A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"My friends all keep telling me my skin looks amazing lately. They keep asking where I bought my skincare from! I said you made it yourself! They didn't even believe me."

Verity rolled her eyes. "Honestly, those dummies have no idea how clever you are."

Calliope just laughed. "Well, it's true. I made it myself, so you can't buy it anywhere. But if you want, Verity, I can whip up a few jars for you. Maybe ten or so, but that's the max. I don't have time for more!"

"Ten jars?" Verity's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding? That's more than enough!"

"Callie, this stuff is so good... The ingredients must be expensive, right?"

Verity started rummaging in her purse. "Let me at least pay you for the ingredients. And some for your effort, too!"

Calliope waved her off. "Verity, don't be silly. They're just regular ingredients, nothing fancy."

Verity reached for her phone. “No, seriously, let me Venmo you."

Calliope shook her head, smiling. "I mean it. No need. If you like it, that's enough for me!"

Verity practically bounced in her seat. "Oh my gosh, you're the best, Callie! Seriously, you're just amazing, and so generous."

After gushing for another moment, Verity leaned in, her eyes sparkling with gossip. "By the way, where's Gideon and his family?"

She looked around the garden. "Neither Fleur nor the others have shown up. Don't tell me they're hiding out because of what happened with Yvette Jansen last time? Maybe they're too embarrassed to show their faces."

She made a face. "Ugh, that Yvette is just... a piece of work. Trying to seduce your husband? Who does she think she is?"

Verity hadn't exactly liked Calliope at first, but her distaste for Yvette was in a whole other league. Now, Verity was warming up to Calliope more by the day, but Yvette? She had nothing but disdain for her.

"I mean, seriously, how shameless can someone be? Yvette had barely been married to Gideon, and she was already making eyes at Silas. And the nerve of her! She's now near Silas' league, in any sense of the word."

Just then, the doorbell rang and Yvette arrived with the others. Gideon was in a wheelchair, being pushed in by a nurse, and Fleur was fussing over Yvette, telling her to watch her step every two seconds.

"Oh wow, what happened here?" Verity called out, not even trying to hide her sarcasm. "Gideon's stuckin a wheelchair, and now Yvette needs help walking? Fleur, you treating her like she's the Queen Mother or something?"

Fleur puffed up with pride. "Yvette's pregnant."

Verity's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Didn't she say it'd be really hard for her to get pregnant? And now she is?"

She couldn't help herself, her tone turned sly. "But hey, just make sure it's actually

your baby, okay? Wouldn't want to be raising someone else's kid..."

She tutted, shaking her head. "With Yvette's track record... We all know what happened with Silas, right?"noveldrama

Yvette's face went pale. She bit her lip, looking furious but completely at a loss for a comeback. What could she say? She'd done those things, humiliating herself and the entire Baker family.

Thank God the news hadn't spread beyond their circle. Otherwise, she'd have no reason to stay in Capitalton at all.

She tensed up, her whole body rigid with embarrassment.

Fleur turned on Verity, exasperated. "Verity, can you please not? I know exactly whose baby it is, thank you very much!"