Kirs Potter looked at it, almost stalled. "How could I possibly not want it? I’m thrilled; thank you very much!"

Anastasia smiled back softly, hoping she wasn’t embarrassing Cassian and that this whole collaboration would…

Mrs. Potter was definitely a thoughtful person. She immediately took off a bracelet from her wrist and put it on Anastasia’s.

When Anastasia saw how expensive it looked, she quickly tried to refuse. “Mrs. Potter, you’re being way too generous. This is... I can’t accept it.”

“Don’t be silly! It’s not that valuable – just something I picked up at this little shop when I was traveling abroad. It’s got character, and I think we were meant to meet. Please, it’s just a small token of appreciation,” Mrs. Potter explained.

“Mrs. Potter, seriously, you don’t need to…” Anastasia tried to decline.

She definitely couldn’t accept something like this.

“Anastasia, I actually wanted to apologize to you. I’m honestly embarrassed – Evan had too much to drink yesterday and was inappropriate. I feel terrible about it,” Mrs. Potter said with obvious discomfort.

Anastasia was surprised that Mrs. Potter knew what happened.

“Mrs. Potter, you really don’t need to…” Anastasia actually felt sorry for her.

This probably wasn’t the first time Mrs. Potter had to clean up after her husband’s behavior.

She could tell Mrs. Potter wasn’t happy in her marriage.

Especially last night at dinner, seeing how attentive Cassian was, Anastasia had caught the envious look in Mrs. Potter’s eyes.

While Mr. and Mrs. Potter acted like the perfect couple on the surface, after spending a day with them, Anastasia could see through the facade.

Mrs. Potter gave a bitter smile, and maybe because Anastasia had figured it out, she stopped pretending. “Anastasia, you’re a smart woman. I’m sure you can see that Evan and I don’t have a good relationship. Ours was an arranged marriage – we only met twice before the wedding. I thought he seemed nice enough, appeared honest, and treated me well.”

Mrs. Potter’s voice got a bit choked up, and she paused.

“Mrs. Potter, if this is too painful, you don’t have to continue.” Anastasia could already guess how this story ended.

These drama-filled situations all had predictable endings.

“It’s okay. Actually, talking to you about it makes me feel better. All these years, I’ve kept quiet for the sake of our children. Now I’m just waiting for them to grow up.”

“He was never really a decent person – just good at pretending. He fooled my family to gain their trust. My father is usually an excellent judge of character, but even he was deceived. Dad gave him so many opportunities and resources. Once Evan got established, his true nature came out.”

“He started openly keeping mistresses, going after any woman he wanted, even married ones. He got caught once and was blackmailed for millions.”

“I put up with all of it for the children, and I couldn’t worry my family. At least he’s generous with me financially – he’ll buy me whatever I want. I’ve made my peace with it. Since he needs me to play the role, I cooperate, but I make sure to get as much as I can out of it.”

After finishing, Mrs. Potter looked at Anastasia and smiled sadly. “Pretty unbelievable, right?”

Anastasia sighed. A lot of wealthy families had these same toxic dynamics.

The same old script playing out over and over.

Anastasia wasn’t sure how to comfort her. Mrs. Potter chose real things in life worth pursuing.

Mrs. Potter nodded, "You're right. I really envy what you and Mr. Rhodes have."

Anastasia was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond appropriately.

Anything she said would sound like bragging, especially to someone whose marriage was so unhappy.

Besides, she and Cassian had rushed into marriage—who knew how things would turn out?

No telling who’d be laughing at whom eventually.

Anastasia kept reminding herself to guard her heart and not give it away too easily.

Mrs. Potter’s confession was actually a wake-up call for her.