CHAPTER 3

She looked up to see Miranda wearing an apron, holding a ladle.

Upon seeing Nina, her smile faltered for a moment, then she warmly greeted, “Are you Sally’s guest? I just made some extra soup. Come in and have a seat.”

Her demeanor was composed, entirely that of the lady of the house. It was as if Nina was the guest from afar.

Indeed, before long, she would become an outsider.

Nina frowned, feeling deeply repelled. When she married Nash, Miranda even sent a congratulatory letter. It was impossible for her not to know Nina was Nash’s wife.

Seeing her standing motionless at the door, Miranda quickly came over and took her hand, “A guest is a guest, don’t be shy, come in.”

As she approached, a faint jasmine scent filled the air, the exact same fragrance of the perfume Nash gave her on her birthday last year. She felt her throat ache, and her breathing became heavy, as if there were a thousand pounds on her feet, making it difficult to move.

Sally noticed Nina standing there motionless, her brows furrowed in displeasure. “Nina, why are you just standing there? We have guests at home. Can’t you even pour a cup of tea?”

Nina glanced at her, aware she shouldn’t argue, but still inquired, “Mom, why is she coming to our house?”

Sally responded, “Miranda is back in the country, so naturally, she wants to come see me. What, you don’t want her to come to our house? Besides, I’ve already asked for Nash’s opinion, and he didn’t say anything. What’s the fuss about?”

“I didn’t mean that.” Nina lowered her head.

“So it’s Nina! When Nash got married, he didn’t show me your picture, so I didn’t recognize you for a moment. Please don’t be angry.”

Nina looked at her bright smile. How could Nash let his favorite woman see his wedding photos with another woman?

Sally’s scolding voice rang out again. “Why aren’t you going to pour a cup of tea for Mira?” Nina nodded and fetched the hot tea from the side.

At this moment, Miranda was already sitting on the sofa chatting and laughing with Sally. Sally was even helping her put on an apron, smiling kindly, a side of her Nina had never seen before. Suppressing her discomfort, Nina poured a cup of tea for Miranda. Miranda reached out with her hand. Nina, knowing the tea was hot and not wanting her to get burned, tried to stop her, but Miranda accidentally knocked over the tea cup, spilling all the hot tea on Nina’s hand…

Nina drew in a sharp breath, only to hear a sharp scream from Miranda, “Ah-!”

Sally, hearing the sound, nervously turned around and asked, “What happened?”

Tears welled up in Miranda’s eyes as she said, “It’s nothing, Sally. She didn’t do it on purpose.” Seeing her fingers scalded and swollen, Sally’s expression turned cold. She turned to look at Nina and slapped her directly across the face.

With a loud smack, Nina was stunned. She couldn’t believe Sally would act so impulsively and hit her.

“What were you thinking? Do you know these hands of Mira are for playing the piano? If they’re damaged, can your family afford the compensation?” Sally’s tone was sharp.

Nina’s face burned with pain, but deep down, she felt like she had been doused with cold water, feeling thoroughly cold. She turned her head towards them. “She did it herself. What does it have to do with me?”

Sally glared at her furiously. “You dare to argue with me? Someone, lock her up!” With that, two helpers came over and dragged Nina away.

Nina’s face turned pale instantly. She knew what they were going to do. She struggled in place. “Let go of me! Let go of me!” But her strength was too small. She was thrown into a dark room. At that moment o being thrown in, she couldn’t see anything. She reached out and patted the locked door, then collapsed to the ground weakly.

She felt as if she had suddenly lost all her strength, trembling all over, hands clutching her head, suffering in the darkness. In the living room, Nina’s phone continued to ring.

Sally was treating Miranda’s wound when she heard the sound of the phone. Seeing the words “Nash” on the caller ID, she promptly answered, “Hi, Nash.”

On the other end of the line, Nash sounded surprised. “Mom?”

“It’s me,” Sally replied.

Nash paused for a moment, his expression slightly subdued. “Where’s Nina?”

“She’s at home, doing fine.”

Without much thought, Nash continued, “Have her bring me some documents, they’re in the drawer of the study.”

Miranda’s attention had been captured by the call. Seeing Sally hanging up the phone, Miranda leaned over. She was quite eager. “Sally, was that Nash on the phone?”

“Yes,” Sally confirmed. “He was asking Nina to bring the documents. It’s all because of this, leveraging her position as Nash’s secretary, that she became his wife.”

She looked at Miranda, took her hand, and smiled slightly. “”Nash likes you so much. If only you hadn’t gone abroad back then. If you were the one he married, it wouldn’t have been Nina. If you were the one married into the York family, you guys would have children long ago. Where would there be a useless hen like her?”

“It would be better for you to deliver the documents to Nash.”

“Is that okay?” Miranda asked uncertainly.

“Of course, it’s fine. Nash hasn’t seen you in so many years, he’ll definitely be very happy,” Sally assured. “I also hope you can give me a grandson!”

Miranda blushed with embarrassment. “Sally, please don’t say that. I’ll go deliver the documents first.”

Her words filled Miranda with anticipation.

Nina’s marriage to Nash was arranged by Nash’s grandfather. After so many years without children, theirs was a loveless marriage. Perhaps Nash had been yearning for Miranda all these years, waiting for her return to the country.

She put on sunglasses and a mask, afraid of being recognized, and got into her car to leave.

She wanted to give him a surprise and ensure that everyone at the company kept it a secret.

Nash was in his office, checking the time. The meeting was about to start, but Nina hadn’t arrived yet.

Suddenly, there was some movement at the door.

Nash frowned and swiveled his chair around, still not lifting his head. He spoke coldly, “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

There was no response from the other person.

Finding it strange, Nash lifted his gaze and saw Miranda standing at the door.

“Nash,” Miranda said, a bit nervous but mostly excited. The face she had longed for day and night was right in front of her, making her feel like she was in a dream.

Nash hesitated for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze. “What are you doing here?”

Miranda smiled. “I went to visit Sally today.”

Nash’s brow furrowed deeper, his tone becoming colder. “Who allowed you to go to my home?”

Her smile faltered at his words, feeling a slight pang in her heart, as if she shouldn’t have been there. She tried to control her emotions, lowering her gaze. “I just came back, of course, I had to see Sally as soon as possible. I’m here to bring you something.”

She cautiously took out some documents from her bag. Nash glanced at them. The documents that should have been in Nina’s hands were now in hers.