Liam said nothing. 

What a performance. 

He was just about to leave when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed where Glenn was headed. His gaze lingered for a moment on the slender figure of a woman sitting alone on a bench. 

Meanwhile, as they left the Fawkes family estate, Poppy chatted with Soren about the evening’s events. 

She was in a brilliant mood. 

Everyone knew exactly why she’d come to the Fawkes estate tonight. 

From the start, she’d been carefully gauging the family’s attitude toward her. 

There was no question–Flora was wholeheartedly in favor of her and Soren being together. In fact, she seemed to be rooting for it. 

Clyde, the consummate businessman, cared only about the bottom line. He wouldn’t play matchmaker, but he wouldn’t stand in their way either. 

As for Old Mrs. Fawkes, Poppy hardly knew her. But she understood elderly women well enough to guess that her opposition was just a matter of habit of sentiment. Given time… or maybe not even that-Flora had confided that the old lady’s health was failing fast. She probably didn’t have much time left. 

No matter how much the matriarch objected, she no longer had the strength to dictate the next generation’s happiness. 

But for Poppy, the biggest breakthrough tonight was with Helena. 

When she was younger, Poppy’s pride had kept her from playing the social games. expected of her. She’d always been too blunt, too direct–something Helena, herself proud and stubborn, had never forgiven. 

But this time, Poppy had learned her lesson. She listened for the right cues, said all the things Helena liked to hear, and played the role of the perfectly polite future daughter–in–law. As expected, Helena’s frosty demeanor had thawed.” 

When they’d left earlier, Helena had even slipped her a generous gift and warmly invited her back. 

1/2 

That had never happened before. 

Poppy couldn’t help but feel triumphant. She’d practically won over the Fawkes family. Now all she had to do was wait for Soren and Evangeline to finalize their divorce, and she’d step smoothly into the role of Mrs. Fawkes. 

The thought made her lips curl into a smile. 

Stifling her delight, Poppy turned her head and pointed toward a small grove nearby. “Soren, do you remember those two trees we planted together over there?” 

Soren followed her gaze and nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Why?” 

She grinned. “I think we carved our names into them, didn’t we? It’s still early–want to go see if we can find them?” 

Soren didn’t look convinced. “It’s been years. There’s no way we’ll find them now.” 

“You never know until you try! Come on, let’s just go take a look.” 

Poppy coaxed him, her voice light and wheedling. 

Truthfully, she wasn’t interested in this little nostalgia trip either. 

But she had few options. For five years, there’d been an empty place beside Soren. Even though they’d kept in touch, he rarely reached out first; every meeting was the result of her careful maneuvering, tugging at his guilt for time together. 

All she could do now was use their shared memories to hold on to him for a little longer. 

Soren hesitated, meeting her eager gaze, and for a moment, he seemed reluctant to disappoint her. 

Just as he was about to speak, his phone buzzed. 

He pulled it out and saw a message from Liam–a blurry, clearly surreptitious photo. In it, Evangeline was being helped by another man; her eyes crinkling in a smile as she chatted with him. 

She was still wearing the same dress from the family dinner. 

So her excuse about needing to leave early… was just so she could go meet another man? 

Soren’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening with irritation. 

9/2