Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Briony hadn't made a secret of her illness with Maynard.

He was an important business partner, and she chose not to hide her condition from him—it would make it easier to arrange a smooth transition if someone else needed to take over her projects. At the moment, aside from Starlight

Entertainment, which still lacked a suitable manager, her other companies were all in steady hands. That gave her peace of mind.

Carey was competent, but not quite ready to handle everything alone. In Briony's absence, it was only thanks to Mr. Seven working quietly behind the scenes that Starlight Entertainment had managed to stay afloat. But Mr. Seven had no real interest in running the company, and Briony's second choice was Maynard.

Maynard had a unique and instinctive sense for film investment. If she could persuade him to take a stake in Starlight Entertainment and eventually take the reins, the company's future would be secure.

She admired Maynard, but that admiration had nothing to do with romance.

Besides, in her current state, she hardly had the energy or spirit for love.

"Mr. Maynard, you should head home and get some rest," she said gently, turning down his overture with quiet tact.

The night was still. Briony's eyes were calm, her slender frame wrapped in a beige shawl.

A breeze drifted by.

They stood there, silent, gazes locked.

Maynard smiled, lips quirking. "You've turned me down again."

Briony's tone was steady as she reminded him, "It might be the last time, Mr. Maynard. You'll find someone who's right for you."

He looked at her.

She was ill-seriously ill, and the prognosis wasn't good.

Yet she carried herself with such composure.

The glow of the streetlamp brushed her delicate features. She was still strikingly beautiful, but illness had left her face noticeably thinner, more fragile than before. Seeing her like this, Maynard felt a pang of pity.

His smile faded. He lifted a hand, as if to touch her cheek, but stopped when she instinctively stepped back.

He hesitated, fingers curling into a fist before he let his hand fall to his side.

Briony remained gracious and formal. "Drive safe, Mr. Maynard. Good night."

With a helpless little wave, Maynard turned and got into his car.

The black sedan slipped away into the darkness.

Briony watched the taillights vanish, then turned and walked back inside.

...

At midnight, Pearbrook Mansion was quiet.

In the backyard, she could hear the faint sounds of the housekeeper tidying up.

Briony walked slowly from the front yard, taking her time with each step.

Every blade of grass, every brick and stone-she had created this place bit by bit with her own hard-earned money.

This was the haven she had longed for, a real home for herself and her two children.

Someday, when she was gone, she wanted her portrait hung on the wall of the side hall.

There was a large window there, and from spot, you could see all

Pear view of sunrises and

and

sunsets, breathtaking in its beauty.

Stepping into the living room, Briony paused, her gaze drifting to the open cubby of the entryway, where a wooden plaque read "Peace and Joy Her heart brimmed with emotion.

Local tradition in Northborough said that on moving day, you should never let the house go dark.

Before heading upstairs, Briony had reminded Marlene to leave the living room lights on for the night.

Marlene had nodded and urged her to get some rest.

Carey had just left.

Earlier that evening, around nine, Kendal had taken Julia back to Dolphin Cove.noveldrama

Julia, still unsettled by the new surroundings, had begged to go home, and Briony hadn't had the heart to force her to stay.

Gwendolyn White and Carney decided to stay the night, but by ten o'clock, the couple had retired to their room.

Mary and Hannah were sharing a guest room.

Marlene and Carol, the housekeepers, had their own rooms on the first floor.

The second floor was set up with guest bedrooms and a multi-purpose studio.

Briony had designed that studio herself. When she'd been drawing up

the renovation plans, she'd wanted a space at home for art restoration and painting-work she could do freely and flexibly. She hadn't expected it would be put to such use so soon.

For now, her health was relatively stable, so she worked from home.

It was only hard on Carey, who had to come by every day.

Until they found the right person to run Starlight Entertainment, this arrangement would have to continue.

Briony climbed to the third floor.

Up here were the master bedroom and walk-in closet, as well as two children's

rooms.

But the kids were still so young, they preferred to share a room for now.