After ending the call with Roger, Lilac walked back into the living room, her expression carefully neutral. Inside, her nerves were a tangled mess, but she couldn't afford to show it—not here, not now.
Beatrix paced the center of the room like a storm gathering strength, her voice sharp and rising with every accusation. "So this is it? Roger wants a divorce because he's been fooling around with his mistress? Is this how my daughter suffers in this marriage? Betrayed? Humiliated?"
Her fingers twisted the hem of her expensive shawl, her face flushed with outrage. Each word lashed out like a whip against Roger's reputation. On the plush couch, Rita dabbed at her tear-streaked face, her sobs perfectly measured—soft enough to seem sincere, yet loud enough to maintain the room's sympathy.
"Mom, please… I never wanted any of this. I thought Roger loved me, but now…" Rita's voice wavered, her hand covering her mouth as another tear slipped free. "Now he's leaving me for that woman."
