Chapter 287

Christina's POV I briefly shook her hand. "Christina Vance." "I know." Her smile was perfect. "We should have met months ago, in Paris." "Yeah," I replied dryly. I knew exactly what she meant. Her arrival in Hudson's life had coincided with the beginning of our end. I glanced past her. Hudson had vanished. "Didn't expect to see you here," she said conversationally. "Likewise." I tried to sidestep her, but she subtly blocked my escape route. Then, unexpectedly, she said, "I envy you." "What?" Her voice softened, contrasting with her striking appearance. "I grew up an orphan. People said my father was a murderer, and kids bullied me mercilessly. Eventually I was adopted, but it wasn't the fairytale ending everyone imagines. It was..." She trailed off. I frowned, confused why she was sharing her life story with her ex's wife. "People from loving families can't understand those like me. Fortunately, I found others with similar backgrounds—Hudson, Kylian, Olivier. We started by watching eac