The unwanted wife’s unexpected comeback

Chapter 1175:

Despite the joke, Gerry had a good sense of humor and wasn’t upset.

When shaking hands with Juliet, Gerry noticed her hand was somewhat cold. He jokingly scolded Cliff, “Cliff, it’s October, and she’s in a dress. Why didn’t you offer her your coat?”

Juliet smiled shyly. “I’m not cold. Mr. Hopkins’ car was nicely heated.”

Cliff remained poker-faced, ignoring Gerry’s playful words. He shifted his attention to Laney, who was sitting quietly by herself, and walked over to her with a present.

Laney had been watching Cliff and Juliet since their arrival. They stood side by side, looking like a perfect match, and the Hopkins family appeared genuinely happy to see them together. Each word they spoke felt like a stab to her heart.

As Cliff approached, Laney couldn’t muster a smile and instinctively turned her head away. She longed to run away but didn’t want to alarm her family or expose anything about her relationship with Cliff.

Cliff placed the gift bag beside her. “I promised to show up and watch your performance, but I drank too much at lunch and slept through it,” he explained simply, leaning closer. “Check out the gift. If you don’t like it, we can go shopping later.”

Laney felt a surge of bitterness rise within her heart. She clenched her fists, fought back tears, and managed to say, “Thank you, Cliff. I really appreciate it.”

Cliff was close enough to notice the strain in her voice, which triggered an ache of unease. “I’ll make sure to attend your next competition,” he assured her.

Laney felt a sense of numbness. His absence during her competition had let her down, and his words did little to calm her emotions. She kept her eyes down, murmuring, “Go ahead and eat. I’m fine.” Throughout the dinner, Laney seemed listless.

Cliff served some of her favorite dishes, yet she barely touched them, only sipping at her soup from time to time.

Cliff frowned, suspecting that she would likely end up searching through the fridge later.

At the same time, Juliet, who seemed just as disinterested in the meal, watched Laney closely. She couldn’t ignore it. Cliff’s focus was constantly on Laney.

Juliet was curious to discover what charm Laney, Cliff’s cousin, possessed. In the end, she concluded that there was nothing particularly special—just a quiet, delicate girl with smooth skin. Still, Cliff’s affection for Laney appeared to be overly generous.

“Mr. Hopkins, could you pour me a glass of water?” Juliet politely requested.

Cliff obliged, passing her a glass.

When Juliet took the glass, she purposely let her fingers brush against his hand for a moment longer.

Laney froze, her eyes locked on the action.

Juliet maintained the contact for a moment longer before letting go and then unexpectedly caught Laney’s gaze.

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