Veronica paused when she heard familiar voices ahead. Through the dim evening light, she could make out Aila and Cullen standing a short distance away. Cullen was smoking, his silhouette backlit against the garden lights, his expression impossible to discern from where she stood.

"I get it, I really do," Aila was saying, her voice carrying clearly through the night air. "Niall is something else. Only twenty-five and she's already got a PhD from one of the world's most prestigious universities. And from what I hear, she's managing her family's business with impressive skill."

Aila gestured expressively as she continued, "She's gorgeous, free-spirited, and completely independent. That combination of beauty and brains is rare. I understand why you're drawn to her. But Cullen, her family's reputation is questionable at best. Have you really considered what that means for you? You—"

"I know exactly what kind of woman I want," Cullen interrupted, his voice cold and definitive.

Veronica could see Aila's frown even from a distance. It was clear that while Aila had little respect for Veronica, she wasn't particularly impressed by Niall either.

"But—" Aila attempted to continue, but something in Cullen's gaze made her stop abruptly.

She let out a short laugh. "Alright, alright. You're so protective of her I can't say a single word. I'll keep my opinions to myself."

Veronica stood frozen, her fingers clenched tightly together as the night breeze stung her cheeks. A bitter smile formed on her lips, and she suddenly lost all desire to hear more of their conversation. Silently, she turned to leave the way she had come.

As Veronica's footsteps faded, Aila seemed to remember something important. "Oh, before I forget – Veronica mentioned she submitted her resignation. She's planning to leave the company?"

"Frank told me she made a significant error two days ago," Cullen replied flatly. "He was furious about it. I told him to follow standard protocol and terminate her employment."

Aila let out a derisive snort. "That explains it! When she brought it up earlier, she made it sound like she was choosing to leave. I knew she'd never willingly walk away from that position. So she actually got fired. Typical!"

Cullen remained silent, as if Veronica's professional future was entirely inconsequential to him.

Upstairs in the manor, Veronica was heading toward her bedroom when she nearly collided with Leo coming down the hallway. They both stepped back in surprise.

After they'd recovered from the near-collision, Leo was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?" His voice was genuinely concerned.

Veronica appreciated his kindness. Among the Dennis, only Cook and Leo had ever shown her real warmth.

"I'm fine," she assured him with a small smile.

When Veronica had first married Cullen, Leo had been just a child, too young to understand the complicated dynamics of their relationship. Over the years, he'd always thought Veronica was not only beautiful but kind-hearted. He'd observed how she never initiated arguments with Cullen and always showed remarkable patience with him.

Leo often thought that if he were lucky enough to find someone like Veronica one day, he would cherish her completely. Even after growing older and learning the truth about Cullen and Veronica's arranged marriage, he maintained his fondness for her.

Noticing the subtle signs of distress in her expression, Leo guessed the cause was likely Cullen.

He awkwardly scratched his head. "Veronica, you know you're an amazing person, right? Someday Cullen will realize what's right in front of him. Try not to let it get to you too much."

Veronica was momentarily stunned by his sincerity. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she and Cullen were on the verge of divorce, so she simply offered a grateful smile. "Thank you, Leo."

"I'm heading downstairs to grab something to drink," he said. "It's getting late. You should probably get some rest."

"You're right. Goodnight," Veronica replied warmly.

Once inside her room, Veronica turned off the main lights, leaving only the soft glow of the bedside lamp as she settled into bed. Not long afterward, she heard Cullen's distinctive footsteps entering the bedroom.

Veronica opened her eyes, meeting Cullen's gaze directly. She simply stared at him, making no movement.

In the past, she would have immediately jumped up to hang his jacket, happily located his pajamas, and prepared a warm bath for him. Tonight, she remained motionless in bed, eventually closing her eyes without a word.

Though Cullen had always seemed indifferent to her attentiveness, the stark change in her behavior clearly caught him by surprise. However, he quickly dismissed it, assuming she was merely sulking about something trivial.

He didn't bother trying to understand the reason behind her coldness and simply stated, "Sa's enrollment paperwork is complete. Take her to school tomorrow morning."

"Got it," Veronica replied flatly.

Cullen said nothing more, turning toward the closet to retrieve clothes before heading to the shower.

This was how he treated her now—with detached commands and cold efficiency.

As Veronica watched his back, her thoughts drifted to their impending divorce. She considered asking when they would finalize it, but knowing Cullen was busy and understanding his controlling nature, she knew he would handle everything on his own timeline without any need for her reminders.

After all, he wanted the divorce even more than she did. That was why she had waited silently for the past two weeks, never pressing him about it.

Suddenly, Cullen's phone rang.

Veronica watched as he answered it. His tone immediately softened in a way she never heard when he spoke to her. She instantly knew who was calling.

As expected, whatever Niall said on the other end prompted Cullen to respond, "I'll come over now."

Without another word to Veronica, he rushed out of the room.

Veronica didn't call after him. Moments later, she heard a car engine start and then fade as Cullen left Dennis Estate.

She closed her eyes, calmly reached over to turn off the lamp, and allowed herself to drift into sleep.

Veronica woke around six the next morning, knowing she needed to take Sabrina to school. Cullen hadn't returned after leaving the previous night, but Veronica no longer felt the sting of his absence. Her face remained composed as she checked the time and, realizing Sabrina wasn't up yet, went to wake her.

When Veronica reached Sabrina's room, she found the door locked and had to knock several times.

After a considerable wait, Sabrina finally opened the door, her expression twisted with annoyance. "Mom, did you have to knock so hard? Now my head hurts."

The night before, Sabrina had told Niall about the school arrangement. Although Niall had assured her it was normal for Veronica, as her mother, to take her to school, Sabrina had detected disappointment in Niall's voice.

This had kept Sabrina awake much of the night, plagued by guilt and bad dreams. Being woken by Veronica only worsened her already sour mood.

Veronica observed Sabrina's pouty expression but remained calm. "The school is quite far from here. If you don't get up soon, we won't make it on time."

Sabrina huffed but didn't argue further.

As much as she disliked the arrangement, she knew better than to throw a tantrum about attending school. She flopped back onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. "Fine. I know."

After a moment, she glanced up at Veronica. "Mom, could you put toothpaste on my brush for me?"

"Of course," Veronica replied.

While Veronica was in the bathroom, Sabrina grabbed her phone and quickly sent Niall a good morning text before reluctantly getting up to brush her teeth.

By the time she finished brushing, Veronica had prepared a warm, damp towel for her face.

"Which outfit would you like to wear today?" Veronica asked, looking through the clothes in Sabrina's closet.

Sabrina gave the options a cursory glance before saying, "Mom, I can dress myself. You can go now."

Veronica quietly closed the closet door. "Alright."

Once Veronica had left the room, Sabrina eagerly pulled out an outfit she had secretly brought from home the day before—a bold camouflage shirt that Niall had picked out for her.

She couldn't wait to wear it to school as a silent show of loyalty to Niall!