Chapter 4

Landon recited a string of numbers as he shot me a look of disdain. "You're free to kick up a fuss now, but in the end, you'll still come crawling back." Lydia tugged on his sleeve and said timidly, "Mr. Ferguson, the room…" Landon's eyes flashed. He ushered Lydia along and got into my car. "I'm going with you. I don't want you taking something you shouldn't." It was only when we got home that I realized why he insisted on coming with me. Adult toys clearly meant to please a man were strewn all over the couch while candles decorated the dining table. The bedroom reeked of sexual indulgence with handcuffs affixed to the headboard and foot of the bed. I had been too busy organizing my mother's funeral to come home. Landon and Lydia, on the other hand, went all out in indulging themselves. I stepped into the walk-in closet to find jewelry scattered all over the floor. There were also several Hermes bags missing from the shelves. Lydia followed behind me, smiling smugly. "Missing anything, Annette?" She was eager to see me lose my temper. Unfortunately for her, I simply smiled. "Mistresses will always be mistresses. Stealing is all you know." "How dare you?" Lydia grew furious, a flicker of malice flashing in her eyes. Then, she screamed while clutching her stomach and collapsed to the floor. "I'm still recovering from giving birth, Annette… Why did you hit me?" Immediately, Landon stormed in and helped her up before slapping me hard across the face in a rage. "It seems to me like you've been a spoiled princess for too long, Annette. It's made you arrogant and overbearing!" He didn't hold back, so my face swelled up. My temples throbbed with rage, and I nearly lost control. "I never hit her!" He didn't believe me. In response, he dragged me out of the closet and threw me to the ground. "Get out. Go crawl back to the Zieglers. Don't come back until you realize what you've done wrong!" The fury in my chest turned into resentment. Enraged, I charged forward and slapped Lydia. Seeing that, Landon was livid and raised his hand to strike me again. I gritted my teeth and stared him in the eye. "There. I actually hit her this time." I turned and walked away as tears welled up in my eyes in spite of myself. I stepped outside into a downpour. The rain pattered down on me as I curled up on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. After a long time, I realized the rain no longer fell on me. I turned my head to see that Dylan was shielding me with an umbrella. I hadn't noticed when he arrived. He held out his hand to me, his voice tinged with unmistakable heartache when he said, "Come home with me, Annette." Later, when we arrived at the Lovell residence, the sight of the familiar courtyard and housekeeper had me reminiscing. Dylan's mother and my mom had been best friends. They arranged our betrothal when we were still children. But back then, I used to constantly argue with my mother. I didn't like Mrs. Lovell or the young Dylan, either. I went to Mertzon to pursue art after high school while Dylan was sent to Nethyr to study business management. More than a decade had passed before we met again at my mother's funeral. While I was lost in thought, Dylan's mother approached me with a cup of ginger tea. She wrapped me in a hug, anxious and concerned. "Dylan can be such a brat. How could he let you get caught in such heavy rain? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" "Huh?" I asked, puzzled. Dylan awkwardly turned away and cleared his throat. "I'll go get you a change of clothes." Once he left, Mrs. Lovell handed me a cup of ginger tea. "Dylan told us that the two of you are tying the knot soon. You should start calling me Mom."