Chapter 195

Coming back to the Ford residence felt like stepping into a different lifetime. It had only been a few months since I'd left, but everything felt distant, unfamiliar. Perhaps it had always been this way. Perhaps I had never truly belonged here to begin with. We arrived just in time for dinner. As soon as I walked in, I saw Edward sitting at the head of the table. Alicia was seated beside him, dutifully tending to his every need. To be fair, she did take good care of him. Maybe she had given up on winning over Jonathan and decided to win favor from another angle. This time, though, I said nothing. I simply followed Jonathan to our seats and ate quietly. Edward had clearly expected me to show displeasure. When I remained calm and unusually well-behaved, he paused for a moment but chose not to say anything. Instead, he turned to Jonathan. "How are things going with the company projects lately?" "Everything is moving along well," Jonathan replied. After a beat, he added, "Soon, I'