From where she stood, Roselyn studied the woman seated on the sofa. Sylvia's features were fine and balanced, her eyes soft yet clear, her posture relaxed without losing its polish. Even in stillness, she carried herself with an easy grace—calm, elegant, and quietly assured.

"It's good to finally meet you, Roselyn. Please, just call me Sylvia," she offered, her lips curving into a gentle, practiced smile.

Roselyn knew of Sylvia. This encounter had replayed in her mind more times than she could count, yet when it finally arrived, it still caught her completely off guard. Conflicting emotions twisted together inside her, and a dull, spreading ache settled heavily in her chest.

"Hello, Sylvia. I'm Roselyn," she answered, lifting the corners of her mouth despite the stiffness in her face.

Turning slightly, Roselyn offered a polite greeting to Jordyn and Kevin's father, Stefan Warren. "Mr. and Mrs. Warren."

Stefan rose from the sofa and spoke evenly, his voice carrying a quiet authority. "Since we're all finally together, let's eat."

Everyone stood and moved toward the dining room. Sylvia was gently guided along at the center of the group, as if the flow naturally bent around her.

Roselyn found herself left behind.

Kevin took the seat to Sylvia's left, leaving the place on his left conspicuously empty. Without looking back, he said in a composed, unremarkable tone, "Roselyn, why don't you take this spot?"

Sylvia's eyes flicked briefly toward Roselyn, the glance light and unreadable, before she turned her attention away.

Without protest, Roselyn walked over and took the seat, her lashes lowering as she tried to shrink into the background, quiet and unassuming.

Plates crowded the table, rich with color and aroma, yet almost none of the dishes were ones Roselyn truly liked. A knot of conflicted feelings settled in her chest as she kept her head down, eating in silence and offering little conversation.

Only when a piece of sliced sirloin steak landed gently on her plate did her movements finally stall.

"Don't you like sirloin steaks?" Kevin inquired softly, his voice unhurried. "You've barely touched anything."

After a brief pause, he added evenly, "I didn't know you were coming back until this afternoon, so I didn't have time to arrange your favorites. Just eat a little for now. If you're still hungry later, I'll take you to Aura Restaurant."

There was an understated warmth woven into his words.

Caught off guard, Roselyn looked up. He still remembered what she liked—both the dishes and the place she loved most. "Thank you, Kevin," she said quietly.

Sylvia curved her lips into a light smile and flicked Kevin a gently chiding glance. "Kevin, you don't even know what I actually like to eat."

A faint tension rippled through the room, the warmth at the table thinning into something more layered and careful.

Sensing it, Jordyn quickly stepped in, reaching across the table to serve Sylvia several dishes with practiced cheer. "Sylvia, that's not true. Every dish tonight is something you enjoy. Kevin made sure of it first thing this morning. We just didn't know Roselyn would be coming back today, so there wasn't much prepared to suit her tastes. Kevin has always had a remarkable memory. He and Roselyn grew up together and were inseparable as children, so of course, he remembers."

Surprise flickered across Sylvia's eyes as she replied, "Oh? Is that right?" She shifted her gaze to Kevin with a smile. "I do like everything tonight. I just didn't know when you started paying attention to my preferences."

Kevin lifted a piece of lobster and set it neatly on Sylvia's plate. "We eat together every day," he noted lightly. "I notice things. Remembering wasn't difficult."

At his words, a gentle, satisfied smile curved across Sylvia's lips. Turning her head, she looked toward Roselyn and spoke with an easy warmth. "Now I know what you like too. When you're free, you should come have meals with Kevin and me more often."

Roselyn nodded in quiet agreement, her composed facade impeccable even as a slow, uneasy tightness began to coil in her chest. So was there truly no time to prepare the dishes she loved, or had there simply never been any intention to do so at all?

Roselyn tried not to linger on the thought, yet the faint bitterness refused to fade, spreading quietly through her heart. Those casual words from Sylvia made one thing painfully clear—whatever closeness she once shared with Kevin now belonged to the past.

Once dinner ended, Sylvia excused herself, explaining she still had other obligations to attend to. Outside the mansion gates, her driver was already waiting, engine idling patiently in the night air.

Roselyn, Kevin, and Jordyn saw Sylvia off, walking her all the way to the entrance.

Ahead of Jordyn and Roselyn, Kevin and Sylvia moved shoulder to shoulder, their silhouettes effortlessly in sync.

At the doorway, Kevin reached out and brushed a gentle hand through Sylvia's hair. "Go on. Get in safely, and text me when you're home."

Sylvia's eyes curved with contentment as she nodded. "I will."

They looked unmistakably intimate, wrapped in a closeness that shut the rest of the world out.

Roselyn reminded herself that Kevin's happiness was all that mattered—that knowing he was content was supposed to be enough. Yet the ache in her chest refused to fade, spreading deeper with every breath. Standing there, she felt painfully insignificant, as though she didn't even deserve to be near the happiness that belonged to him.

After Sylvia's car disappeared down the long driveway, the remaining three drifted back into the mansion in silence.

