Chapter 32

Emma couldn't stand Gabriel's gaze, so she forced herself to focus on the card game. Frank had taken her to gatherings before, but he never had the patience to teach her. Instead, he warned her not to pick up bad habits. Back then, she had been obedient and would stay by his side until the late hours of the night. Then, she would show up to work the next day with dark circles under her eyes. Later, she realized he hadn't been worried about her learning bad habits—he simply hadn't wanted to teach her. When Lea came back, she quickly posted a photo of a card game on social media, with a man's hand partially visible in the frame. Emma would never mistake that hand. It was Frank's. The caption read, "Finally learned how to play cards today. He kept saying I was so clumsy, but he still taught me patiently for three whole hours." Emma was so lost in thought that she played her cards carelessly as her hands moved without focus. One round after another, Gabriel's friends kept winning,