Independence

After leaving the bar, Hansel returned to the mansion. Meanwhile, Ingrid was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

As soon as she heard the door open, she rushed to greet him. Hansel treated her like she was invisible, walking straight past her and heading upstairs. Ingrid simply bit her lip in frustration.

In the master bedroom, Hansel lay on the large bed. This was the bed he once shared with Miranda, and memories of their intimate moments played vividly in his mind.

His breathing grew heavy, and a hint of longing clouded his eyes. “He cursed under his breath and went straight to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

He had only drunk two glasses that night, so his mind was clear, but Sam’s words echoed persistently in his ears:

“If you love her, why did you break up?”

“You just spent six years losing her…”

“You keep saying you love her, but everything you did was to trample on her…

“No matter how much love there was… leaving was only a matter of time…”

Each sentence felt like a nail driving into Hansel’s chest.

The next morning, Hansel got up early. He put on his suit and prepared to head to the office. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed breakfast laid out on the table.

He thought Martha had made it, but when he turned, he saw Ingrid emerging from the kitchen with a smile. She was holding a plate of bacon.

“Hans, you’re up? I made soup today and fried up some bacon. Eat a little, won’t you?”

“No need,” Hansel replied with an expressionless face.

Ingrid quickly set down the plate and walked up to him. “Then… how about some coffee? I know you don’t like it sweet, so I didn’t add any sugar…

Her tone was casual, and her demeanor seemed compliant. It was as if the argument from yesterday had never happened.

Hansel glanced at the breakfast on the table, then looked at her face, a smirk suddenly appearing on his face. That smirk carried a mix of self–mockery and disdain.

He realized at that moment that people are truly different, and comparisons were pointless.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

In the past, whenever he argued with Miranda, she was usually the one to back down. Yet her face never bore the kind of obsequious or ingratiating smile that Ingrid wore now.

She would just take the initiative to ask him something mundane, like-

“Are you hungry?”

“Is your stomach feeling better?”

“Are we out of soy sauce?”

As long as Hansel responded, it was understood that they had broken the ice and the cold war was over.

But when it came to matters of principle, even if Miranda was the one to start the conversation, she would never apologize or try to appease him. Instead, she would calmly reason with him, analyze the conflict itself, and eventually persuade him.

Looking at the sycophantic smile on Ingrid’s face and into her seemingly clear yet deeply scheming eyes, Hansel could only think of two words.

Pathetic and lowly.

Ingrid didn’t notice the hidden disgust in his eyes. She spoke up again, “Hans, I thought about it all night.. Mrs. Johnson is an elder; no matter what, I shouldn’t have contradicted her.

“I’m sorry, it was all my fault. She only signed me up for those classes for my and the baby’s benefit. I was being ungrateful. I promise, from now on, I’ll do whatever she asks.

“I’ll respect her, be dutiful, and never upset her again. Please forgive me, okay?”

Hansel simply watched her well–rehearsed performance, almost ready to applaud her theatrics.

“What good is apologizing to me? You offended someone else; go apologize to them yourself.”

With that, he turned and left, not even to ig breakfast.

Ingrid’s smile instantly collapsed as she watched him walk away, his back cold and unfeeling.

The thought of having to go to the hospital, face Evelyn’s sharp and scornful expression, and then swallow her pride to apologize was infuriating.

Yet with Hansel’s ultimatum, she knew the consequences of defiance all too well.

Taking a deep breath, Ingrid turned and went into the kitchen. Luckily, she had told Martha to make chicken soup the night before. She poured a bowl to take with her, hoping it would be enough to fulfill her duty.