At the bar, Stefan poured drinks with practiced calm and then passed a glass to Roselyn once everyone had settled. "When do you plan to go back to Zoinbury?"

An uneasy stillness spread through the room, heavy and expectant.

Roselyn curled her fingers together, gaze fixed on the floor. "I want to stay in Radena."

Silence crept in all at once, pressing down between them.

A crease formed between Jordyn's brows, irritation flashing openly across her face. "Roselyn, don't forget how much we've poured into raising you all these years. Kevin went out of his way to build opportunities for you in Zoinbury. And now you just come back like this?" She paused, voice sharpening. "Are you really prepared to abandon everything you worked for there—and all the resources behind it?"

The room fell noticeably tense as Jordyn's remark landed, leaving an awkward pressure behind.

Each sentence—the time and money invested in Roselyn's upbringing, coupled with Kevin's efforts in building connections for her in Zoinbury—settled Roselyn's shoulders like added weight, pressing her down from the inside.

With her jaw clenched, Roselyn said nothing, her lips drawn into a thin, stubborn line. That silence carried more defiance than any argument she could have voiced.

Breaking the tension, Stefan looked at Roselyn and queried in a flat tone, "Roselyn, may I ask why you decided to come back?"

Roselyn offered no reply. The truth was, her return had everything to do with what she had learned about her own origins.

Three years ago, she had stumbled upon a crucial clue, only for an unforeseen accident to force her overseas and sever the trail completely. Now that fragments of the truth had surfaced again, she refused to let them slip through her fingers a second time.

Lies had never come easily to Roselyn, and Stefan's question left her with nothing to offer in response.

A heavy, airless tension settled over the room, pressing down on everyone at the table.

Irritation sharpened Jordyn's features, and even Stefan's expression hardened into something stern.

At that moment, Kevin reached for the pitcher and poured himself a drink, his movements unhurried. With an even, almost casual tone, he spoke. "If Roselyn wants to stay in Radena, then let her. It's actually good news. At least it's convenient for us to look after her."

Clearly unhappy, Jordyn opened her mouth to argue—only for the shrill ring of Roselyn's phone to slice through the oppressive quiet.

Without glancing at the screen, Roselyn rose softly and murmured, "I need to step out for a moment and answer this call."

Moving quickly, she left the room as if eager to escape.

The instant Roselyn disappeared through the doorway, Jordyn slammed her cup down so hard that tea sloshed over the rim, splattering the polished table. Her glare snapped toward Kevin, sharp and unyielding. "Kevin, what exactly are you thinking? I'll be frank with you. Three years ago, your plans to get married were already destroyed because of Roselyn. Now, just as you're preparing to get engaged, she suddenly comes back from Zoinbury. If she interferes with your relationship with Sylvia, I'll make sure Beth knows—and I will not tolerate Roselyn any longer!"

Kevin set his own cup down with measured restraint and rose to his feet. The warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by a thin layer of frost. "Mom, what happened three years ago had nothing to do with Roselyn. She won't affect my relationship with Sylvia. You're reading far too much into this."

…

That unexpected call gave Roselyn a fleeting excuse to escape the suffocating tension inside, a narrow crack of air she clung to.

Stepping into the courtyard, she drew in a deep breath, the cool night air brushing her skin as she forced the ache and bitterness back down into her chest.

After steadying herself, she lifted the phone and answered quietly. "Hello… who's calling?"

A familiar, careless tone drifted through the line. "Come see me tonight."

The voice belonged to Wesley.

Her muscles tightened instantly, nerves snapping to attention. She hissed, "Didn't we already settle this? We're not supposed to see each other anymore!"

"Not see each other?" A soft, derisive chuckle followed. "Then tell me—how am I supposed to satisfy your desire then?"

Heat flared in her chest as she endured his shameless provocation, irritation coiling tight beneath her skin. Drawing a slow breath, she said firmly, "Wesley, knock it off. I can't deal with you right now. Don't call me again. If there's anything to say, we'll talk after I'm back in Zoinbury."

With her thumb hovering over the screen, she moved to end the call.

Without warning, Wesley's tone slid from lazy indifference into something dark and menacing. "Hang up, and I'll show up at the Warren estate right now—and I'll drag you out in person."

Shock flashed across Roselyn's face, her eyes widening as her pulse spiked. There was no question in her mind—Wesley never made empty threats. Reckless to the core and utterly unconcerned with consequences, Wesley was exactly the kind of man who would follow through.

Her fingers tightened around the phone as she demanded, "What do you want?"

Wesley drawled, "Nothing outrageous. Just do what I told you. Come see me tonight."

"Not happening!" Roselyn immediately shot back, the refusal leaving her lips without the slightest pause.

Having only just returned from abroad, she still hadn't visited Beth. The evening was meant for Beth alone, not sneaking out and disappearing overnight.

Realizing her answer had sounded too final, and wary of pushing him too far, she softened her tone and added quickly, "At least not today."

"Then tomorrow." Wesley pressed on, unbothered.

A dull ache throbbed at Roselyn's temples as she struggled to figure out how to handle him—just as a familiar voice broke in from behind her.

