“Are you done?” Gwyneth asked again.
Liana paused, unsure what she was up to, but still itching to provoke her. “I’m not leaving him. If you guys head abroad, I’ll be going, too. I’m sticking with Asher—he loves me. You won’t have a happy marriage with me around!”
Gwyneth set the plates down and narrowed her eyes. “You done? Now, it’s my turn. Here’s a little advice. If you’re going to be a mistress, act like it and stop blabbing.”
She slapped Liana hard, and her face jerked to the side.
Liana twisted her ankle and knocked the soup bowl off the table. The scalding liquid splashed on her, and she yelped, “Ouch! That’s burning!”
The noise caught Asher’s attention, and he hurried into the kitchen. “What happened, Lia?”
Liana looked up, her right cheek red from the slap and her left hand swollen and burned. She pointed angrily at Gwyneth, who remained cold and distant. “Honey, she slapped me and spilled soup on me!”
Honey? Gwyneth pushed down the disgust rising in her. Liana acted like Asher was her husband, even though he was actually Gwyneth’s.
Asher lifted Liana off the floor, his heart aching for her. He faced Gwyneth with a stern look. “Apologize to Lia.”
Gwyneth frowned. The hot soup had gotten on her, too.
“You don’t even care to ask what happened?” she asked, feeling hopeless.
Asher’s face showed sympathy as he looked at Liana, who was a mess. “She’s a great woman who’s been with me for years and never asked for any title. What bad things could she have done? How could she possibly provoke you?”
Gwyneth gazed at him, her chest tight with sorrow.
Back in school, a jealous classmate had falsely accused her of stealing money. The homeroom teacher had questioned her about it.
But Asher rushed to the office to defend her. “Ms. Johnson, Gwyneth’s a great person. She keeps quiet even when she’s wronged. What bad things could she have done? How could she have stolen money?”
And now, Asher was saying the same stuff, but instead of defending Gwyneth, he was backing up Liana.
“I’ll apologize, but she’s not coming with us,” Gwyneth said.
Liana shot her a glare as she gritted her teeth. “Who are you to make that decision? It’s not up to you.”
Asher’s expression darkened. “Don’t get me mad.”
Gwyneth’s eyes welled up, and she glanced up, trying to hold back the tears. “Don’t make me bring in a lawyer and make this whole thing about you and Liana go public.”
Asher’s face grew stormy. He took a moment before pursing his lips. “Fine. I’ll let it slide this time, but it had better not happen again.”
He carried Liana to the couch in the living room and got some burn cream for her.
As Gwyneth left the kitchen, she spotted them together, looking all lovey-dovey. She headed upstairs to the master bedroom.
