Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

Here is a culturally localized English adaptation for a Western novel audience. All Chinese-specific cultural elements, names, and references have been seamlessly replaced or adapted for natural, immersive reading:

This trip to Ghana had come up out of nowhere.

Neither Briony nor Stella had time to pack clothes suitable for the local weather. Thankfully, most of what they'd brought from Cloudcrest City was light spring wear. Each of them rummaged through their suitcases and pulled out the thinnest sundresses they could find.

Briony, still recovering from an illness, looked even more fragile than usual. The cream-colored dress she chose hung loosely from her slender frame, the small V- neck unable to hide her collarbones-so sharp and delicate they looked as if they could cradle a butterfly. She was beautiful, certainly, but for an expectant mother, her thinness was worrying.

Stella eyed her up and down, her gaze drifting to Briony's stomach. With a sigh, she reached out and gently touched Briony's belly. "Who ever heard of someone carrying twins and still being this skinny? When all this is over and we get back to Northborough, I'm going to have a serious talk with Gina. She needs to make sure you get your strength back!"

Briony had always been the type who lost weight easily, and with everything that had happened lately, the stress had only made things worse.

Stella withdrew her hand and gave a resigned sigh. "On the bright side, at least nobody would ever guess you're pregnant."

Briony looked at her own reflection in the tall mirror, quietly laying a hand over her stomach.

It was eight in the morning when Briony and Stella came downstairs.

They'd rented a car locally-Cedric Clarke was at the wheel, with Stewart riding shotgun. Stella linked her arm through Briony's as they slid into the back seat.

Once the doors were shut, Cedric started the engine. "Let's grab some breakfast first," he suggested. "It's still early."

They definitely needed food. Briony, after a day of nausea, finally felt hungry again.

Five minutes later, they pulled up outside a small breakfast café by the coast.

The owner, originally from the Winslow Harbor area, was warm and welcoming. The menu featured all sorts of Asian breakfast staples-soy milk, fried bread sticks, dumplings, stuffed buns, you

rice porridge and sweet

a bowl of the mild rice porridge, something

a peanut soup, sipping it with an

cleared his throat awkwardly, and tried to joke, "Come on, Stella, at least we're supporting fellow

on holiday? Briony was forced into this mission, and honestly, this meal's making my stomach tie itself in

comeback for that and

banter, Stewart and Briony were ice-cold. Though they sat across

barely touched his own food, spending the last

When she was finished, she set down her spoon, dabbed her mouth with a napkin,

and was

a look, then rose in unison and

and lowered his voice. "You sure you're not going to leave

said nothing, and got up to follow the

in the car, Cedric restarted the

Stella asked, "So where

silent-a sign

headed to the science museum," Cedric said after

science

the road. "Relax, it's not like you're about