to it with a low snort.

“Is this some kind of clown show?” he muttered.

All heads turned toward him—mine included.

I shot him a warning look, silently telling him not to get involved. If there were two people I didn’t want dragged into this mess, it was Thomas and Mikaela.

I was moving on and I didn’t want my past entangled with my future.

But Thomas clearly had other intentions.

“Adeline is your legal wife,” he said, his tone calm but edged with ice. His gaze shifted to Elizabeth, cold and cutting. “And yet you choose to believe the words of a… side piece?"

The word landed sharply.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Adrian’s expression darken instantly.

“And who are you?” he demanded.

“Probably the only person I should be grateful to right now,” I replied before Thomas could speak, stepping slightly in front of him—though my height did little to actually shield him.

“If not for him, when Elizabeth came speeding toward me like a lunatic, I would probably be on my way to the hospital right now.”

My voice sharpened as I continued. “If anyone deserves an apology, it’s me—from the both of them.”

At my words, I caught the subtle twitch at the corner of Adrian’s eyes before his gaze dropped to Elizabeth.

Just as Adrian opened his mouth to speak, Zora’s voice cut through the air.

“Mommy’s lying!” she protested.

My gaze snapped to her.

“Aunt Elizabeth wasn’t even speeding,” she continued, pointing an accusing finger at me. “She’s the one who suddenly stepped into the road!”

I frowned. “Zora—”

She ignored me completely and tugged on Adrian’s hand.

“Daddy, look at me,” she insisted. “Am I hurt? And do you really think Aunt Beth would drive recklessly with me on the bike? Do you think she’s that irresponsible to put a child in danger?”

“Zora,” Elizabeth called gently.

She finally stepped away from Adrian, standing on her own, her movements careful—almost shy—like she hadn’t been clinging to him just moments ago.

“Don’t speak about your mother like that,” she said softly. “Everyone has their flaws. Maybe she was just…”

She paused, her gaze flickering toward me before drifting to Thomas.

“…too distracted with her companion to pay attention.”

The moment those words left her lips, Thomas stepped forward—or at least, he tried to.

“You—”

I stopped him immediately, giving a subtle shake of my head.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Adeline?” Adrian asked, disappointment flickering across his face. “You can’t possibly tell me Zora is lying.”

A scoff nearly slipped out.

A child he had personally allowed to grow like this—one who could lie straight to my face without hesitation—and now he found it impossible to believe she was lying?

How ironic.

This was truly the first time I had seen a husband so willing to side with his mistress… and a child so quick to turn against her own mother.

But then again…

Perhaps I should be grateful.

After all, I had already filed for divorce.

I had already decided to let go of this ungrateful father and daughter.

Because if this continued who knew what Elizabeth might convince them to do next?

And I wasn’t about to stay and find out.

“Since you don’t believe me, how about we review the CCTV footage and see who’s actually at fault?”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

I didn’t answer him immediately. Instead, I turned to Thomas, offering him a faint smile.

“Could you retrieve the footage for me?”

Thomas nodded without hesitation and turned to leave before anyone could stop him.

As he walked away, Elizabeth spoke up.

“Is there… really any need to go that far? I mean… causing this much disruption—”

“There is,” I cut in.

I turned my gaze back to her, my tone calm but firm.

“You see, my dear husband here seems convinced that I pushed you, while my lovely daughter believes I walked blindly into the road.”

I paused briefly.

“But in reality, I’m responsible for neither.”

My eyes hardened slightly.

“So yes, there is every need.”

Elizabeth forced a small laugh and turned to Adrian.

“Addy—”

“You’re right,” Adrian cut her off before she could continue. “We’ll check the CCTV footage.”

His gaze shifted back to me, sharp and unwavering.

“But mark my words, Adeline Carter—if that footage proves you’re not innocent, you will get on your knees and apologize to Elizabeth.”

“And if I’m not in the wrong?” I asked, my voice steady, laced with quiet certainty.

For a moment, Adrian seemed taken aback.

As if he hadn’t expected me to say that.

He opened his mouth to respond, but I spoke first.

“Then Elizabeth will get on her knees and apologize.”

His eyes narrowed into a cold glare.

“Adeline—”

“It’s only fair,” I interrupted smoothly. “An eye for an eye, right?”

From the corner of my eye, I caught the flicker of unease that crossed Elizabeth’s face.

She parted her lips to speak, but Adrian spoke first.

“Since you want to play it that way… fine.”

Right on cue, Thomas returned, a tablet in his hand.

“Lina,” he said, handing it to me.

I didn’t even glance at the screen before passing it straight to Adrian.

“Take a look,” I said.

He held my gaze for a moment, his expression unreadable, before taking the tablet.

I watched as he played the footage, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Beside him, I noticed the color drain slightly from Elizabeth’s face.

“Addy—” she started.

But before she could continue, he abruptly shut off the tablet.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said flatly.

For a moment, I was stunned into silence.

A misunderstanding?

The words echoed in my mind.

What misunderstanding?

The footage clearly showed everything—Elizabeth driving recklessly, and her fall having nothing to do with me.

Was he blind?

Anger surged through my chest.

“A misunderstanding?” I repeated.

Adrian nodded, completely unbothered.

“It’s obvious Elizabeth simply lost her footing,” he said calmly. “And you… you need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

He extended the tablet toward me.

“Let’s drop this matter here.”

He held my gaze without a trace of guilt.

And all I could do was stare at him, momentarily speechless.

Just moments ago, he had made such a big deal out of this—because it involved Elizabeth.

Now that I had provided proof, he dismissed it as nothing more than a misunderstanding.

“Adrian,” I began calmly, though anger simmered beneath my skin, “a few minutes ago, you demanded that I kneel and apologize to Elizabeth. Now that I’ve proven she was in the wrong, you want to brush it off as a misunderstanding?”

“Mom,” Zora whined, “stop making a scene. Daddy already said to drop it. Don’t be a grouch and stop bullying Aunt Beth.”

I looked at the two of them—my husband and my daughter—and a faint smile curved my lips.

In their eyes, it was painfully clear that when it came to me, I wasn’t worth choosing.

“You both seem to care about her very much,” I said quietly. “Fine. Then I’ll leave the three of you to be your perfect little family.”

I turned to Adrian, meeting his gaze. “Ten a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late for the divorce.”

For a brief moment, his jaw tightened, then he let out a cold laugh.

“You want a divorce? Fine. I’ll give you one,” he said. “But mark my words, Adeline Carter—you’ll come crawling back to me. And when you do, I’ll kick you aside without a second thought!”