Lynette muttered under her breath, "As if he'd even let you near him."
Daniella paused mid-step, clearly having heard. She turned slowly, eyes narrowed. "Did you say something?"
Before Lynette could respond, her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen—Kevin Gael. Her heart sank. She had completely forgotten about their meeting tonight. She'd already agreed to go clubbing with Azalea.
For a moment, she considered ignoring the call. But With a quiet sigh, she picked up and stepped away from Daniella.
"Were you thinking about me so much that you couldn't wait until tonight?" Lynette teased lightly.
"Careful,Mr Gael. You might just fall for me."
Kevin chuckled mockingly then spoke sarcastically. "I watched your little documentary. Very touching. I'm also looking forward to that next masterpiece of yours."
There was a pause, then his tone shifted–cool"You really have a talent for landing yourself in complicated situations,young mrs Daelan."
Before she could respond, she saw Arian approaching from across then She straightened slightly.
"If you've got nothing important to say, I'm hanging up now," she said curtly, then ended the call without waiting for a reply.
Arian reached her with a calm smile and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "How are you feeling?"
"Mmm…" she began, unsure how to answer.
But Arian cut in, his tone low and serious. "I saw Azalea talking to you. Just… be careful. I've told you before—she's a skilled liar."
He hesitated before continuing. "She hates me, Lynette. She might try to twist things to turn you against me. There are people who would gladly exploit your memory loss, and I just want to keep you safe."
Lynette met his gaze and gave a small nod. "I'll be careful."
Arian's expression softened. "I'm heading to work now. I'll make something special for dinner tonight."
She hesitated. "I may not be around tonight. I'm going out."
Arian's smile faltered slightly, a faint crease forming between his brows. "Out? Where to?"
He caught himself and shook his head. "Never mind."
He pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Just… be safe, alright? I don't want anything to happen to you." With that, he turned, got into his car, and drove off.
"Young Miss!" Abigail called out, quickening her pace to catch up to Lynette.
"The cash is ready—it's in the car," she said, gesturing toward the waiting vehicle.
"Perfect," Lynette replied with a small smile. "Let's go for a ride, shall we?"
She walked over to the car as the driver stepped out and opened the back door for her. Lynette slid in gracefully and settled into the seat.
Once the door closed, the driver hurried back to his seat, and Abigail took her place in the front beside him.
"Drive to the river shore," Lynette instructed softly.
"I want to take in the scenery."
"Yes, ma'am," the driver replied promptly, starting the engine and pulling away from the estate.
***********
After some time on the road, the car finally pulled up to a quiet river shore. The late afternoon sun reflected gently off the water's surface.
The driver parked and turned slightly in his seat.
"Excuse us," Lynette said softly, her gaze fixed on the river but directed at the driver.
Understanding her unspoken request, he gave a polite nod and stepped out of the car, leaving the two women alone.
"Miss Abigail," Lynette called, patting the empty space beside her on the back seat, "Come sit with me."
Abigail hesitated only briefly before exiting the front seat and entering through the back door to sit beside her.
"Young Miss, is something troubling you?" she asked gently, concern in her voice.
Lynette turned to look at her, her eyes calm but searching. "How long have you been with the Daelan estate?"
Abigail took a breath, thinking back. "Over fifteen years now," she replied with a quiet chuckle.
"It's been a long journey."
Lynette gave a slow nod. "That's quite a long time... You probably know more about this estate than I do now. As you know, I lost my memories, and there are things I need to understand."
"Of course," Abigail said kindly.
"Ask me anything, Young Miss."
Lynette looked at her more intently. "Tell me about my marriage to Arian."
At that, Abigail's expression shifted subtly. She flicked her eyes to the window and back, her smile still in place but faltering just slightly.
"Your marriage has been... good," she replied cautiously. "Though I can't say I know many details about your private life with Mr. Arian. He's always been a quiet man, and I kept to my duties."
Lynette didn't look away, watching Abigail closely.
Is that really all she knows, or should I switch to another method? she wondered silently.
"Tell me more about Arian," she asked again, more softly this time, as if testing her.
"I'm sorry, Young Miss," Abigail replied, still smiling, but now it looked fixed—controlled. "I truly don't know much else about him."
"It looks like it's time,"
Lynette thought as she watched Abigail closely, her fingers brushing lightly over her handbag.
"I looked through the cash you brought earlier," she said aloud, her tone casual. "I took a few bundles I thought I might need soon. The notes were fresh.
She pulled out a bundle from her bag and laid it slowly in the space between them. The money rested neatly.she did it purposely.
Abigail's eyes flickered down. She swallowed hard, and scratched her palm in a nervous gesture.
"You deserve this," Lynette said softly, extending her hand as if to offer the money directly.
Abigail's hand was already halfway there—ready, eager.
But just as their fingers were about to meet, Lynette pulled the bundle back and placed it gently on her lap instead, leaning her head against it.
"I wish I could recover my memories now," she murmured. "There are things I need to know… things I need to understand."
Abigail hesitated, then her composure cracked. Her voice came out in a rush, as if the words had been waiting too long.
"Your husband—Mr. Arian—he was once just a young steward here in the estate. That was five years ago. Not long after he arrived, you announced your relationship with him… and some of the staff weren't happy.
One of the Gael sons… he took his own life."
Lynette's brows lifted slightly, but she said nothing, letting Abigail continue.
"You instructed us back then never to speak of Arian's former position again," she added quickly, "so no one did."
She cleared her throat before going on. "He turned out to be a business graduate—none of us knew until you announced it. That's when Master Axton recommended him to your father and grandfather for a role in one of the subsidiary companies. Since he was your husband, they agreed."
Abigail gave a weak smile. "You two were deeply in love. It was beautiful to see. Arian had no family—no one came for him during the wedding. It was just him."
Lynette stared ahead, silent.
"I don't know exactly when it began to change," Abigail said, voice lowering.
"Maybe two or three years ago. The quarrels started quietly—never in public. But I knew it was serious the day you told me to refer to you as 'Young Miss' again. Not 'Young Mrs.'"
Her fingers fidgeted in her lap.
"One night, I came back to your residence—I had forgotten something. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I heard voices. You were confronting him. You asked… why he never told you about his family. You said, 'Why did you lie and say you were orphaned?'"
Lynette's head turned sharply toward her.
"We were all made to believe he had no family," Abigail continued, eyes wide. "Even your parents had his background investigated. It checked out—everything said he was orphaned."
Abigail leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"But then… I heard something strange. You mentioned his grandfather. And he said something about yours. I didn't catch all of it, just pieces… but what I heard clearly—what I remember clearly—was this…"
"Was what" Lynette asked curiously.
Abigail met her gaze.
"'Let's get a divorce,'" she whispered.