Zahn opened his mouth to speak, but Lianna continued before he could.
"After we got married, I became even more dependent on you. Even when something wasn't my fault, I was eager to take the blame just to appease you, your mother, and the people around us. As ridiculous as it sounds, I guess I wasn't entirely the victim in this relationship. Because I was the one who let go of myself first. I was the one who gave you and everyone else the right to hurt me, to make me feel as though my only worth was standing beside you. My lack of self-love and self-respect made you believe that no matter what you said or did, I would never leave."
Zahn could no longer hold it in. Tears slipped down his cheeks.
"You're not the only one who has been thinking about all of this. As I've said before, our relationship was wrong from the very beginning. You were raised and taught by your mother to be perfect and unblemished, just like that white coat you always wear. Meanwhile, I taught myself obedience, blind compromise, and self-sacrifice just so I could continue staying by your side." Her voice softened. "Until eventually, I lost myself within that marriage."
"I'm sorry," Zahn whispered.
"You've said that many times." Lianna glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling window, where all the people inside the ballroom could be seen.
"Anyway, it's not wrong to say that we both learned from experience. And as for me..." She paused for a moment. "I'm not going to make that same mistake again. Right now, the person I want to love the most is myself, and of course, Sean."
"Even so, I don't agree that our relationship was wrong," Zahn insisted. "Maybe we just went with the flow for so long that we didn't realize it had already started heading in the wrong direction."
Lianna "..."
Zahn took a deep breath before asking hesitantly, "Do you...hate me that much?"
Lianna looked at him and slowly shook her head. "I used to. But not anymore."
A sliver of hope appeared in Zahn's eyes, only for Lianna to extinguish it almost immediately.
"But I don't love you either. I think we're better now as two people who shares a space for the sake of Sean. Perhaps someday we can become friends. I don't know."
Zahn knew he had exhausted whatever love she had once held for him, and he had no right to ask for another chance.
Still, deep in his heart, it didn't matter how long it took. He would continue trying. He would wait, even if it took years, until the day she was willing to open her heart to him again.
"Then..." Zahn hesitated. "Does that mean you don't like anyone at the moment?"
Before Lianna could answer, a girl's shrill voice interrupted them.
"Did you accept that vixen's number? Why did you even talk to her in the first place?!"
Both Lianna and Zahn turned toward the voice and saw Anri Rune chasing after Jj Zhi.
The two stopped when they noticed them. Jj awkwardly nodded before continuing farther into the garden.
"Brother Jj, wait for me!" Anri called after him. "How could you leave a woman in high heels alone?"
Then she suddenly stumbled.
"Ah! My heel! I think it got stuck!"
Lianna took the opportunity to excuse herself. "It's getting colder. I'm going back inside."
Zahn followed her, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
Lianna immediately refused it, her eyes searching the crowd for their son instead.
"He's over there with Xati," Zahn said beside her.
From where they stood, they could see Sean surrounded by several older women who were chatting among themselves.
Lianna looked confused.
Zahn quickly explained, "They must be women hoping to become Xati's stepmother. With his biological mother absent from the banquet, the assumption is that she's either deceased or that the Keir family doesn't approve of her. Either way, people will see the position as open."
"Ah," Lianna nodded in understanding.
It was simply another part of upper-class society, where every empty seat at the table could become a coveted position.
Then she suddenly thought of Sean.
She and Zahn were already divorced, and considering Zahn Neri's status, were there women eyeing him as well?
As if someone had heard her thoughts, a young socialite suddenly approached Zahn with confidence.
"Doctor Neri, would you dance with me?"
Before Zahn could answer, another woman approached.
"Doctor Neri, I've been looking for you." She barely spared Lianna a glance before continuing, "Um, could I talk to you for a moment? It's about my father's health."
Zahn frowned and glanced at Lianna. "Schedule an appointment."
Before he could respond to the first woman, Lianna had already walked away.
Zahn instinctively gestured for her to wait, but several men soon gathered around him, eager to discuss business.
-
"Dad, did you get a chance to talk to Grandma?" Hiro asked quietly.
Because he was confined to a wheelchair, Ellis felt completely out of place at the banquet. He had retreated to a corner, drinking one glass after another while watching the crowd.
"Talk about what?" Ellis replied coldly. "The more you try to reason with her, the guiltier you'll look. Just leave her alone."
Ellis knew his mother well.
She was just as greedy as he was. Her assets were practically like a second skin to her. There was no way she would willingly give them up or discuss dividing them while she was still alive.
