The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 295

Maddy's eyes narrowed.

She was just about to snap back when Evelyn placed a hand gently on her arm.

Maddy turned her head. Evelyn gave her a subtle shake of the head.

Then, Evelyn went right back to looking at her phone, her expression entirely unbothered.

It was as if she hadn't heard a single word.

Maddy took a deep breath, swallowing the venomous comeback sitting on her tongue.

She grabbed her headphones, jammed them over her ears, and turned the volume all the way up.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Lyra waited for a reaction, but none came.

She looked up, staring at Evelyn.

Evelyn was still focused on her phone, occasionally letting out a quiet laugh, not even glancing in her direction.

That sensation of being utterly and completely ignored stung worse than any retaliation.

Lyra clenched her hands around the armrests, her knuckles turning white.

In the row behind them, Piper was fast asleep with her headphones on, completely oblivious to the silent war raging in front of her.

—

When Christian returned from the restroom, the atmosphere in the first-class cabin was thick with tension.

Lyra sat with her head down, completely silent. Evelyn was looking at her phone. Maddy was aggressively flipping through a magazine with her headphones on.

He settled back into his seat. Just as he fastened his seatbelt, Maddy spoke up.

"Mr. Lancaster."

Christian turned his head.

Maddy pulled off one headphone, a smile on her face that contained absolutely zero warmth.

"Your Lancaster family is so rich and powerful, you really should have brought a private doctor for your fiancée. That way, she wouldn't constantly be complaining about feeling sick, and she wouldn't have to bother 'irrelevant people' to diagnose her."

She paused, her tone turning icy. "Besides, what if she decides to play the victim and blame us for something? We really can't afford that kind of liability."

Christian's brow furrowed heavily.

He looked at Lyra.

Lyra had her head bowed, tears welling up in her eyes, looking like she had been horribly bullied.

He looked back at Evelyn.

She was still looking at her phone, showing zero reaction.

As if absolutely none of this concerned her.

Christian took a deep breath, his voice turning cold.

"What happened now?"

Lyra looked up, tears threatening to spill. "Christian, I didn't—"

"I asked what happened," Christian cut her off.

Lyra opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak.

Christian stared at her, silence stretching for several seconds.

Then he spoke, his voice completely devoid of warmth.

"If you're not feeling well, then you can get off the plane. I'll have Miles book the next flight to send you back to New York."

Lyra visibly paled.

She shook her head frantically. "No, Christian, I'm fine, really. I just got a little airsick, but I'm better now..."

Christian didn't look at her again.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Lyra sat there, tears swimming in her eyes, not daring to make a single sound.

The first-class cabin fell completely silent.

Only the low hum of the plane's engines filled the air.

—

For the rest of the flight, Lyra miraculously experienced no further "discomfort."

She sat in complete silence, barely moving.

Evelyn didn't spare her a single glance the entire trip.

Just before landing, Evelyn received another text from Sebastian:

She stood still, not moving forward.

Sebastian began to walk toward her, his pace steady, confident, and purposeful.

He stopped right in front of her and handed her the flowers.

"Long flight," he said.

Two simple words.

Evelyn took the bouquet, looked down at the delicate blooms, and then back up at him.

"How did you know we'd be arriving exactly now?" she asked.

The corners of Sebastian's lips curled up slightly. "I checked."

Evelyn blinked in surprise, then smiled.

It was a subtle smile, but incredibly genuine.

Maddy stood off to the side, her jaw practically on the floor.

This Sebastian Thorne!

He was way too handsome!

And the way he looked at Evelyn... tsk, tsk, tsk.

As she was busy admiring the scene, her peripheral vision caught movement.

Christian's group was emerging from the exit.

Lyra walked beside Christian, a sweet smile on her face. Piper trailed behind, glued to her phone.

Then, they saw it.

Sebastian standing in front of Evelyn. Evelyn holding a bouquet of flowers. The two of them looking at each other, sharing a quiet, intimate smile.

Lyra's smile shattered.

Christian stopped dead in his tracks.

His eyes locked onto Evelyn, shifted to Sebastian, and finally dropped to the bouquet.

Those purple lisianthus.

His gaze grew colder by the second.