As soon as those words escaped Margaret's lips, the dining room fell into a hushed silence.
Bella unconsciously twisted her fingers together.
Edward's gaze turned icy, his tone laced with sarcasm: "The woman you deem worthy got divorced just three months ago."
With that, he stood up, disregarding Margaret's shock, and said to Bella, "Let's go."
Bella, startled back to reality by his words, quickly followed him out.
The ride home was marked by unbroken silence.
Bella remained in the right rear seat, observing Edward through the rearview mirror, her heart filled with questions that she couldn't bring herself to voice.
These unspoken thoughts lingered until they entered the house, and even as Edward went to wash up, she couldn't muster the courage to ask.
Lena, divorced?
The combination of these two words felt oddly disconcerting.
Bella stared at the closed bathroom door, listening to the sound of running water inside.
Only then did she gradually realize that Edward's feelings for Lena were a complex mix of love and hate.
When Edward emerged from the bathroom, he found her standing there, looking dazed.
The humid warmth hit him, and Bella snapped back to attention, looking at Edward: "Have you been keeping track of Lena's affairs all along?"
"No."
"So, when you said you wanted to marry me, was it because you knew she was getting married?" Bella probed further.
Edward paused in his hair-drying, his brows knit with impatience: "That's not important."
Then what was important?
Bella could only ask herself inwardly, the man's coldness preventing her from truly voicing her question.
After all, from the beginning, Edward had defined their marriage as a transaction; she already knew he didn't love her.
Yet, Bella still felt her heart being squeezed tightly, struggling for breath.
She couldn't help but ask: "If Lena hadn't gotten married back then, would you have defied everyone's opposition to marry her?"
Edward's patience finally ran out: "If you don't want to continue this arrangement, I can find someone else."
His tone was piercingly cold, chilling to the bone.
Bella found herself unable to utter another word, merely watching as Edward changed his clothes and left.
She stood by the window, watching the car lights fade into the distance, her eyes stinging with heat.
In this moment, the villa, this marriage, felt like a cage imprisoning her.
The key lay within reach, yet she lacked the courage to escape.
Bella retrieved her journal, her pen hovering over the paper for a long time, creating blotches of ink, but she didn't know what to write.
In the end, she went to the living room and slowly colored another flower in the bouquet red...
The next day, the sky was clear.
Somehow having fallen asleep in the living room, Bella was awakened by the ringtone of her phone—it was Margaret summoning her back to the ancestral home.
Puzzled, she nevertheless agreed.
After hesitating for a moment, Bella informed Edward of the matter.
Receiving no reply for a long time, Bella had no choice but to tidy herself up and head to the ancestral home.
Upon arrival, she discovered that in addition to Margaret, Lena was also present.
Bella stood in the living room, at a loss.
To her surprise, Margaret adopted a warm and affectionate tone, inviting her to sit beside her.
Observing Lena's forced smile, Bella guessed the reason and obediently took a seat next to Margaret.
"I get along very well with my daughter-in-law. In a couple of years, when she gives us a grandchild, we'll have a harmonious three-generation household," Margaret said, smiling at Lena: "By the way, I heard from Edward that you've gotten a divorce? It's not a big deal; with your looks, you're sure to find another good match. When that happens, let me know, and I'll have Edward attend your wedding."
Lena's smile finally cracked, and she made an excuse to leave.
Bella sat quietly to the side, avoiding drawing attention to herself.
At that moment, Margaret turned her gaze to Bella, her eyes full of disdain: "In these four years, you've taken quite a bit of money from Edward. When do you plan to get a divorce?"
"I..."
Before Bella could finish speaking, Margaret placed a document and a bank card in front of her: "I've drafted the agreement for you. There's thirty million $ here, as compensation."
Bella gazed at the items on the table without making a move.
Just then, Edward walked in, his eyes turning cold as he surveyed the scene.
He looked at Bella and asked coldly, "How much did Mother give you?"
Bella hesitated for a moment: "Thirty million."
Edward glanced at Margaret, who was about to speak, and placed the bank card into Bella's hand: "Since Mother is so generous, then you should accept it. We have things to attend to, so let's go."
He didn't even glance at the agreement before turning to leave.
Bella followed him out.
Silence reigned in the car.
Bella placed the bank card beside Edward's hand and recounted everything that had happened, including Lena's presence.
Edward merely asked, "Is the money I give you not enough?"
Bella was taken aback: "I didn't mean..."
"If you want money, just tell me directly. What's due to you, I won't withhold, but neither will you get a penny more than necessary."
Edward's every word revolved around money, each one like a thorn piercing her heart.
Bella looked at his profile, mustering the courage after a long while to say, "What if I said it wasn't for the money?"
Edward didn't respond.
Bella spoke again: "What if I said I married you because I like you?"
Her voice was somewhat weak, cautiously revealing her true feelings to him.
Edward let out a mocking laugh: "Such insincere words, don't repeat them in the future."
In that instant, Bella felt as if she heard the sound of something shattering.
She stared at him for a long time, oblivious to the moving car, eventually lowering her gaze silently.
See, sometimes when a lie is acted out too convincingly, even when exposed, no one believes it!
After dropping Bella off at the villa, Edward left.
Bella stood at the door, watching the exhaust fumes from the departing car, about to turn back when she was called out to.
Lena approached: "Let's talk."
"My mother-in-law has already said everything there is to say, there's nothing for us to discuss," Bella replied evenly.
Her words struck a nerve in Lena, recalling the veiled barbs from Margaret earlier, jealousy ignited within her.
"Do you think I'm unworthy of Edward, and you are?"
"Unworthy."
Bella looked at Lena, "Didn't Edward already answer this question for Miss Li?"
Lena's expression stiffened: "You overheard?"
"Just those words."
Bella bared the scars on her heart, gritting her teeth to say, "Miss Li, having been divorced once, the Gu family would not accept such a daughter-in-law. Besides, Edward and I are currently husband and wife, so please behave appropriately."
With that, Bella turned to leave, but Lena's voice rang out again.
"You don't love Edward at all, but I do. Must you tear us apart for money?"
The word 'love' was particularly jarring.
Bella recalled the answer she received after mustering her courage to confess in the car, and she slowly turned back.
"If Miss Li truly loved him, she wouldn't have left four years ago, only to marry someone else."
"I had no choice!"
Lena grabbed Bella's hand, "Don't you have someone you love? Haven't you ever made mistakes? I beg you, give him back to me, okay?"
Listening to her plea, Bella was reminded of herself.
It was her initial mistake in agreeing to Edward's demands, and then one wrong step led to another, until now, even expressing her love felt like a hypocritical act.
Bella pried Lena's hand away, about to say something, but Lena's next words stunned her where she stood!
Lena said: "For the sake of the child Edward and I have, will you disappear completely?"