"Then what about that little devil?" Hiro asked worriedly. "Are we just going to stay away and do nothing?"
Ellis's expression darkened.
He had seen the way his mother treated Xati tonight. It was unlike anything he had witnessed, not even with his children.
When Shin was young, he had practically been the old woman's nemesis, constantly going against her. Tristan, on the other hand, had always taken Shin's side, so his mother had disliked the former and merely tolerated the latter.
Even though she had shown favoritism toward his sons, Hiro and Hadi, she had always kept some reservations.
But Xati was different.
That devious boy was intelligent, sociable, and dangerously good at flattering people, making the old woman seem genuinely fond of him.
"Children, no matter what, are still children. What they want most is their parents' love and attention," Ellis said, his gaze narrowing as he looked into the distance toward Xati.
Hiro frowned and followed his father's gaze.
Then, as if struck by an epiphany, he muttered, "You mean... we find his mother?"
"Are you stupid?" Ellis's expression darkened.
He hated how slow he could be to catch on.
"Why waste resources searching for her when you could simply place a suitable replacement?"
Only then did Hiro understand, his eyes gleamed with malice.
Indeed, after tonight, high society would be eager to place their own chess pieces beside Xati.
So why not help them choose one?
-
As the banquet came to an end and the guests gradually began leaving, Yeri was still chatting with Lianna. The two had happily caught up throughout the evening.
"Are you sure you want me to play a piano piece at your wedding?" Lianna asked, looking both appalled and uneasy. She clearly lacked confidence in herself.
"I'd be honored," Yeri said with a smile. "But I'm not pressuring you. Only if you want to."
Lianna smiled and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Yeri. I'm already nervous, but I'd be happy to."
Not long after, Sean was already growing sleepy, so Lianna and Sean left with Zahn driving them home.
"We should leave too."
Shin suddenly appeared behind Yeri, checking his watch.
"No. What about my presents? I want to open them now," Xati demanded.
Shin looked down at him. "And? Was I talking to you?"
Xati glared at him before turning toward Yeri and blinking his large, innocent eyes. "Big Sister, stay with Xati tonight, yeah?"
"No. We're tired," Shin refused immediately.
Xati's eyes narrowed. "And? Was I talking to you?"
"Haha~ How cute."
A woman's amused voice suddenly came from nearby, approaching them with a graceful smile.
"But it's rude to say that to an adult, especially your uncle. Don't you think?"
Yeri and Xati both turned toward her, wondering who she was.
Shin's expression remained unreadable.
The woman wore a long black dress that was elegant without being overly flashy. Everything about her was sophisticated, from her composed posture to the sharp intelligence in her eyes.
And unlike most people who approached Shin, she wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by his presence.
She suddenly seemed to realize that she had interrupted them.
"Oh my, now I think I'm the one being rude for suddenly interrupting. My apologies." She smiled politely before introducing herself.
The daughter of a first-tier family involved in the trading business, her introduction was perfectly courteous.
"I haven't opened your gift yet! I wanted to open it with you, so you have to stay!" Xati wasn't the slightest bit interested in the woman anymore.
He simply clung to Yeri as if she were the only person in the entire room.
"Xati Keir, just how old are you?" Shin reprimanded.
"How about we stay at your villa in Sin Mille tonight?" Yeri suggested. "To be honest, I'm excited to see what presents Xati got too."
The three continued arguing, and bantering among themselves, completely forgetting the woman after her brief introduction.
"Big Sister can't leave! She can't leave!" Xati's voice grew louder.
Then, suddenly, he had a full-blown meltdown.
He slumped onto the floor and began crying.
Since Shin had asked how old he was, Xati decided to show him exactly what a five-year-old was capable of.
"Waaah! You're mean! I don't like you!" He pointed accusingly at Shin through his tears. "You don't even smile! I think Big Sister will be miserable with you! She shouldn't marry you!"
The guests who hadn't left yet all watched the scene unfold.
Yet not a single person dared to say anything that might offend Shin Keir.
Instead, whispers spread quietly among them.
"Xati's really attached to Miss Zhi, right? Is it because his mother isn't around? How pitiful."
"I always thought Xati was too mature for his age, but I guess I spoke too soon. He's still a child after all. It's perfectly normal for him to throw tantrums too."
"To be honest, they look like a family of three. They're all so good-looking."
"Where did Tristan go?" someone asked curiously.
"I'm pretty sure I saw him leave with his girlfriend earlier."
The people who heard that exchanged glances before sighing helplessly.