Vivian spotted Evelyn sitting in a corner of the hall, chatting with a few guests. She headed straight toward her.

"Evelyn." She pulled a smile over her face. She leaned forward and pulled her into her embrace. "It has been ages since I last met you."

Evelyn returned the embrace warmly. "Yes. It’s been a long time."

She was genuinely happy to meet her old friend again. She clasped her hands. "Sit with me."

Vivian sat down beside her.

"How have you been?" Evelyn asked.

Vivian stared at her instead of replying. "I heard about your accident. I am so sorry."

She looked into her amber eyes. "What did the doctors say? Is there any chance you’ll regain your eyesight?"

Evelyn’s smile faltered only for a fraction of a second. She composed herself quickly. "Yes, I’ll regain my eyesight. Just a surgery is needed."

"Oh, that’s wonderful." Vivian tried to sound excited, but the depression that lingered made her heart heavy.

"Evelyn, I need your help."

She finally said the words she had wanted to say ever since she had entered the estate.

"You know I’ve loved Elias since I was a child. I’ve always dreamed of marrying him. And now he has married a stranger. You should talk to him. He can’t make such an important decision recklessly."

"Vivian, you should move on and find someone who genuinely loves you," Evelyn said. "Don’t keep chasing Elias. He has already found someone he loves."

Vivian couldn’t believe Evelyn had said that. She had expected support, not rejection.

"How could you say that?" she questioned irritably. "Elias has never been seen with any woman. He has never dated anyone before. When exactly did he fall in love with this woman? Don’t try to fool me."

"Vivian..." Evelyn tried to explain, but Vivian wasn’t listening.

"Elias doesn’t love her," Vivian said with conviction. "Certainly, he is hiding something. That woman might have seduced him. Maybe she manipulated him. She is not worthy of him."

"Vivian," Evelyn said, her voice softening. "You are young and beautiful. You shouldn’t waste your life chasing someone who doesn’t love you. Love can’t be forced."

She realized this truth from her own failed marriage.

Years ago, she had loved a man and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She had followed him, proposed to him, and even married him. She had foolishly believed her devotion could melt his heart.

But she had been wrong.

Her ex-husband had remained as cold and distant as ever. Even after seven years of marriage, she couldn’t win his heart.

At last, she got tired and divorced him.

Evelyn shrugged, letting out a deep sigh. "If you keep forcing yourself on him, you’ll only hurt yourself."

Vivian’s frustration intensified. "You are my friend. Instead of helping me, you are asking me to give up. Do you know what kind of woman he married?"

Evelyn stiffened.

"That woman spent five years with Noah Sinclair," Vivian added. "She was pregnant with his child and then miscarried."

Her lips curled into an ugly sneer. "Someone like her doesn’t deserve to enter the prestigious Rowan family. A woman like her is garbage. How could your family allow a lowly woman like her to marry Elias?"

"That’s enough." Evelyn raised a hand and stopped her.

Vivian paused. Shock flashed across her face.

Evelyn had never spoken to her like that before.

Anger twisted Vivian’s gut. She curled her fingers on her knees.

"I know about her past," Evelyn said.

Elias had told her everything about Elena.

She knew what Noah had done to her. She knew how much Elena had suffered.

In a loveless relationship, the betrayal, pain, and heartbreak were only natural. She had learned it very well.

Back then, she used to be as stubborn as Vivian. But in the end, she had been left alone, wounded, depressed, and now blind.

She closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. She didn’t want her friend to go through the same pain.

"Stop messing with Elias or his wife. I am saying this for your own good."

Vivian was furious. She wanted to scream and argue with her. But the sudden murmur spreading through the hall distracted her.

"Wow, she is gorgeous. Who is she?"

"I have never seen her in our circle. She must be some wealthy family’s daughter."

"Don’t you know who she is?" A woman whispered. "I guess you all haven’t seen that press conference that day."

"Press conference?"

Recognition dawned on another guest. "Oh, right. I remember now... She is Elias’s wife."

The murmurs grew even louder.

"Elias’s wife?"

"So she is the woman Arthur was talking about?" an elderly man said. "So this is her."

"I heard he planned to introduce his grandson’s wife tonight."

Vivian stiffened in her place as she looked at Elena.

Dressed in a silver mermaid gown, she looked breathtaking. Countless tiny crystals and beads were embroidered across the fitted bodice, sparkling like scattered stars.

The elegant V neckline highlighted her cleavage gracefully. The gown hugged her slender figure before flowing into a soft train behind her.

The dazzling diamond necklace resting against her skin matched the gown perfectly, making her appear radiant.

Her beauty was impossible to ignore.

For a moment, the entire hall seemed unable to look away.

Vivian’s fists trembled on her knees.

She had always been the center of attention. People praised her beauty wherever she went. And tonight, every eye was on Elena.

The spotlight that should have belonged to her had been stolen. Hatred surged through her chest.

She stood up and walked over, intending to confront her. But before she could take more than a few steps, Elias appeared.

He walked directly to Elena and slipped an arm around her waist.

"My wife." His voice dropped lower. "You look stunning."

Elena blushed. "Thank you for the dress," she whispered. "I like it."

"Hmm... Glad to know that." He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "And I’ll love it when I take it off."

Instantly, heat spread from her face to her ears. "Can you stop it?" She shot him an embarrassed look. "We are at Grandpa’s birthday party."

"I know. That’s the only thing stopping me right now."

Elena looked away, flustered.

Across from them, Vivian watched them, seething in rage.

The affection, the intimacy, and the way Elias looked at Elena as though no one else existed—everything was too much for Vivian.

Jealousy burned through her like acid. Her gaze locked onto the arm around Elena’s waist.

Hatred twisted her expression.

’This bitch knows how to seduce a man. But I’ll never let you snatch Elias away from me.’

Unaware of those prying eyes, Elena broke free from Elias’s embrace, her face turning red. "Let’s wish Grandpa a happy birthday first."

Hand in hand, they walked toward the center of the hall. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Arthur stood surrounded by friends.

After taking a few steps, Elena came to a sudden halt. Her whole body went numb. Blood roared in her ears.

Her trembling gaze remained fixed on a middle-aged woman approaching Arthur. The woman was elegantly dressed and smiling as she spoke with the guests.

Elias immediately sensed something was wrong with her. He paused and looked at her, only to notice how pale she was.

Elena looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Elena," he called her softly.

Elena’s breathing became uneven.

"That woman..." Slowly, she raised a trembling finger.

Elias followed her gaze. "That is Mrs. Sterling." Confusion crossed his face. "Do you know her?"