The Replacement He Never Wanted

Chapter 414 Awkward Stay

Virginia immediately noticed the look in her eyes. Without thinking, she followed Addison's gaze and glanced down at herself. Her skirt was slightly damp, and her shoes had small patches of mud, making her appear somewhat unkempt. She hadn't paid much attention to it earlier, but the moment she made eye contact with Addison, a wave of self-consciousness washed over her. She realized just how disheveled she must seem at that moment. Wrapping Lance's coat tighter around her body, she tried to cover up the mud stains, then lowered her gaze and softly spoke to him. "Lance ... I think I'll go take a shower." Staying here wasn't winning her any favor with Marilyn ... There was no reason to force herself into the dynamic between Lance, Addison, and Marilyn. It would only bring her unnecessary embarrassment. ... As time passed, evening soon approached. Addison stood at the top of the stairs, looking somewhat uneasy.She hadn't given much thought to where she would sleep before she arrived. But now, with the night drawing near, she realized something wasn't quite right. Back at the Johnston Residence, she had always stayed in the master bedroom with Lance, especially when she was pretending for Steven's sake. Although it had only been for show, and they never actually shared a bed—Lance often stayed in the office or his study—it still counted as living in the same room under the same roof. But now ... she had already made things clear to Lance, and divorce was on the horizon. Plus, Steven was currently bedridden, so there was no longer any need for them to keep up the pretense of sharing a room. Addison had intended to stay in the guest room next to the master bedroom, but Lana informed her that Virginia was already occupying it ... Now, the only available room in the house was that guest room. There were no other choices. Addison lingered on the stairs, unsure whether she should go up or turn around. She was about to divorce, after all, and the idea of sleeping in the same room with him felt entirely wrong. The Johnston Residence had once been quite large, with plenty of guest rooms ... But after Steven suddenly decided to renovate the house, the number of guest rooms had been drastically cut. Additionally, Steven valued peace and quiet over noise, so reducing the guest rooms had become his way of keeping disturbances at bay. This had led to the current awkward situation where there were no rooms left. At that moment, Lana, holding a tray of medication, was heading upstairs to deliver it to Marilyn. She saw Addison standing there and asked with concern, "Mrs. Johnston, is everything okay?" Although Lana knew Addison was about to divorce ... and that Virginia, whom Lance had brought home, might be the future Mrs. Johnston ... she still chose to call Addison "Mrs. Johnston." In Lana's heart, there was only one person who could truly be Lance's wife, and that was Addison—no one else could take her place. "Mrs. Johnston, is your leg hurting?" Lana walked over to Addison, thinking she was standing still because she had some sort of trouble. She hurried up the stairs. "Oh ... I'm fine ... My leg doesn't hurt," Addison quickly snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Lana's voice. "Well, if you're alright, Mrs. Johnston, why don't you go upstairs? It's getting late, and you'll need to go to the airport tomorrow to meet the Divine Healer."

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