Beyond the Divorce

My stubbornness surged. This was the first time Ivanna and I had disagreed.

"Do you know why I'm saying this?" I asked Ivanna, looking straight at her. "I'm not trying to please you. I think Jared and Trinity don't suit each other because they're too similar. There's no real love between them. It's more of a sense of understanding, a familial bond, or a sense of duty.

"So, I genuinely hope you and Jared make it to the end. I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart. I would say that even in front of Trinity."

Ivanna looked at my face and lowered her gaze.

I softened my tone. I knew she was at her most vulnerable now.

"I talked about this with Atlas once. He told me not to dwell on it because everyone in this world has a love that belongs only to them. You only get a chance to encounter the right love if you part with the wrong one. That's why I advised you to wait."

Lauren quickly interjected, "You should tone it down a bit, Chloe."

Then she turned to Ivanna and continued to console her. "No matter what, Ivanna, what you said just now was really hurtful."

mix of anger and awkwardness in the

while, I spoke again. "Since I became sworn sisters with Trinity, I've been trying to balance our relationship. I always reminded myself to try to remain rational about Jared's business. I tried not to let my emotions sway me, and I tried not to favor either of you. But Ivanna, I have to admit, my scale

quickly tried to ease the tension. "Exactly, Ivanna. Don't overthink it. We're best friends, after

Trinity left on me earlier, or maybe it was because of her

heart was in turmoil. I thought about whether I should continue talking. I didn't know if Ivanna would sink deeper into misunderstanding if I did. Still, I felt that I needed to tell her all this, if only for

her head. I took a deep breath and continued, "But... honestly, Ivanna, Trinity is not as glamorous and arrogant

has a sensitive side. Everyone's

father told me on the morning she disappeared that he wished his daughter could lead a normal life like any other girl. He hoped she could date, get married, and have children. But she's Trinity, heir to the Huffman family. She can't just do whatever

to strengthen her authority over the old forces regain dominance, but... there was a possibility that

From now on, no one is allowed to say anything else hurts anyone else's feelings. No matter what happens, the three of us should be able to speak openly like this. We shouldn't hide

at both of us and winked at me, conveying her message. I understood what she meant, of

up to Ivanna, sighed, and said, "Alright, it's time to eat. If you don't eat, you'll just waste Lauren's effort in bringing all this here for you. Besides, you need to take care of yourself. Kids need nutrition. We can talk