"Of course. I just married your brother, after all. As a new member of the family, it's only natural that you can't accept it right away."
Emma Johnson said this while driving.
Amelia White didn't respond. Her silence made Emma smirk.
"By the way, I'm supposed to visit the optical shop that Minister Reed recommended tomorrow. I never expected your memory to be so sharp. Minister Reed hasn't worn glasses for months, yet you noticed at a glance. Your brother always said you were clever as a child. You really are sharp."
The last sentence carried a heavy implication. Amelia's face shifted. Shock flickered across her features. She never imagined she'd slip up over something so trivial.
It was her own carelessness.
After that, Emma said nothing more. She simply drove in silence. Just as they were about to reach Sunrise Manor, Amelia let out a cold sneer.
"Do you really think my brother loves you?"
Emma frowned slightly. She didn't understand why Amelia would say that now. She had no idea what she meant.
But the fact that Amelia spoke those words meant she had silently admitted to everything Emma had said earlier. Only the thinnest layer of window paper remained between them, keeping them from completely tearing each other apart.
And Emma didn't want to tear that paper. But she couldn't tolerate being schemed against. She only wanted to remind Amelia to stop, to let bygones be bygones.
Emma didn't answer Amelia's question. She knew why she had married Liam Williams in the first place. But Amelia didn't.
Amelia continued.
"Do you think someone as outstanding as my brother would suddenly fall for you? If there weren't some other purpose, do you really believe you'd be lucky enough to enter Sunrise Manor and become part of it? People need to have a little self-awareness sometimes. Otherwise, it's a pity you won't close your eyes until the day you die."
Emma's grip on the steering wheel tightened. She felt as though Amelia knew about the contractual relationship between her and Liam. But her words seemed to carry a different meaning.
It reminded her of the day Liam suddenly proposed to her in the coffee shop. She had been shocked back then. After all, they had only just met. During her time with Liam, she realized he wasn't an impulsive man. Of course, she didn't believe he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
For Liam, that was impossible.
But why had he proposed marriage the moment he saw her?
The suspicion in Emma's heart grew deeper. Amelia's words made her tremble involuntarily.
Amelia sat in the back seat, watching Emma's pale fingers grip the steering wheel tightly. A sarcastic smile curled at the corner of her mouth. At the same time, she knew her "illness" was coming at just the right moment.
When they returned to Sunrise Manor, both of them pretended nothing had happened. Although Amelia didn't call Emma "sister-in-law" as affectionately as before, the servants didn't notice anything unusual.
Back in the bedroom, Emma felt as if she had walked into a dead end. She knew Amelia might have said those things just to provoke her. But too many things made her suspect that her marriage to Liam had another purpose.
This troubled her deeply. She wanted to ask him when he came back. But the next moment, she rejected the idea herself. If he really had a purpose, why would Liam tell her?
That was simply unrealistic.
That evening, when Liam returned, Emma watched Amelia coldly take his arm as usual, talking intimately with him. She only went downstairs in silence. She tried to act as if nothing had happened and smiled at Liam.
"You're back."
"Yeah."
Liam's eyes on Emma were deep, soft, and warm. Amelia grew even more jealous because she could see it clearly. But she didn't believe that what she had said in the car had no effect on Emma.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help glancing at Emma, who seemed perfectly fine. She thought this woman's endurance had reached a new level. Compared to the past, she could endure much more.
"What happened to your hand? Weren't you going to the show? How did you get hurt?"
Liam had sharp eyes, and the woman in front of him was the one he cared about most. So he quickly noticed the wound on Emma's hand, even though it was covered with a band-aid and didn't look serious.
But when you cared about someone, even a small scratch could make you worry.
"It's nothing. Someone accidentally bumped into me."
Emma's tone was light. She didn't care about the wound on her hand. After all, it was much lighter than being bitten by a snake.
But Liam didn't think so. He pulled his arm out of Amelia's hands. Then he wrapped his arm around Emma and carried her upstairs to treat her wound. Although Emma didn't think it was necessary, when she caught a glimpse of Amelia's hateful gaze from the corner of her eye, she finally smiled gently at Liam and went upstairs with him without objection.
Back in the bedroom, she saw the medicine box he had taken out and the concern in his eyes. Emma's heart wavered again.
Under the warm orange light, Emma looked at the man's beautiful, intoxicating face. Her heart fluttered.
She thought, I don't really love you. But after all, two people had such a close relationship. Maybe she still cared.
Just like her own heart, it had changed without her realizing it.
"What's wrong? You look worried."
Liam was still treating Emma's wound. He didn't even lift his head. But he seemed to have noticed her troubled expression. Emma couldn't help thinking how powerful this man was. It would be easy for him to deceive her.
But hiding something from him was very difficult.
"Nothing. I was just thinking how wonderful you are, and you're my husband."
Emma sighed, but her words carried a hint of testing.
Liam changed the bandage for Emma, then looked up at her delicate, beautiful face.
"It's rare for you to praise me voluntarily."
The man's thin, cool lips curled up slightly. His deep, cold eyes, usually like a dark pool, seemed to have sunlight streaming in, reflecting warmth. He was clearly in a good mood.
Emma was slightly stunned. She didn't know how to continue.