Chapter 356

Serena quickly ended the call. The terrace returned to silence. And the air instantly grew awkward. Hugh raised an eyebrow slightly. His gaze slowly drifted away from Serena, settling on the distant lake. His lips parted with calm indifference. "Deadbeat husband?" "Absolutely not," she replied quickly. Sitting up from the recliner, Serena grabbed her still-buzzing phone—the relentless stream of Ruth's messages vibrating nonstop—and began explaining in a fluster. "She just misunderstood. I was going to let her finish ranting before explaining, but then you showed up and..." "I came at the wrong time?" Hugh interrupted her with a cool, unreadable tone. Serena choked on her words, her shoulders slumping with defeat. "Not exactly..." "So, no explanation?" His eyes flicked toward her phone. She couldn't tell what he was thinking at all—was he angry or not? Serena felt a jolt of panic. Weighing her options between a good ally and a good friend, she finally sighed. Under Hugh's u