Ellen placed the cup of tea on the table in front of Aubrey. "Here’s your tea," she said, forcing a polite smile. As much as she didn’t like Aubrey coming here, she was still a guest, and Ellen needed to treat her politely.
"Thank you," Aubrey replied, her tone cool and controlled. She took the cup and brought it to her lips, not breaking eye contact with Ellen.
Ellen sat across from her, feeling the weight of Aubrey’s serious gaze. What is she doing here? Ellen wondered. She decided to break the silence. "I initially thought you came here to meet Mason, but since you must know he’s at the office, I believe you came to see me."
As Aubrey set the cup down and nodded, Ellen thought to herself that it was better Aubrey came to meet her rather than go to see Mason and try to get his attention. It gave her a chance to address whatever this was directly.
"Great catch," Aubrey noted.
Ellen mustered a smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "What can I help you with, Aubrey?" she asked, her tone polite but guarded.
Ellen’s stomach churned as she waited for Aubrey to continue. She could sense that whatever was coming would not be pleasant.
"I’ll get straight to the point," Aubrey said, her voice firm. "I still love Mason. And I intend to get back together with him."
Ellen wasn’t surprised by Aubrey’s audacity anymore. In fact, she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Aubrey was probably joking, she thought. What kind of woman announced her intention to ruin a marriage directly to the wife instead of doing it in secret? But as she looked at Aubrey, Ellen’s blood ran cold. Hell, she was serious.
"Did you forget what I told you the other day?" Ellen asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Mason doesn’t love you anymore."
Aubrey looked down at her nails, checking them out casually. "That was just bullshit," she said, not even looking up. "I know you were just trying to scare me, but it won’t work."
Ellen felt a surge of frustration. This wasn’t about scaring her; it was the truth. "I wasn’t trying to scare you," she said. "Mason really doesn’t love you anymore."
Aubrey finally looked up, her eyes cold and hard. "You expect me to believe that?" she scoffed.
Ellen raised an eyebrow, trying to maintain her composure. "Why are you telling me this? What do you expect from me by saying it?"
"I just want to come clean," Aubrey replied, leaning slightly forward. "To make you understand."
Ellen crossed her arms tightly as she leaned slightly forward, her voice sharp and intense as she exclaimed, "Understand what? Understand that you want to ruin my marriage?"
"Yes," Aubrey said without hesitation. "Your fake marriage."
Ellen’s eyes narrowed. "Fake? What are you talking about?"
Aubrey’s expression hardened. "Don’t think I don’t know that your marriage happened just because Mason wanted to fulfill his parents’ wishes. He never loved you. He never will. I’m doing him a favor by freeing him from this marriage."
Ellen tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest as she looked at Aubrey with a mix of challenge and skepticism. "And you think Mason loves you?"
Aubrey’s confidence was unwavering. "Yes, he loved me. And he will love me again in no time."
That’s the original plot, but Ellen wouldn’t let that happen.
With a slight smirk playing on her lips, she leaned back and said, "You seem very sure of yourself."
Aubrey shrugged, a smug smile playing on her lips. "I am. Mason and I have history, something you can never replace. He and I were perfect together."
Ellen remembered so clearly that Aubrey in the novel was the typical female protagonist—kind, gentle, forgiving. Even when Ellen Winters tried to harm her, Aubrey did nothing other than forgive. But the woman standing in front of her now was exactly the opposite—determined, confident, and unapologetically assertive. It was as if she had transformed into a different person.
The Aubrey in the novel would never have come to Ellen’s home, boldly declaring her intention to steal Mason away. Yes, she actively tried to get close to him, never gave up, and made her feelings known, but she never once came to Ellen, warned her, or something like that.
Ellen realized this was also part of the changes in the story, a little twist from the plot she knew so well. She had expected some differences, but this... this was a transformation she didn’t like one bit.
Ellen’s mind raced as she took in Aubrey’s unwavering confidence. The novel had prepared her for many things, but not for this version of Aubrey. The changes were unsettling, and Ellen couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. If Aubrey could change so drastically, what else might be different? What else is in store for her?
Aubrey leaned forward slightly, eyes glued to Ellen’s with an intense stare. "I’m doing you a favor by warning you," she said, her voice low and direct. "So you won’t be too shocked once Mason chooses me over you."
Ellen’s jaw tightened. No way was she going to let Aubrey see her waver "Thank you for the warning," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "But you should know, I won’t be sitting around doing nothing."
Did you know I already messed up one of your plans? I could totally do it again.
Aubrey’s eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and challenge. "That’s good," she exclaimed, a smirk forming on her lips. "It wouldn’t be fun if you didn’t put up a fight. But just know that you’ll need to lose in the end."
Ellen met Aubrey’s gaze head-on, her determination solid as a rock. "Don’t worry," she said, with confidence in her voice. "I won’t let you down."
If Aubrey wanted a war, then she got one.