“What happened to your hand? Why is it bleeding?” Lydia seized Hannah’s injured hand, her eyes filled with concern.
Waving her hand dismissively, Hannah answered curtly, “Probably caught some glass shards earlier. I’ll wash up.”
Emerging from the restroom, Hannah dried her damp hands and sauntered back to their private nook. Midway, she bumped directly into Declan and a woman clinging to his arm.
With her alluring eyes and poised manner, the woman was Eliana, who Declan had always considered superior to Hannah.
“Miss Moore, fancy meeting you! Remember me? I’m Eliana.”
Though Eliana’s greeting was warm, Hannah’s response was icy.
Sensing the tension, Declan intervened, “We have an appointment with Grandma tomorrow night. She’s heard about our divorce and wants to meet us.”
Hannah nodded, prepared to move past them.
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Declan scrutinized Hannah’s aloof demeanor and frowned, “Places Like this don’t suit you, nor does the way you’re dressed.”
Unmoved, Hannah shot back, “Mr. Edwards, given our divorce, it’s really not your business what I do.”
Struggling to keep his mounting irritation in check, Declan said, “You seem eager to put space between us.”
Hannah gave Declan an odd glance, sizing him up from head to foot.
“And you’re not in a rush, Mr. Edwards?”
Hesitant, words caught in his throat, Declan took Eliana’s hand and started to walk away.
“Hold on, Declan! I need to talk to Miss Moore for a moment.”
After Declan rounded the corner to light up a cigarette, Eliana walked up to Hannah and said softly, “Miss Moore, I regret any strain my return has put on your marriage. But having suffered the unbearable pain of my first loss, I can’t afford to lose Declan again.”
Bewildered, Hannah’s eyebrows knit together.
“So?”
Fidgeting with her bag and kicking at the transparent balustrade, Eliana looked up, her eyes radiant with a smile.
“I appreciate that you’ve allowed Declan and me this chance at happiness I once lost.
I hope you find your own happiness soon, so you’re not trapped in an unreachable relationship.”
It clicked for Hannah in that moment. This wasn’t an apology. It was a declaration.
Eliana was showing her that the heart she had tried to warm for four years could indeed find warmth, but not from her.
Despite her meticulous grooming, despite analyzing every word and gesture from Declan, she couldn’t measure up to Eliana, who seemed to win effortlessly just by being there.