Under the Veil I Rule novel Chapter 20

With that, Amara shoved Keith out the door just at the moment when Keith got all riled up.

At the Everly family estate, Kevin sat in a plush leather armchair, deep in thought. When Lisa came by with a cup of coffee, he stopped her and asked, "Are Finn and Ama still the same way these days?"

By "the same way", he meant that they were living in separate rooms, both busy with their own lives, hardly ever crossing paths.

Lisa nodded. "Yes, living under the same roof but hardly seeing each other. How's that supposed to work?"

Kevin slammed his hand on the armrest. "That useless boy, he’s really hopeless!"

Lisa's eyes darted around, and she leaned in with a whisper. "Ama seems like a good kid. If they spend more time together, Finn is bound to like her. Maybe we should give them a little nudge."

Unbeknownst to Amara, things were stirring at the Everly estate. She had been busy observing film shoots on set, filling her free time with reading and writing screenplays. She was content.

That afternoon, Finnian approached her. "Got time tonight? I need you to come with me to a dinner party."

Amara was surprised. "What kind of dinner party?"

Their marriage was a secret, and Finnian usually attended these events solo or with someone from the secretarial office. He'd never asked her to accompany him before.

"It’s over at Peter's place, just a family gathering."

Amara instantly knew what that meant. The Everly family was well aware of their situation. They mocked her behind closed doors, whispering about her scars and her invisible husband of three years. Amara was aware of it all.

The fleeting excitement of being asked to accompany Finnian vanished as quickly as it appeared once she realized she'd have to face the Everlys.

"Alright," she responded, lowering her gaze.

Even though she didn’t want to attend, they weren't officially divorced yet, and these were the duties of a wife she felt obligated to fulfill. But a voice inside her questioned why she should fulfill these duties when Finnian didn’t fulfill his own, giving permission for Liliana to call him her hubby.

Bess gave him a discreet pinch, hissing, "Mind your manners, greet your sister-in-law properly!"

Hogan Everly shot his mother a confused look. She usually shared his contempt for Amara, so why the sudden change?

He rolled his eyes but complied, greeting Amara in a sarcastic tone, before adding slowly, "We're all family here, and finally we’ve got time to be here together. Why don’t you show your real face, Amara? No need to be shy, take off the mask and let us have a look."

His words fell into the room like a lead balloon, silencing the chatter.

Usually quiet and straightforward, Martin Everly and Andrea Everly frowned at Hogan, clearly disapproving. The other cousins watched with eager anticipation.

Amara fixed Hogan with a cold stare. He had always enjoyed putting her down in public with those critical remarks.

Back then, she had swallowed her pride for Finnian’s sake, retreating to cry in private. But not anymore. She stared icily at Hogan. "You know perfectly well about my scars, yet you ask me to put them on display? What’s wrong with you, do you have even a shred of your damn conscience?"