Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 509 "Oh, right." Something seemed to occur to him, and he tilted his head, letting out a low chuckle. "Cto think of it, you're quite impressive. Anyone else would've been eaten alive in the Lockwood family's house, but not only did you make it out unscathed, you even managed to get Roland Lockwood to back down for you. With skills like that, I doubt a little errand like this would trip you up." The moment Roland's nwas mentioned, it was like a cold bucket of water dumped over Miranda's head. She fell silent, the anger inside doused in an instant.

The man kept speaking, his tone lazy. "Of course, you could always refuse. But if you do-" He gave a crooked smile, "-well, I doubt Roland's patience is limitless. Not that I'd mind telling him all about your little escapades in England. I'm sure he'd understand exactly how to discipline a disobedient wife." "Miranda, did you really think Jade Sutherland could protect you and your family forever? She doesn't have much tleft." Miranda clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.

Bastard! She wanted nothing more than to leap up and punch him in the face, but she didn't dare. Against her will, Roland's smiling face flashed through her mind, and a shiver ran down her spine.

He was another monster.

The more she thought, the angrier she got. But she bit back the curses on the tip of her tongue, unwilling to give him the satisfaction-or to let herself be manipulated. And then there was Lysander's proposal.

After a long silence, she finally stammered out, "Are you... are you telling the truth? You're not lying to me?" "What if I am?" He gave a mocking laugh.

Bastard. Bastard. Bastard! "Alright, it's settled. I'll be in touch." He turned abruptly. "And don't even think about running or pulling any tricks. You know exactly what'll happen if you do." With that, he walked away.

His figure quickly disappeared behind the thick rose bushes. Miranda stared after him in a daze, barely able to process what had just happened.

He just left? It's settled? Who said anything was settled?! He'd vanished without warning, but Miranda felt no relief. She had no doubt he meant every word. If she tried anything reckless, those so-called consequences... Just one of them would be more than she could bear. Defeated, she slumped to the ground.

She sat there, staring blankly for a long time, until she heard footsteps and voices nearby. Her heart froze-was he coming back? She scrambled up and ducked into a nearby thicket of roses, only relaxing when she recognized the voice.

"Mila!" She tore off her mask and ran towards the sound.

"Miranda?!" Mila Sutherland, who'd been leading a small search party through the garden, froze in surprise. Her heart leapt as she shoved past the bodyguards in front of her, grane Miranda and scanning her upand down, worried and anxious. "What are you doing here?!" Just the thought that Lysander might still be lurking somewhere in the garden made Mila's hands shake. Why would Miranda be out here when nearly everyone else was in the ballroom? "Oh, I..." Miranda hesitated, guilt creeping into her voice. "I just felt a little stuffy in there. Wanted sfresh air, that's all... Wait, why are you out here?" She hadn't figured out what to say yet, so she quickly changed the subject.

It was only then, as she glanced at the bodyguards positioned all around, that the tension in the air finally registered. What was going on? Why were there so many people? Did something happen? "We're looking for someone." Mila's answer was brisk, barely pausing to Ket explain. She used the sstory Forrest Whitmore had given earlier, then instructed her team to spread out further and escort any remaining quests back into the ballroom.

But Miranda understood.

Now she was certain-positive, even-that the creep who'd forced Mila into that dance in the ballroom was Lysander.

It really was that bastard! He'd actually faked his death and tricked Mila... She didn't know why, but thinking about it, if anyone would pull a stunt like that, it'd be him.

She couldn't help but marvel- He was still as brazen as ever.

It wasn't enough for him to sneak into the estate; he had the nerve to brazenly flirt with Mila right under Jade's nose. The man had no sense of fear at all.

One thing was for sure: he'd been right-there was no escaping him.

A wave of hopelessness crashed over her.

Was there anything in the world this monster was afraid of? Miranda's eyes drifted to Mila walking ahead, thoughts churning. Lysander's words echoed in her mind.

Maybe he had a point.

Maybe, if she tried a different approach, things would actually change She couldn't go on living like this always on edge, always looking over her shoulder. "Miranda? Miranda?"

Lost in thought, she didn't realize Mila had stopped in front of her dooking puzzled. “What are you thinking about? You're totally zoned out." "Nothing," Miranda replied quickly, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask... When you were out here, did you see anyohe strange? Not just someone in a cloak-anyone acting odd at all? et Mila sounded worried; maybe she was afraid the suspect had changed clothes.

"Did you notice anything?" Forrest, standing nearby, looked over as well.