Chapter 7
Seren couldn’t help but feel bitter toward Zena and the rest of the family.
She hadn’t committed some unforgivable sin-nothing to deserve the cold indifference they showed her.
And even if she had, they were still supposed to be her family.
But there was no point in holding on to resentment now that they’d already given up on her.
Even if she returned to Seaside City, she had no intention of crawling back to that house, tail between her legs, just to subject herself to their ridicule and scorn.
If they saw her as a stain on the family name and wanted to draw a clear line between them, so be it.
It wasn’t as if she couldn’t survive without them.
By the time Zena saw Seren’s message, it was already morning.
The Bradleys were gathered around the breakfast table.
Thurman Bradley, the patriarch, was away on business, but everyone else was there-Zena, Swain, Slater, and Carla.
Zena glanced at her phone, arched an eyebrow at the screen, then casually hit delete.
Swain, sitting beside her, caught a glimpse of the familiar number out of the corner of his eye.
“Mom, was that a message from Seren?” he asked.
Zena’s tone was airy, almost dismissive. “Yes, she just texted me. Said she and that man finally broke up p>
Slater let out a derisive snort. “She brought it on herself. You warned her, Mom, but she wouldn’t listen. Now she’s finally paying the price p>
He’d never thought much of the Powers family-he’d seen through their act from the start. Sheridan couldn’t get over being dumped by his ex. So he found a woman he could summon and dismiss at his beck and call, just to save face and prove he still had options.
As for Diana Yates, she didn’t want to take care of her own son, but didn’t trust the housekeepers either, so she paid for someone totally devoted to her boy.
Any reasonable person would have worried about holding up another young woman’s life, but instead, they’d let Seren marry into the family-without even a proper title or status.
Seren’s so-called marriage to Sheridan had always been one-sided-her own stubborn wishful thinking.
She’d always been both naive and headstrong, immune to advice. Slater had long since given up trying to reason with her.
Carla put down her glass of milk, frowning. “Seren and Sheridan got divorced? How did that happen out of the blue p>
She turned to Zena. “Mom, maybe we should check on her, see what happened. If she’s really divorced…maybe ask if she wants to come home p>
Zena’s expression was icy. “And have her come back here for what? Everyone knows she married into Riverbend City. If she comes back, she’ll just embarrass me p>
Divorce might be common enough these days, but it still wasn’t exactly something to brag about. If word got out, she’d become a laughingstock among her circle of wealthy friends.
Carla sighed, a note of pity in her voice. “Seren’s always been beautiful and smart. People used to say she had a bright future. She really threw away a winning hand p>
“I get where she’s coming from,” Carla continued. “She’s not a bad person, just proud and competitive. She always thought you favored me and wanted to prove she was smarter, more capable p>
“Smart?” Slater sneered. “If she’s so clever, why did she end up being taken advantage of and still thank them for it? She can keep her pride if she wants, but sometimes a good dose of reality is the only way to see herself clearly p>
He remembered Seren’s stubborn, unyielding face and added coldly, “And even after that, she never learns. She’s hopeless p>
Zena nodded in agreement. “Enough. She’s married off; she’s not really part of this family anymore. She hasn’t said she wants to come back, so why bother meddling in a stranger’s life p>
Even if Seren did ask to come home, Zena had no intention of letting her back. Over the years, Seren had already made her lose enough face. It was better if she stayed away.
Swain sat quietly, saying nothing.
He was the eldest son of the family, and he’d watched Seren grow up. Honestly, he didn’t think she was as hopeless as Slater made her out to be. Sure, she was proud-maybe too much so-but so-but that was just the
arrogance of the immaturity
of someone still learning about the world.
He also thought Zena was being irresponsible. Seren was in real trouble, and her
mother’s reaction was simply to stay uninvolved, to turn her back.
Still, he kept these thoughts to himself. Seren had always been too wild and headstrong, unwilling to listen to anyone. Maybe she
need to face the harsh red t
the world before she could find her way again.
If they protected her from every consequence, she’d never realize her mistakes or learn anything from them. Only by stumbling could she finally grow up.