Chapter 396
That night, Katrina called Ana. The latter accepted the invitation.
However, only Ana attended the gathering, accompanied by Olivia, as Maisy had declined
their invitation.
Ana had no intention of concealing Olivia, understanding that doing so would only fuel the rumors. Thus, she brought Olivia along to the party.
Olivia had no freedom to decline participation in any activities. Until the birth of the child, she was expected to fulfill the role of a dutiful daughter–in–law, even during their time at
the Pearce residence.
Upon Olivia’s arrival that morning, Sophie was at home and greeted the guests with her aunt.
Olivia walked behind Ana and didn’t greet Sophie. She just quietly stood there. Nonetheless, Sophie’s gaze remained fixed on her, attempting to communicate silently.
Olivia kept avoiding her.
Claude was present as well. As his mother greeted Ana, he approached them, exchanging greetings with Ana before glancing at Olivia. His expression remained gentle, appearing unaffected.
After the news got out, Olivia became fearful of contact with Claude, apprehensive that Ana might discover his identity as the man in the picture.
However, her worries were for nothing because Ana never even considered that and only spoke to Katrina.
It wasn’t her first time there, so they weren’t too courteous and took Katrina’s warm greeting for granted.
Throughout their time there, Olivia shadowed Ana, refraining from wandering or engaging with others.
She also refrained from conversing with Claude, even during tea.
Claude refrained from reaching out and let Olivia be. Meanwhile, Sophie felt anxious,
wanting to speak with her friend but lacking the opportunity.
Their gathering was uneventful, simply drinking tea. Ana was disinterested in conversation with Katrina, so they left after their tea session.
On the way back, Ana remained silent with closed eyes, while Olivia sat quietly, resembling a
Chapter 396
tranquil tree.
2/2
After reaching the Harris residence, Ana felt bored and went upstairs.
Olivia watched her, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed.
Later that night, Sophie texted Olivia, inviting her to join a gathering with some school
friends.
Olivia recognized Sophie’s efforts to reach out, but she wasn’t feeling up to it. However, when her two other friends also reached out, she hesitated to decline.
Sophie was doing everything to speak to her.
Considering she had a checkup scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, Olivia decided she could meet Sophie afterward. Despite some initial reluctance, she eventually agreed.
Sophie chose to meet at a bustling bar, anticipating the noise would provide privacy for their conversation. Several friends also planned to join them.
*
After her check–up, Olivia didn’t return to the Harris residence. Instead, she headed to meet Sophie, unaware of the purpose of their conversation.
