Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 168

After dinner, Serena lingered for a few more minutes, noticing that Joy showed no signs of leaving. She stood up and bid farewell to Samuel.

"I'll walk you out," Samuel said, grabbing a freshly washed insulated container and a bag of fruit as they headed out.

Once they reached the car, he placed both items on the passenger seat before standing upright and turning to Serena. "I'm sorry about what Joy said. Please don't take it to heart. I used to dislike pie because the crusts were always so thick at home. But your pie is different—thin crust, lots of filling, absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed it today."

He scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... did I... am I talking too much today?"

Serena smiled and shook her head. "Samuel, if you don't like something in the future, just say so. No need to hold back."

Samuel grinned, "Alright."

"Well then, see you next time." Serena got into her car and drove away.

As she drove a short distance, she watched Samuel in her rearview mirror until he finally turned and walked back inside. Seeing this, Serena couldn't help but smile.

In the past, she was always the one watching Aaron leave. This time, someone was watching her go. The feeling of being missed was unexpectedly wonderful.

She thought about how Samuel claimed to love pie just because he liked her, even though he didn’t really enjoy it. She chuckled softly.

But soon, her smile faded. Joy didn’t like her. She hadn’t noticed it before, but today it was glaringly obvious. Aaron's words had pierced her heart like an arrow.

For centuries, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship has been fraught with tension, often being the primary family issue. Sisters-in-law come a close second. Ultimately, these problems often stem from the men involved.

Take Aaron, for instance. Katherine and Vivian continually gave her a hard time and treated her like a servant, all because Aaron didn’t step in.

Serena rubbed her temples, feeling the door to her heart, which had just opened a crack, slowly close again.