Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 228

Serena blinked in surprise. “Wait—you two know each other?”

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Gabrielle’s face. She glanced out the window, struggling to find the right words to tell Serena that she was, at this very moment, in Alderburg.

Ever since Gabrielle found out that Serena had been pining after Aaron for seven years, she’d always wondered just how much Serena had suffered. Sure, the internet made keeping in touch easier, but Northspire and Alderburg were two different cities, and not every piece of gossip traveled that far.

So, Gabrielle took matters into her own hands—she hopped on a train to Alderburg herself, determined to get answers. She tracked down Aaron’s best friend, Frederick, and did her best to coax information out of him without raising suspicion.

But after hearing Frederick’s side of the story, Gabrielle was so furious she ended up trashing his bar. That was how Frederick found out she was Serena’s friend. For the sake of dealing with the damages, they exchanged contacts.

The next day, completely out of the blue, Frederick sent her a screenshot from Aaron’s social media. No explanation, no greeting—just the image, dropped like a bomb.

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

Left with no other choice, Gabrielle reached out to Serena to get the truth.

“Well… I suppose you could say we know each other,” Gabrielle managed. “Serena, you’ve really been through a lot while I’ve been gone. Listen, when I get back, I’ll make my mom introduce you to the most gorgeous guy she knows—someone who’ll help you mend that broken heart.”

Serena couldn’t help but rub her forehead. Gabrielle’s approach to love was every bit as dramatic as Frederick’s. But somehow, Serena never found herself annoyed by Gabrielle. Maybe that’s just how friendship works—double standards and all.

Still, she wasn’t sure how to convince Gabrielle that she’d truly moved on. So she simply replied, “Thanks. I’ve got something to take care of now, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, okay.”

Serena hung up, walked to the front door, and picked up the notice slipped underneath. The brightness in her eyes faded a little.

Had she really lost all power to protect her father’s antiques now that Aaron was out of the picture? Those heirlooms were more precious than life itself to her dad. Even when things were at their worst, he’d never once considered selling them.

Frederick replied almost instantly: Of course. You asked me to, didn’t you? I always get the job done.

Earlier that day, Aaron had posted a photo to his feed—a close-up of two hands entwined. It sent shockwaves through their circle. Everyone knew Serena had gone back to Northspire, so naturally, speculation exploded: whose hand was in the photo? The consensus was Cynthia Lynwood.

Group chats went wild, but Aaron never responded to any of it.

Even Frederick was curious enough to call him directly, but Aaron dodged every question and just told him to send the screenshot to Serena.

Trouble was, Serena had already blocked Frederick ages ago. The only option was to send it to Gabrielle instead. Not quite what Aaron had asked, but it would have to do.

Frederick typed out a hesitant message: So… that other hand in the picture—is it Cynthia Lynwood’s? Is this you making it official? Are you really choosing her for good this time? No going back?