NovelOnlineChapter 298 Clara nodded indifferently. "Okay." She didn't spare Wren another glance and turned to walk back inside.
Wren stood frozen, watching Clara walk away. Though only a few steps lay between them, it felt as though an insurmountable distance had opened up. It was like sand slipping through his fingers. No matter how hard he tried to hold on, nothing remained.
Shirley lay awake in bed, tossing and turning throughout the night. She had planned to wait for Carlisle to cback from Martha's, hoping to comfort him and show him her tender care so that his heart wouldn't wander toward other women.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut as soon as she reached the upstairs hallway, she overheard faint voices arguing from inside the room.
By that hour, the maids had already gone to bed, and no one noticed her. Shirley gathered her courage and pressed her ear to the door to listen in.
However, she never expected to hear Carlisle promise Martha that he would never marry her. He had never even considered divorcing Katrina and had even asked Martha to personally bring Katrina back.
The news hit Shirley like a thunderclap, shattering all her dreams. She stood there dazed, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Whether within the Zachman family or outside, Carlisle had always treated Shirley with enough respect over the past four years. He had almost always been at her beck and call.
He had doted on her, even disregarding his own wife, Katrina. If that wasn't love, then what was? If Carlisle hadn't been clinging to old feelings for her, would he have rushed to her side the moment he learned of her divorce? Would he have brought her and Ivy back to the Zachman family to take care of them? For these past years, Carlisle had given her everything except a title.
Shirley had always believed that Carlisle hadn't given her a title not because he didn't want to, but because of his age and position. A divorce at his level would likely invite unnecessary public criticism and he probably didn't want to drag her into that kind of spotlight.
For her protection, Carlisle had never divorced Katrina and married her. To make up for this, he had been pushing for Ivy to marry Wren, ensuring that he could continue to take care of her, albeit indirectly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBefore hearing Carlisle's words that night, Shirley had always believed this. But now, his casual promise to Martha made her snap back to reality.
Carlisle didn't care about her the way she thought he did. In fact, it was very likely he had never intended to marry her.
She simply couldn't understand why he had been so kind to her. Why had he given her hope, only to crush it now? Shirley had becaccustomed to a life of comfort. If she lost everything now, how would she survive? She couldn't accept this truth. She feared that in his attempt to win Katrina back, Carlisle might cast
both her and Ivy out of the Zachman family. Even worse, she feared that for Katrina would seek that everything she had done to her.
Without Carlisle's protection, she would becnothing in the m Zachman family and in Phoypolis. The only way for her to hold onto everything was by holding onto him.
Shirley lay awake all night as the events from the previous evening weighed heavily on her mind. She quickly got out of bed, heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Staring at her exhausted reflection in the mirror, she splashed cold water on her face to shake off the haze and wake herself up.
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