The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 273

"Let's walk off dinner before we go," Jocelyn said, pulling her toward the central atrium. "There's this super popular ice cream place over there, my treat!"

Lyra let herself be dragged along, her gaze drifting aimlessly over the crowd.

That was when she spotted Christian. He was far too striking to blend in.

He was standing outside the ice cream shop, and right beside him was a young woman.

She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a short pink puffer jacket, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She was holding up an ice cream cone to his face, laughing brightly as she urged him to take a bite.

Christian leaned in and took a bite.

Lyra stood completely frozen, rooted to the spot.

The sight pierced her eyes, leaving a sharp, agonizing sting.

Jocelyn saw it too. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide. "Is that... Christian?"

Lyra didn't say a word.

Should she walk over?

She remembered the way Christian had looked at her the other day—flat, distant, utterly devoid of warmth. She remembered all the unspoken tension sitting between them, the delicate balance she was so terrified to disrupt, and the crushing reality that the child in her belly was her only leverage.

Maybe... maybe it was just a friend?

Maybe it was work-related...

She didn't want to go over.

She didn't want Christian to think she was spying on him, didn't want him to find her unreasonable, and definitely didn't want to shatter the hard-earned peace they currently had.

"Lyra!" Jocelyn exploded. "Are you seeing this?! He's out shopping with another woman! He's eating her ice cream! You're pregnant with his child, how could he do this?!"

Lyra grabbed her arm. "Jocelyn, leave it... it's probably just a friend."

"A friend?" Jocelyn's voice pitched up. "When have you ever seen a friend act that cozy? No, I'm going over there to ask him what the hell is going on!"

Lyra tightened her grip, a hint of desperation bleeding into her voice. "Jocelyn, please, just let it go... I don't want to make a scene."

She placed a heavy, sarcastic emphasis on the word "friend."

Christian looked at her, saying nothing.

Piper Brooks had been looking at her phone. Hearing the voice, she glanced up. She looked at Jocelyn first, then at the pale woman standing slightly behind her. Her eyes darted thoughtfully for a second before realization dawned on her.

Oh. So this was the future sister-in-law.

The woman who had banished Lydia out of the country and only managed to squeeze her way into the Lancaster family by getting knocked up.

She had heard her mother, Valerie Vance, talk about her—and none of it had been flattering.

Piper's lips curled into a sweet smile. She leaned closer to Christian, her arm naturally wrapping around his, and spoke in a voice so sickeningly sweet it dripped like syrup:

"Christian, who are they?"

The tone was soft, sugary, and laced with an innocent naivety, but it sliced through the air like a razor blade.

Lyra's face went one shade paler.