Chapter 74

Margaret crushed her half-finished cigarette and turned her gaze toward Heidi. Heidi was thinly dressed, yet she didn't flinch as the wind blew. She just stared blankly at the fireworks. Margaret pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, and a mix of emotions stirred within her. Born into the Paige family, her marriage to Orion had been a calculated merger between the two families. From childhood, she had been groomed to be the perfect high-society wife. Above all else, appearances had to be maintained. If her husband strayed, she was to look the other way; if her in-laws were cold, she was to offer a gracious smile. Heidi, however, was an outlier. Few people in the family were able to show their true colors, but Heidi could. Even though Orion and Debra treated Margaret well, she still found herself envying Heidi. At the same time, she found it exhausting to watch. Margaret couldn't tolerate it anymore. "Aren't you freezing? Let's go back inside." "I'll stay out a bit long