8. In the face of the hypocrites.

The incident by the river convinced me to take a break from the tedious and pretentious city life. After the much-needed venting of my heartbreak and frustration, I booked the next flight back to Westingwood—the small town where Raven and I grew up—and entrusted Macy with the final stages of the renovations for my home.

I was a withering rock. The pain and disappointments I was feeling that filled the crevices were trying to keep me in this fragile form. But I have learned to acknowledge and accept my own rough and imperfect edges.

So, I did—

Going away to experience new things and meeting new people have yielded good results on my end—both psychological and emotional. Some people may label it as cowardly to run and avoid the inevitable, but I've always believed that stepping back from a losing fight was an act of self-respect and self-preservation.

Over the past six months, I've dedicated my time to securing sponsors for the Westingwood Orphanage in partnership with the charity foundation I co-established with Edmund’s grandmother—the Amber Grant Foundation.

Living away from everything that could remind me of Edmund has allowed me to accept reality wholly. I may not be able to confidently declare that I’ve moved on, but I was certainly in a better place emotionally.

This time, I was better and stronger. 

“You look great! You’re no longer skin and bones!” Raven crooned, assaulting me with a bear hug and ruffling my hair as he locked his arm around my neck, playfully choking me.

What the hell? I’d been gone for half a year, and he was back to being the crazy big brother bully.

“I know you missed me to death. But let me remind you, murder is still a crime. Get off!” I grumbled.

He laughed, grabbed my luggage, and led me back to his car. We chatted a bit until I dozed off as we headed downtown. The flight back to Pearl City took about three hours, and I was exhausted since I was never the type to nap while flying.

After nearly thirty minutes, Raven pulled over in the parking lot of the Grand Palace Hotel, the biggest five-star hotel in Pearl City. We went straight to the restaurant, catching up while helping ourselves with the exquisite food. 

I was telling him about the ongoing construction of a new elementary school in Westingwood and my plans to build a sports complex that could hold big events when a familiar voice called out my name.

“Margaret? Maggie, is that you?”

My back stiffened momentarily, but I quickly recomposed myself and turned my head to where the voice was coming from.

It was Violet, dressed in a white off-shouldered dress, looking like a little fairy with her hair pulled into a messy bun. I took a few seconds to admire her beauty until my gaze landed on her flat belly. She was not showing yet. Was it because she had been looking after her figure despite being pregnant?

“Violet,” I acknowledged, letting out a controlled smile. 

Even though I’d seen her three times since her return to the country, this was our first face-to-face encounter. She darted across the room like a bullet, pulling me into a tight hug and planting a kiss on my cheek, as if she were reuniting with a long-lost best friend.

My mouth twitched at the hypocrisy. Her words in the cafe’s restroom two months ago still lingered in my mind; her excitement and determination to oust Edmund’s wife were so vivid I could recite them word for word. There was no way in hell that she didn’t know that Edmund married me, considering I had been photographed with him countless times.

Seeing her acting like this was extremely disgusting. Did she think I was blind to their affair?

“Look at you, all pretty and sexy! It’s really true when people say that a woman glows when she’s with a man who adores her!” Violet said, her words laced with sarcasm as she eyed Raven, who was watching me with a raised brow. 

One would assume she was a good friend, congratulating me on finding love. But I knew Violet Mitchell like the back of my hand—maybe even better than Edmund did. Behind that mask of innocence and beauty was a woman capable of backstabbing a friend just to get ahead. 

She was the typical representation of a desperate little bitch. 

I swallowed a scoff, realizing that she just tried to paint me as a cheater. I smiled politely and did not bother to correct her wrong assumptions. First, it was Edmund. Now, his little chick was thinking the same.

Oh, well. ‘Birds of the same feather are the same birds.’

“Long time no see. How was it working as the foreign correspondence of CNB News? You must have had a blast in Africa!” 

Violet gasped exaggeratedly. Her surprised expression was obviously fake, but she managed to look as flattered as possible. “How did you know?”

Sneering inwardly, I took a mental note of the fact that she hadn’t changed much—still a narcissist.

“Of course, I know! Who doesn’t watch the news? We may have drifted apart all these years, but I still remember how much you wanted to be a news anchor,” I explained, flashing a knowing grin as I waved my hand.

Shooting Raven a meaningful glance, I guided Violet to sit on the empty chair beside me. If she wanted to play this hypocritical game, I’d be happy to engage.

