Chapter 17

When the plane landed, Adeline dashed off without looking at Sullivan, who felt rooted to the floor. He tried to go after her, but his legs refused to budge; it was as if his feet were nailed to the ground. He could only watch as she disappeared into the crowd.

This continued until Isabel appeared, dressed in white. She waved and called, “I’ve come to pick you up, Sully! How was your business trip? Did you bring back a souvenir for me!”

Sullivan felt strange seeing Isabel, who had been hiding, suddenly at the airport. That feeling intensified when she called his trip a “business trip” and readily asked for a souvenir.

It felt like he hadn’t seen this side of Isabel since five years ago, when he told her to leave after discovering she had framed Madeleine. The entire situation was uncanny, like a shuttered mirror miraculously reformed without being fixed.

Sullivan didn’t know what was going on, but he only wanted one thing—to not be anyone’s puppet.

As Isabel drew nearer, Sullivan’s legs slowly regained their freedom. He approached her, his eyes flashing coldly.

He felt he understood why Madeline had left. Now, it was time to test his theory.

Isabel’s incessant chatter buzzed in his ear, giving him a headache. Suddenly, he paused and looked at her. His tone was icy as he snapped, “Shut up. Can’t you stay quiet? You’re so noisy.”

His reprimand stopped her. Though she looked hurt, she expressed concern. “What’s the matter, Sully? Are you exhausted? We should hurry home then.”

Isabel tried to take his hand, but he broke free. She tried to talk, but he ignored her.

Outside the airport, his driver waited. Once in the car, he closed his eyes and treated Isabel as invisible. He didn’t see the aggrieved look on her face, nor the flash of vicious resentment in her eyes.

Isabel blamed Madeleine. Even though Madeleine was dead, she continued to make Isabel’s life difficult.

Since Madeleine’s death, Sullivan had been indifferent toward Isabel. Before that, he never rejected her proximity. She sensed he had feelings for her then.

At the time, she genuinely thought Madeleine was trying to help her. Who would have thought Madeleine’s goal was to ruin things for everyone?

Alas, no matter how resentful Isabel felt, she was helpless. So what if she detested Madeleine? Madeleine was dead, and Sullivan couldn’t forget her. But Isabel could do nothing about that.

However, Isabel soon found out she was wrong about that.

The car stopped outside Sullivan’s residence, but he didn’t go in. Instead, he started walking in a different direction. Taken aback, Isabel quickly disembarked to follow him, asking, “Where are you going, Sully?”

Sullivan didn’t wait or reply, so she hurried after him. Soon, she realized something was amiss. The Emerson residence.

Since Madeleine’s death, Sullivan’s relationship with the Emersons had soured, and he hadn’t been there since. Why had he abruptly decided to go there after returning from a business trip?

Although the Emerson residence was in the opposite direction of Sullivan’s place, the two houses weren’t far apart. Soon, Sullivan and Isabel arrived.

Adeline had already returned. She sat in the living room with her parents, who were asking her about her life in Cuvella. While she patiently answered, the doorbell rang.

Puzzled, Adeline turned around.

Meanwhile, a maid answered the door. The moment she saw who it was, she hesitated, but Sullivan barged in, ignoring everything else.