Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
Renee’s words left Nancy uneasy.
She couldn’t tell if Renee had spoken thoughtlessly or if her remarks had been aimed deliberately at Lily.
Susan was her dearest friend, and she truly loved her friend’s only child.
But Lily was her daughter-in-law, her own family. If Renee truly targeted Lily on purpose, Nancy would never tolerate it.
Renee stood rooted to the spot, eyes red, not moving toward the dining room. Nancy paused, then spoke politely, “Renee, if you haven’t had breakfast yet, come eat with us.”
Of course, if she didn’t want to, that was her choice. Nancy couldn’t force her.
But Ivan’s sharp words had cut too deep. Renee’s chest still ached.
She had believed that with Nancy, Grace, and the others favoring her, they would scold Ivan, maybe even make him apologize.
Yet to her shock, Nancy-her godmother, the one who doted on her most-said nothing in her defense. Instead, she simply walked on to the dining room.
In the past, whenever she came to the Luke family estate, Henry and Grace showered her with compliments, ordered the chef to prepare special dishes for her, even sighed that they wished they had a granddaughter as sweet as she was.
Blanc and Nancy had treated her like their own daughter.
The three Luke family brothers had indulged her, too.
She had always felt like the darling of the household.
But since Lily had shamelessly latched onto James, everything had changed.
No one pampered her anymore. No one shielded her. Ivan had even stood up for Lily against her. How could she possibly accept that?
Hatred burned in her throat like rust. But she couldn’t risk Lily twisting things behind her back and poisoning her ties to the Luke familys, so she still followed them into the dining room.
In her heart, she prayed for Lily to miscarry.
That very morning, she had taken a secret step toward making it happen. She was confident that Lily’s bastard child would soon dissolve into a pool of blood.
James only kept Lily by his side out of consideration for the baby. Once it was gone, why would he keep a worthless impostor around?
“Don’t be upset, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Normally, James always sat next to Lily at meals.
But Renee, eager to flaunt her supposed warmth and generosity before the elders, slid into the seat beside Lily the moment James pulled out her chair.
“I just like you so much. I only worried you might not like me.”
James’s hand froze in midair.
She had taken his place.
And he didn’t believe for a moment that she liked Lily.
If she did, she wouldn’t have crafted a post only Lily could see, one meant to wound her. She wouldn’t have schemed to turn the elders against her.
He couldn’t enjoy a meal without Lily beside him.
Nancy sat on Lily’s other side, and he couldn’t ask her to move.
Which meant Renee had to.
His face darkened, as he pulled back his hand. His voice was cool. “Renee, you’re in my chair.”
Her face went stiff.
She hadn’t expected James to be so petty, denying her even the right to sit in his chair.
Back when he had lived at her house for three years, she had touched everything of his freely.
It was all Lily’s fault.
Even as her teeth clenched with hate, Renee managed a coquettish smile. “James, you’re too stingy. I want to sit here next to the prettiest sister-in-law!”
She clung to Lily’s arm with feigned intimacy. “I’ve always liked pretty people. You’re so beautiful, Lily. We’re bound to be best friends!”
Lily coolly pulled her hand free.
Her acting was remarkable.
After deliberately making her misunderstand about James, she was obviously an enemy. Yet now she played at admiration, at friendship, covering venom with honey. It was revolting.
Lily didn’t want to spoil breakfast with an argument, but she wasn’t going to play along either. She kept her distance, focused on her food, and said nothing.
“You don’t want to be friends with me?”
Renee pouted, flashing her empty hand toward Grace in a show of wounded innocence.
The meaning was obvious-Lily had rejected her, treated her coldly.
“I’ve had enough of this!”
Ivan, ever the sharp-eyed exposer of hypocrisy, had no patience for her games.
He spoke bluntly, without sparing her dignity. “You’re hanging on Lily’s arm-how’s she supposed to eat like that? All she wants is a quiet breakfast, and here you are, putting on a show. What’s wrong with you? Stop with the fake act, Renee. No one’s buying it.”
By rights, since Rence was a guest, Ivan calling her crazy in front of everyone should have earned him a token rebuke.
But Grace and Nancy exchanged a look. They both felt he hadn’t said anything wrong.
Scolding children when they weren’t at fault only bred resentment, and both women chose silence.
“I wasn’t being petty…”
Renee’s voice cracked. From the moment breakfast began, Ivan had been on her case, like he’d woken up chewing gunpowder. She was about to break.
Sniffling, she whispered, “I just felt like Lily and I clicked right away. I was worried she didn’t want to be friends, so I said a little more. I never meant anything else.”
Ivan snorted. “Who knows what you mean.’
James, seated beside him, shot Ivan a frosty glance.
Ivan had been too quick, stealing the chance for him to defend Lily. But since his brother had said exactly what he wanted to say, he let it slide.
Renee’s eyes reddened even more.
She turned toward Lily with an earnest expression. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean anything bad. Can you please not hate me?”
In front of the elders, Lily couldn’t exactly declare her dislike.
She answered perfunctorily and went back to her breakfast.
“You’re so kind.”
Renee immediately clung to her arm again, her tone syrupy. “I like you the most, sister-in-law! You’re so good. You were with John for four years, and he threw you away for some silly crush -he really had no eye for value!”
On the surface, it sounded like she was taking Lily’s side.
But her wording was deliberate.
That word “with”-a reminder to the Luke family that Lily had shamelessly chased after John.
And “thrown away”-a reminder to James that Lily was a castoff, a woman another man had already played with and discarded.
In Renee’s mind, a proud man like James would never accept such scraps.
And once suspicion grew that Lily’s baby wasn’t James’s, the family-so obsessed with bloodlines-would never allow it.
“I swear, Renee, you really are sick!”
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