Chapter 48

Angela POV

Sean finally released my wrist and turned away, striding toward the door. The moment he left, I couldn't help but let out a mocking smile.

Through the door, I heard Sean's irritated voice. "What do you want?"

I froze. In all our years of knowing each other, I had never heard Sean speak to Christina with such obvious annoyance.

"Sean, I just I need to borrow sleepwear from Angela. Sarah didn't prepare the guest room properly...."

I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Was she really here just to borrow sleepwear?

Or was it an excuse to check up on me? Or perhaps she was looking for a chance to get closer to Sean?

When I opened the bedroom door, the tableau before me was exactly what I'd expected.

Christina stood too close to Sean. Her fingers fidgeted with her Cartier bracelet, drawing attention to her delicate wrists.

She'd positioned herself perfectly in the warm glow of the crystal chandelier, the light catching the red highlights in her hair.

"Oh, Angela!" Her surprise seemed genuine, though we both knew it wasn't. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just needed to borrow some sleepwear..."

As she spoke, her eyes traveled over me with careful attention, searching for any tell-tale signs of intimacy with Sean-a misplaced hair, smudged makeup, or wrinkled clothing that might betray what had transpired between us moments ago.

I met her gaze steadily. "Of course not. Come in-the closet's this way."

Sean's eyes followed us as we moved past him, his expression unreadable. The small cut at the corner of his mouth seemed darker now, more pronounced against his tanned skin.

The walk-in closet was a testament to the lifestyle I'd married into-rows of designer clothing, shelves of carefully arranged accessories, all bathed in soft, flattering light.

Christina's eyes darted around, her expression darkening before she forced a smile, her voice thick with envy.

"Your closet is absolutely beautiful, Angela. Sean really takes good care of you, doesn't he?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I thought to myself, won't all of this be yours soon enough?

As soon as we were out of Sean's earshot, her demeanor shifted. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by something harder, more calculating.

"You promised," she said quietly, her voice tight with controlled anger. "You said you'd leave after Elizabeth's surgery."

I turned to face her, keeping my expression neutral. "The surgery was postponed."

"That's not what we agreed to."

"No," I acknowledged, "it wasn't. But circumstances change, Christina. Elizabeth needs support right now-surely you can understand that?"

Her fingers tightened around her bracelet. "Don't pretend this is about Elizabeth. I saw how you looked at Sean tonight. How he looked at you."

A laugh almost escaped me then-not because it was funny, but because it was so absurd.

Did she really think Sean had fallen in love with me? If Sean truly loved me, he wouldn't have asked for a divorce, let alone deny the existence of our child.

"I've kept my word," I said carefully. "I've kept my word-I haven't interfered with you and Sean."

Christina's eyes narrowed accusingly. "I saw your lipstick on Sean's mouth. Were you two kissing in the bathroom?"

"It's not what you think," I replied evenly. "I didn't initiate the kiss."

"Oh?" Christina's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Then how did your lipstick end up on his mouth?"

"Sean kissed me. He initiated it."

Christina stumbled slightly, her eyes widening in disbelief. "That's impossible! How could Sean possibly want to kiss you?"

I met her gaze steadily. "Whether you believe it or not, I've never broken our agreement. I've never made the first move with Sean."

I paused, then added pointedly, "Why don't you ask Sean about it? Why do you always come after me instead? Are you afraid to confront him?"

"You want to know something interesting, Christina?" I said, my voice soft but clear. "We could stand here all night, arguing about who has the right to what, who promised what to whom. Or we could accept that maybe, just maybe, the agreements we made before don't matter anymore."

She stilled, her eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that perhaps it's time to stop playing games. Elizabeth's condition is serious-you know that. She needs stability right now, not drama."

For a moment, something like uncertainty flickered across her perfect features. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"You're right," she said, her voice softening. "I... I shouldn't have come at you like this. I'm just worried about Elizabeth too."

I handed her the pajamas, noting how her fingers trembled slightly as she took them. "I understand. We all want what's best for her."

Christina forced another one of her trademark fake smiles. "I didn't mean to argue with you just now. You know how it is-I just love Sean so much, I get a bit too anxious sometimes."

She reached out and grabbed my hand. "We're still good friends, aren't we?"

I fought back the wave of nausea that rose in my throat, forcing myself not to pull my hand away from her grip.

When we emerged from the closet, Sean was still there, leaning against the bedroom wall. His eyes tracked our movement, lingering on the pajamas in Christina's hands.

"I'll have Sarah bring up extra toiletries," he said, his voice clipped.

Christina smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you, Sean. Goodnight, Angela." She lingered in place, clearly expecting Sean to offer to walk her back to her room.

But Sean showed no intention of escorting her. Finally, she had no choice but to leave on her own, her eyes filled with a mix of hurt and resentment as she walked away.

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Sean and me alone again. The tension from earlier crept back into the room, heavy and undefined.

Sean's gaze fell to my lips, where his kiss had erased my carefully applied makeup hours ago. Something darkened in his expression.

"What were you two talking about in the closet for so long?"