Song of the Quiet Flame

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at Elaine in disbelief.

"You..."

Elaine gave her a knowing smile. "Ms. Chapman, if you're that capable, try snagging Jasper for marriage. However, let me tell you, being his wife isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Lucy was too caught up in excitement to really listen. "You're not worried about me telling Mr. Carter? You think he'd want a faded beauty? Plus, you're cheating while still being married."

Elaine could not help but laugh at the irony, especially since those accusations were coming from Lucy.

Lucy seemed blissfully unaware that Elaine and Jasper were already navigating their divorce.

She was entirely in the dark.

"Go ahead and tell him," Elaine said dismissively. "I don't need you to speak for me. I'll tell him to his face."

Elaine was not about to make her life more complicated than needed, especially since her words that morning had fallen on Jasper's deaf ears.

She did not waste too much time on a back-and-forth with Lucy.

On her way home, Jasper's assistant rang her again.

"Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter would like you to come to the old mansion tonight. Please don't be late."

The Carters had their ritual family dinner every month.

Every time, Elaine had to play the part of the doting wife beside Jasper, smiling sweetly in front of the family.

"Got it," she replied, though she dreaded returning to that house.

Jasper's mother, Mandy Parker, was a piece of work—always on Elaine's case.

Since Elaine became Mrs. Carter, Mandy had been hounding her for a grandchild.

Lately, she had taken to sniping at Elaine, suggesting she was as barren as a hen that could not lay eggs.

The elders did not know about the impending divorce yet.

Elaine had no clue when Jasper would spill the beans.

That evening, Elaine arrived at the Carter old mansion on time.

Sure enough, Mandy zeroed in on her the moment she walked in, her first jab sharp as ever. "No baby on the way yet?"

Then, Mandy's brow furrowed as she said, "I've heard Jasper hasn't been around your place in ages."

That was the truth.

Elaine nodded without a hint of embarrassment, as if her husband's escapades were nothing to fuss over.

Mandy's irritation spiked at Elaine's unflappable attitude. "He doesn't come home, and you don't bother to chase after him?"

Elaine's lips curled into a smile. Who said she had not tried to take matters into her own hands?

However, all she got for her troubles was a slap of shame.

Jasper had come home on a rare occasion, only to hole up in the study.

She had slipped into a slinky nightgown and boldly knocked on his door.

Jasper had barely looked at her before saying, "Mrs. Carter, I'm sorry, but no desire means no desire. You could be naked, and it wouldn't make a difference to me."