Chapter 5 When Sloane opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed. Beside her sat Lena, slowly peeling an apple with careful strokes. Seeing Sloane awake, Lena immediately set the fruit aside, her face arranging itself into an expression of concern and guilt, "Miss Quinn! You're awake! How are you feeling? This is all my fault... It was so chaotic, and Julian was only trying to protect me. He didn't mean to leave you behind... Please, you mustn't blame him." Sloane closed her eyes. "It's just the two of us here. There's no audience for your performance." She paused, then continued calmly, "If I were to guess, you broke my grandmother's brooch on purpose. The rum cake incident-you staged that yourself. And even the fire at the gallery... you had someone set it, didn't you?" The room fell silent. After a few seconds, Lena's pitiful expression faded. What replaced it was a mocking smile, thin and cold, like someone whose mask had just been ripped away. She let out a small laugh. "So you're not entirely stupid after all. Yes, it was all me. I did it so you would see- in Julian's eyes, you mean nothing. He only cares about me now. You know he despises you. Why cling to the title of Mrs. Shaw? Don't you think it's pathetic? A divorce would be better for everyone.' Sloane opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Her voice was steady, almost flat. "I understand." She meant she knew the divorce was imminent-the paperwork was already in motion. But Lena clearly misinterpreted her calm acceptance as stubborn refusal. Her smile hardened into a scowl. She shot to her feet, her tone sharp and shrill. "I tried to be nice, but if you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for what happens next!" With a cold laugh, she snatched up her purse and strutted out of the room, heels clicking loudly down the hall. Sloane had neither the strength to follow nor the desire to explain. She simply closed her eyes again. Whatever tricks Lena played no longer mattered. The day she would leave was drawing closer. In the days that followed, neither Julian nor Lena came to see her. Sloane was content with the quiet, focusing on healing. When her discharge day arrived, a major charity gala happened to fall on the same evening. Julian was required to attend with his wife. Despite her profound reluctance, Sloane understood this was one of the final duties required of her as "Mrs. Chatter 5 3.29% Shaw." She slipped into a tasteful evening gown and added light makeup to hide her pale complexion. But when she reached the car, she found Lena already in the back seat, leaning close against Julian's shoulder, laughing softly at something he said. Noticing Sloane, Lena quickly sat upright, offering an explanation dripping with false sweetness. "Miss Quinn, please don't misunderstand. Julian said the gala would be dreadfully dull, so he invited me along for company and a bit of fun." Julian didn't even lift his eyes. His voice was icy and laced with impatience. "Why bother explaining to her? I don't require her permission to bring a guest. She is irrelevant." The words stabbed into Sloane's chest like shards of ice. She had long since gone numb, but the faint sting was still there. Without a word, she opened the front door and sat in the passenger seat. They drove in silence. At the auction hall, the air was filled with perfume, laughter, and the clink of glasses. Julian stayed at Lena's side the entire night-fetching her drinks, introducing her to the city's elite, his care evident in every detail. He never once looked at Sloane. To anyone watching, it was obvious who his true companion was. When the auction began, every item presented was met with the same ritual. Julian leaned close to Lena and asked in a gentle voice, "Do you like it?" If she so much as glanced at it, or gave the faintest nod, he raised his paddle without hesitation, crushing any competition with sky-high bids. He would then turn to her with a soft, "It's yours." Jewels, paintings, antiques-one by one, priceless treasures piled up at Lena's feet. An elder family friend, watching the extravagance, leaned toward Julian and muttered, "Julian, you're being incredibly generous with Miss Grant. Won't Sloane... be upset?" Julian swirled his glass lazily, not once glancing at his wife. His voice was cool, almost bored. "What right does she have to mind? It's my money. I'll give it to whoever I choose. She has no say.' Lena shot Sloane a glance brimming with smug triumph, though she quickly masked it, tugging at Julian's sleeve with feigned graciousness. "Julian, these gifts are far too extravagant... Perhaps we should share some with Miss Quinn?" Chapter 5 3.29% Julian finally cast Sloane a single glance, cold and full of warning. Then he turned back to Lena, his tone softening at once. "These are all yours. Don't worry. Whatever I give you, no one can take away." His stance was so blatant the whispers around them grew louder. "Tsk. All these years married, and I've never seen him treat his wife like this." "At this rate, I doubt she'll remain Mrs. Shaw much longer." "They were never a good match. Forcing it just makes everyone miserable." "All those years of effort, and she ends up with nothing. How sad." Chapter 5 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!