The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 166

There were too many messages, and some people were calling directly to interrogate her.

Exhausted by the endless prying, Riley simply posted a statement to her social media: *Our paths have diverged, and our time together is over. From now on, I am only focusing on myself and my child.*

No complaining, no insults, no rage. Just a calm statement of fact.

After the post went up, the notifications quieted down significantly. But not long after, Elaine Vance called.

Seeing her mother's name on the screen, Riley hesitated for several seconds before finally answering. "Mom—"

She barely got one syllable out before Elaine cut her off. "Delete that post immediately. Go publicly defend Pierce right now! Say the photos are fake, that someone is framing him, and that your marriage is perfect. If you stand by him during a crisis like this, he'll be grateful to you forever. Even if you never manage to give him a son, no one will ever be able to take your place as Mrs. Landon!"

Even though Elaine had already shown her true colors during their last argument, hearing these words still felt like a knife to the chest.

Strangers on the internet were showing her compassion, comforting her, and supporting her decision to leave a toxic man. But her own mother—her own flesh and blood—was treating her worse than a stranger. She didn't care about Riley's feelings at all. She was ordering her to lie to the world just to protect Pierce's reputation.

She had poured her heart into building a life with Pierce, and he had betrayed her. She had given everything to please her parents, and they didn't care about her at all.

Was she just destined to never be loved? Did she not deserve a real family?

"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!"

Elaine's shrill voice snapped Riley back to reality. She tightened her grip on her phone. "I've already filed for divorce."

"What?! You filed a lawsuit?! Have you lost your damn mind? I've already told all our relatives you weren't getting a divorce! Where am I supposed to hide my face now?"

Listening to the dial tone, Riley felt like a freezing wind had hollowed out her chest, the ice seeping into her veins. All this time, the family she had cherished so deeply had only ever been a one-sided illusion.

Fine. If they didn't love her, she would cut the cord.

Mrs. Gable stepped out of the nursery. "Alora is down for a nap. I'm going to run to the grocery store. Keep an ear out for her."

Riley remembered that she had promised to treat Sebastian to dinner for helping her move. She had been busy unpacking yesterday, and she started work the day after tomorrow. Today was the perfect time to fulfill that promise.

A man of his wealth had eaten at every Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, and she certainly didn't have the budget to treat him to anything extravagant right now. Cooking a proper, home-cooked meal for him seemed much more sincere.

But a man as powerful as him probably had his schedule booked out months in advance. Asking him on the same day was a long shot, but she figured she would ask anyway. If today didn't work, she'd aim for the weekend.