Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 250: The feigned sadness

Lorie walked back over, with a cup of coffee in her hand and forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. It looked more strained than sincere. She placed the cup on the table in front of Anne, then sat down across from her with a sigh.

"Robert is controlling," she said, voice low and bitter. "He treats me like a maid, not a wife. I can’t even leave the house without him knowing. He won’t let me work."

Anne raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Is that so? Then how come I heard you reached out to Megan about getting rehired at the company?"

Lorie froze, caught completely off guard. Anne’s question hit her hard. She hadn’t anticipated this. No one was supposed to know. Megan had promised to keep it between them, especially after the company turned her down outright. For a moment, a flicker of panic crossed her face, but she quickly masked it with a sorrowful expression.

"I only ran into Megan by chance," she said. "I was desperately trying to claw back some control from the mess my life has become with Robert. I thought maybe if I had a job, I could start over. So I asked her. She did try, but the company said no. And honestly, I get it. I did so many wrong things in the past."

She gave a weak, bitter laugh and looked away, as if ashamed. Then, with a smooth gesture, she slid the cup of coffee a little closer to Anne. "But you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll get by. Have some coffee."

Anne didn’t move. Her eyes stayed fixed on the cup, her gut still on edge. "So that’s why you called me? You want me to help you get a job?"

Lorie shook her head, wearing a mask of quiet pain. "Robert won’t let me have a job. He wouldn’t even let me visit my own parents. He kept me trapped in the house, forcing me to do everything— cooking, cleaning, like a maid. He said if I defied him, he’d kill me. You have no idea what it took to convince him to let me leave the house. In the end, he only agreed if I worked here and nowhere else."

Anne finally got the answer. She looked at Lorie, and for a brief moment, sadness touched her eyes.

Lorie, once the queen bee, always polished, proud, and perfectly styled, was now a shadow of the woman Anne remembered. Gone were the designer clothes, the flawless makeup, the arrogant air. She sat there in plain clothes, no makeup, her posture subdued, like someone used to being ignored or ordered around.

The contrast was jarring. The woman who used to walk like she owned every room now barely held eye contact.

Still, Anne wasn’t ready to lower her guard. She couldn’t ignore the history between them, the cruel words, the backstabbing. Whatever had happened to Lorie didn’t erase all of that.

Sympathy stirred, but trust? That was another matter entirely.

Lorie may have been trapped in a miserable life with Robert, but that didn’t mean her spite for Anne had simply vanished. Anne remained cautious.

"What do you want from me?" she asked bluntly, half expecting a request for money.

Lorie shook her head, her expression softening. "I just want to apologize. I’ve done terrible things... things I’m ashamed of. If you can forgive me, maybe I can start to forgive myself. I’m sorry for how I treated you. Can we leave the past behind and start over?"

Forgive her?

Anne didn’t think she could.

The wounds Lorie and Patricia had left behind hadn’t faded. They hadn’t just bullied her; they had conspired to shatter her life, to rob her of dignity, and force her into a marriage with Robert. If she hadn’t been careful, Anne could have been trapped in the same nightmare Lorie now lived. And neither Lorie nor Patricia would have lifted a finger to save her.

Now that the table was turned, Lorie suddenly wanted to make amends.

Anne kept her face neutral. "I don’t hold a grudge," she said calmly, though forgiveness was far from her heart. "But don’t repeat what you did in the past. If you are serious about leaving Robert, I can help you."

She meant it. Not out of sympathy but out of principle. For all the hurt, this family had given her a place to live, or she didn’t know if she could have survived back then.

Lorie offered a weak smile, but behind her eyes, a storm brewed. "Leaving Robert isn’t as simple as walking away," she said quietly. "He has got people all over the city. If I try to run, he’ll find me. I’ve accepted this life. It’s my fate now."

Her eyes flicked to the untouched coffee cup. "Your coffee is getting cold. Why haven’t you touched it?"

Anne glanced at the cup. She had been staying away from coffee since learning she was pregnant, but she wasn’t ready to reveal that yet.

"Too much cream," she said casually, brushing it off. "I’ve switched to black coffee. No milk, no sugar."

Lorie forced a smile, but behind it, her fury simmered. She sneered silently, ’What a show-off.’

Still, she kept her face pleasant. "I’ll make you a new one," Lorie offered, rising from her chair.

"There is no need," Anne cut in quickly, standing up. "I was just about to head out."

Before she could take a step, a familiar voice rang out behind her.

"Hey, Anne."

It was Patricia, walking into the bakery with a bright, exaggerated smile. She dropped her bag on the counter and made a beeline toward Anne.

"When did you get here?" she asked warmly.

"Just a few minutes ago," Anne replied, keeping her tone polite but guarded. "Lorie asked me to come by."

Patricia clucked her tongue. "You should’ve called me. I would’ve baked something fresh for you." She motioned toward the chair. "Sit. Don’t rush off yet. I know you love cupcakes. I’ll bake some quickly."

"No, really, I can’t stay," Anne said. "I have dinner plans with a friend."

Patricia waved her off like it was nothing. "It won’t take long. The batter is prepped already. Your friend can wait. Take the cupcakes with you and eat with your friend."

She disappeared into the back to start baking.

Anne let out a quiet sigh as she sat back down, resigned, counting the minutes until she could leave.

Lorie stood off to the side, seething. Her fists clenched as she watched Patricia fuss over Anne like she was royalty.

’What the hell is going on?’ she thought.

This was the same mother who used to spit venom at Anne, who never missed a chance to put her down. And now she was acting like Anne was the golden child?

Unable to take it any longer, Lorie stormed over to the kitchen, hissing under her breath, "What are you doing? You are seriously baking cupcakes for her? Since when did you start liking Anne? What kind of game is this?"

Her eyes scanned Patricia’s face, searching for the usual cold smirk or a whispered scheme, something to confirm that this sudden kindness was just a setup.

But Patricia’s answer knocked the breath out of her.

"Anne is my precious daughter," she said without a hint of sarcasm. "Of course I’ll treat her well."

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