He zoomed in on the photo, scrutinizing the image extremely

carefully till the burning cigarette stung his fingers. Only then

did he snap out of it and toss his phone away.

A secondter, it rang, the screen lighting up with “Mom”

shing on it.

He unlocked to answer and then heard her voice. “Ells, where

are you tonight? Could you stop being such a handful at least

once in a while and go stay home for a couple of nights?

“You’ve always left Hara alone back home. How could you do

this to her?”

He frowned. “Did she put a spell on you on what? All of you

side with her. Enough. I see.”

Everyone else in the family liked Harriet, including Raymond,

Kathie, and his parents.

What was so good about her?

He hung up and stood up. Picking up his suit jacket, he said to

came up.”

Johnathan straightened up a little, arching an eyebrow. “The

show hasn’t even started yet. Are you sure?”

No longer in the mood, he waved his hand while heading to the

bar entrance.

He started his car, leaving the car window open.

Steering the wheel with his right hand, he rested his left arm on

the window frame with a cigarette between his fingers. The

rhythm of “Five Hundred Miles” through the Burmester sound

system echoed in the car.

He still didn’t get it. There was nothing special about Harriet.

How could she wrap everyone else in the family around her little finger?

And… What was he thinking, agreeing to marry her in the first

ce?

He took a drag from his cigarette and then exhaled a slow swirl

of smoke.

Seeing only a few cars in sight, he flicked away the half-smoked

cigarette and mmed the elerator. With a roar, the car surged forward and soon disappeared into the distance.

In the bedroom of the vi.

Harriet took some shower gel and skincare products from the

bathroom and reached for the bedroom door. Just then,

someone opened it.

She looked up.

Then she was dumbfounded.

Ellsworth?

What was he doing back?

Ellsworth had onlye home a handful of times over the past

three years. At the sight of him, Harriet was utterly stunned.

She blurted out, “Why are you back?”

Immediately, she exined, “I’m not saying you can’te

back. I mean, it’s your home, and you cane back anytime

you want.”

She added after a brief pause, “I haven’t used the bathroom or

slept in the bed for a while now. Jacquelyn and the others clean

and disinfect every day!”

Jacquelyn Becker was one of the servants here.

As Harriet said this, some memories shed across her mind.

She had once grabbed Ellsworth’s sleeve, and he had tossed the

ck suit jacket awayter.

From then on, she had never touched him or his things again

unless necessary.

If he wanted to stay the night, she didn’t want him to be disgusted by her presence in the master bedroom.

The truth was, she had moved into the guest room next door

shortly after their marriage.

Ellsworth took off his jacket and casually tossed it onto the

couch.

She stepped aside to make way.

Since he didn’t say anything, she lowered her head, ready to step out with the things she had taken from the bathroom. Just then, he asked, his voice icy, “You’ve got the birth certificate?”

Looking at him, she nodded. “Yes. Grandpa gave it to me. I don’t think Sir Townsend will raise any objections either.”

She used to call Raymond by his first name, but Ellsworth

always addressed Ralph as “Sir Chavez”, as if drawing a clear

boundary between the two families. Eventually, she, too, began

calling Raymond “Sir Townsend”.

She had also heard Ellsworth loved Kelsey very much.