"Roselyn," Kevin asked evenly, though his gaze lingered, "who are you talking to on the phone?"

Roselyn's fingers shook as she pivoted, spotting Kevin striding toward her, and her muscles locked up in a split second. With his shadow drawing closer, she blurted out, a little too fast, "I'm on the phone with Abby."

Abby Elliott—her closest friend—became an instant shield. Left with no other option, Roselyn leaned into the lie.

From the other end of the line came the sharp click of a lighter snapping open. Wesley took a slow drag and then let out a low laugh, his voice curling with deliberate provocation. "You don't usually sound like that with just anyone," he noted casually. "Maybe next time, you can talk to me that way. I'd really enjoy it."

Every word was laced with amusement and a trace of mischief.

Roselyn's nerves were stretched thin, every breath shallow and controlled. Only then did she grasp how rattled she truly was—Kevin stood just a few steps away, while Wesley's murmured words slipped closer to the line with every second. She couldn't afford even the smallest chance of Kevin overhearing Wesley.

With a tight grip, she pressed the phone to her ear, holding it as if it might betray her with a single sound. Lowering her voice, she said into the phone quickly, "It's too late for tonight. We'll see each other tomorrow."

"Fine," Wesley answered easily, his tone almost indulgent.

Relief washed through her as she ended the call without hesitation and turned back toward Kevin, forcing her expression into something calm. "Abby already knows I'm back," she said casually. "She asked me to grab a bite with her—but it's late. I'd rather head to your grandmother's place and spend some time with her instead."

Kevin noticed the subtle change in Roselyn's demeanor. His eyes stayed on her a beat longer than usual, searching her face, yet he chose not to press her with questions. "Then I'll drive you to her place myself," he offered in a low tone.

"That won't be necessary. I'll have the driver take me," Roselyn remarked, her smile smooth and carefully controlled.

She was keenly aware of how things looked and where the lines had to be drawn. Getting too close to Kevin was no longer an option she allowed herself to consider. What they once had was gone, and there was no path back to it.

In the end, under Roselyn's insistence, a driver working for the Warren family was arranged to take her to Beth's place.

As Roselyn settled into the back seat, neither Stefan nor Jordyn stepped outside to see her off. Their absence spoke volumes—any pretense of courtesy had been abandoned, and their displeasure over her decision to remain in Radena was no longer hidden.

Before the car rolled forward, Kevin spoke from the curb, his voice steady. "Make time to come by and have dinner with my parents again whenever you can."

With practiced composure, Roselyn dipped her chin and replied, "Alright."

Once the engine hummed to life and the vehicle rolled forward, the mansion slipped farther into the background, Kevin's tall silhouette shrinking until it blurred into the lights.

Roselyn turned her head away at last, a quiet heaviness pooling behind her eyes.

…

Tucked away on the southern outskirts of the city, Beth's place sat far from the clamor and glare of downtown.

When Roselyn finally arrived, the clock had just edged past eight in the evening.

For a visit, the timing was neither early nor intrusive—simply appropriate.

Crossing the threshold, Roselyn scanned the expansive living room—only to find it empty, with no sign of Beth anywhere in sight.

A servant promptly wheeled her suitcase upstairs to be unpacked, while the estate's housekeeper, Aubrey Sutton, rushed over, clasped Roselyn's hand, and spoke with unmistakable warmth. "Roselyn, you're finally home."

Emotion surged unexpectedly, leaving Roselyn's eyes rimmed with red as she struggled to steady her voice. "I'm planning to stay in Radena for a while this time."

Beth had taken Roselyn in from a children's home when she was only eight, and from that day on, this house had been where Roselyn grew up, watched over by Aubrey's steady presence.

More than anyone else, it had been Aubrey who quietly filled the role of parent in Roselyn's life.

Separated for three long years, the affection and longing between them resurfaced the moment they met again.

At Roselyn's mention of staying in Radena, Aubrey looked as though she wanted to ask more but then glanced around instinctively, concern flickering across her face before she swallowed the questions back.

Choosing silence instead, Aubrey squeezed Roselyn's hand gently and said with a soft smile, "It's good that you're home."

After exchanging a few more words, Roselyn glanced toward the stairs and asked, "Where's Beth?"

At once, Aubrey's smile stiffened, a flicker of unease crossing her face. "She's… already turned in for the night."

A brief stillness settled over Roselyn, and the faint curve of her smile slowly drained away.

For fifteen years, Roselyn had lived under Beth's roof, growing up by her side. Even during the three years Roselyn had spent in Zoinbury, they had stayed in touch—calls, FaceTime, long conversations that stretched late into the night. Beth's routine was etched into Roselyn's memory. Barely past eight o'clock, the house still wrapped in evening quiet—there was no way Beth would have gone to bed this early.

The truth settled silently but firmly in Roselyn's chest. Beth simply didn't want to see her. Even Beth didn't want her back—certainly not wanting her to stay in Radena.

A short, self-mocking laugh slipped from Roselyn's throat, thin and hollow. Once she uncovered the answers she'd come for, she would leave Radena behind—no lingering, no burden, no reason for anyone to be troubled by her presence again.