Why? Because I hold grudges. And I’m not an idiot to give her the satisfaction of thinking that she had taken away something from me—again.

“No wonder you look familiar. Raven Delamar,” my brother spoke in almost a drawl, extending an arm for a handshake, which Violet accepted. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Mitchell. You are so much better looking in person than on TV,” he added.

“Thank you. The pleasure is mine, Mr Delamar. Maggie and I have been friends back in college. She’s a lovely lady, isn’t she?” Violet chirped, her voice a pitch higher. She batted her lashes and coyly lowered her head, feigning embarrassment.

Geez. Even her tricks to charm guys remained the same. 

I rolled my eyes when she started paying more attention to Raven like she had not just assumed that he was my boyfriend seconds ago. But then again, what could I expect from a woman who even slept with a married man?

“What about you, Vi? Are you married? Dating someone?” I prompted, lifting my glass of orange juice, feigning ignorance.

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Edmund’s familiar figure entering the restaurant. He was still as dashing as the last time we met. But for the first time, the usual burning ache in my chest was no longer there. I was calm and composed, and I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face if he caught his woman flirting with someone else.

Our gazes locked and his brows slightly furrowed upon seeing Violet sitting at our table. When he saw Raven across from me, his eyes immediately darkened, and his jaws clenched.

Was he not over their brawl until now?

How petty.

I smiled at him politely and lightly kicked my brother’s leg under the table, warning him to not engage in another brawl.

“I wish I was! I was so focused on my career these past three years, and I didn’t have time to find a good man. Now that I’m back, I’m determined to win back the love of my life,” Violet answered confidently, quickly rising to her feet when Edmund halted near us. She then shamelessly clung onto his arm affectionately.

It was a deliberate declaration of war. 

Unfortunately, there was no more battle to fight. What she had was a man who was merely a part of my past, no longer holding a significant position in my life.

“Ed! I didn’t expect to see you here, too! Maggie and I were just catching up together and talking about the days when we were in college. She helped me a lot back then. If it weren’t for her, I might not be where I am today,” Violet said, sounding almost grateful for meeting me in this lifetime.

I almost choked on my drink upon hearing her words. Edmund was one of the shareholders of the Grand Palace Hotel. It was a known secret that he always had his luncheon meetings here. And given that it was a weekday, he must have come here with a client.

Edmund hummed in acknowledgment, watching me intently, to which I reciprocated with a shrug. “I didn’t know you had such a good relationship with my wife. She never told me anything about it.”

Violet’s expression immediately turned sour when Edmund pushed her hand away, but quickly concealed it with a grin. 

Did he not tell her that we’ve already split up?

I clicked my tongue. “You never asked.”

“Do I have to?” he asked back.

“You’re too busy to even care about the past,” I retorted sneakily, glancing at Violet whose face officially contorted into a deep scowl.

One thing was for sure: Edmund hadn’t told his mistress about our divorce yet. 

I didn’t know what his motives were but if his little skit would help me rub salt on Violet’s wounded ego, I’d take the chance.

“As your husband, it would have been nice if I knew the people important to you. Don’t you agree? How was your trip in Westingwood?”

Edmund took one step closer to me, settled next to the chair Violet had vacated, and placed his arm atop the backrest of my seat, assuming a very awkward—and somewhat intimate—position.

“Mr Grant, we meet again,” Raven snarled, eyeing me inquisitively. 

I was just as confused as he was so all I could do but shake my head, speechless.

“Thank you for picking up my wife from the airport, Mr Delamar. She’s lucky to have a caring friend like you,” Edmund asserted, making the rest of us go quiet. He grabbed the napkin from my hand and carefully wiped the corner of my lips like he had done this a thousand times before.

I froze, feeling my skin crawl. What the fuck is going on?

“However, I’d like to remind you that it wouldn’t be good for either of us if people saw you together too often. My wife is a kind woman and she always found it difficult to reject people. So, I hope you do not misunderstand the kindness she is showing you.”

“Ed—” Violet's words were cut off by Raven.

“I don’t know about you. But Maggie and I have been tight since we were children. I know things about her that you don’t. We’re part of each other. Isn’t that right, Maggie?”

Blood rushed to my brain when I felt their gazes falling back on me. 

Unwilling to respond to the childish question, I frantically scanned the room and noticed that there were fewer people. The tension was so thick, and I could already imagine what kind of disaster it would be if Raven and Edmund decided to start fighting in broad daylight.

Ugh. What a headache!