I didn’t want to stir up more trouble, so I reluctantly went to change.

While I was getting ready, the butler placed a jewelry box in front of me. Inside was a set of pink diamonds, glittering under the light.

I shook my head. “Don’t I already have a set of pink diamonds? Bring me that one instead.”

The butler’s voice stayed calm. “This set was prepared especially for tonight’s banquet. Please cooperate.”

I shot him a sharp look, but he kept his eyes lowered, outwardly respectful yet firm in his stance.

A cold laugh slipped from my lips. “Fine, have it your way.”

When the car stopped at the hotel, I stepped out, and immediately, people surrounded me with greetings and smiles.

“Mrs. Velasquez, long time no see! I heard you just got out of the hospital. How is your recovery?”

“Oh, listen to you, Mrs. Velasquez looks radiant tonight. Clearly, you’ve fully recovered!”

“Mrs. Velasquez, President Velasquez has been so devoted. Five years in a coma, and he stayed by your side the entire time. That’s the kind of devotion people envy!”

I kept a polite smile on my face, but inside, waves of bitterness rolled like a storm.

Just as I was about to usher them inside, a car pulled up behind me.

The door opened, and Trisha stepped out gracefully, her arm linked with Andrius.

The crowd fell silent instantly, their eyes riveted.

Then, whispers rose like a tide, swirling through the gathering.

“What’s happening? Why is President Velasquez arriving with Mrs. Velasquez’s sister and holding her hand?”

“Isn’t this a slap in the face? Weren’t they just praising his devotion? This is humiliating…”

“Exactly! Tonight’s banquet was supposed to celebrate Mrs. Velasquez, yet the mistress just waltzes in!”

I stood frozen, nails digging into my palms as my face turned cold.

Trisha, unaware of my mood, came over with a bright smile. “Sister, why didn’t you wait for us?”

Andrius, clearly uneasy, pulled his arm from hers. “Maxine, Trisha wasn’t feeling well before we left, so I….”

“This?” I cut him off, my voice sharp as ice. “This is the banquet you prepared for me? Some kind of special show?”

The crowd’s expressions shifted like ripples, some pitying, some mocking, others eager for the drama.

Andrius’s brows furrowed, his lips twitching as if to speak, but in the end, he only muttered, “Let’s go in first,” and strode ahead.

Trisha pouted. “Andrius, slow down!”

He actually stopped, waited for her to catch up, then wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her into the banquet hall.

A lady leaned close to me and whispered, “Mrs. Velasquez, you don’t look well. Would you like to rest in my car for a while?”

The gazes around me felt like thorns, piercing my back with every step. If I faltered now, I would become a laughingstock.

“Thank you, no need,” I said, forcing my shoulders back as I walked into the banquet hall.

“Five years in a coma, only to wake and have her husband stolen by her own sister, how pitiful.”

“I heard Mrs. Velasquez was just a scholarship student the family helped. She never fit in. People called it a prince-and-Cinderella story.”

“And didn’t she lose a child? Who knows if she can even have another? No wonder Andrius chose someone else.”

“She really can’t have more children?”

Every whisper cut into my chest like a knife, yet I had no words to defend myself.

In the banquet hall, Trisha clung to Andrius’s side, never leaving him for a single step, instantly becoming the center of attention.

The one who should have been the focus, me, could only linger in the shadows, isolated in a corner.

“Maxine, why are you hiding here, drinking alone?”

The voice belonged to Erin Louisse, Trisha’s close friend. I barely spared her a glance, planning to leave, but my path was blocked.

“Don’t go. At least explain why your jewelry set is identical to Trisha’s?”

Her voice suddenly rose, sharp and accusing. “You stole Trisha’s things!”

All eyes snapped toward me.

She did it deliberately.

“I didn’t,” I said coldly. “This was prepared for me by Andrius.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” Erin sneered. “This set of pink diamonds was custom-made by Andrius for Trisha. It’s one of a kind. You definitely stole it!”

“What’s going on here?” Andrius’s voice cut through the chatter as he approached with Trisha.

Erin’s face lit up with mischief. “Perfect timing, Andrius! Maxine stole the jewelry you gave Trisha!”

Trisha let out a soft “ah.” “No wonder I couldn’t find this set of pink diamonds today… so it was….”

She paused, then spoke in a troubled tone. “Sister, if you wanted it, you could have asked. Why did you have to steal?”

“I didn’t steal,” I said, meeting Andrius’s eyes. “You told the butler to give it to me.”

His brows furrowed. “How could I give you Trisha’s things?”

My chest sank as the butler’s words echoed in my mind, “This was specially prepared for tonight’s banquet, please cooperate.”

He had never said it was from Andrius.

It was a setup.

I turned my gaze on Trisha. She stood confidently at Andrius’s side, the faint curl of a hidden smile on her lips. She dared this only because she knew he would never believe me, much less stand by me.

Trisha feigned generosity. “Forget it. Let’s just say I gifted it to you, sister.”

But Erin Louisse snapped, “Trisha, you’re far too kind! A thief needs to be taught a lesson!”

As she spoke, her hand shot toward my ear.

A sharp pain tore through me, warm blood trickling down my neck as she yanked me down.

Gasps erupted around us. One of the ladies from the entrance rushed forward. “Mrs. Velasquez! You’re bleeding so much, let me take you to get it treated!”

Leaning on her hand, I forced myself upright. The pain in my earlobe left half my face numb, tingling with heat.

“Maxine…”

Andrius had taken a step forward, but Trisha clung to him instantly. “So much blood! I’m so scared!”

He hurriedly covered her eyes. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“Andrius, do you think I stole it?” My voice was soft, barely audible, yet he heard it.

His gaze flicked to me, faint disgust shadowing his eyes. “How long are you going to keep making trouble?”

I had expected this ending, yet my chest still twisted with fury.

A bitter laugh slipped out as my bloodied hands tore off the remaining earring and necklace, flinging them to the floor with a sharp crash.

“Your precious things? I see only filth.”

Andrius’s eyes widened, panic flickering across his face as if I had crossed some invisible line. “Maxine!” he shouted, fear edging his tone.

But Trisha suddenly swayed, her voice trembling. “I… I feel faint…”

“Trisha! What’s wrong?” Andrius caught her at once, urgency flooding his every move. “Call a doctor!”

Chaos erupted in the hall, and in that moment, I slipped away unnoticed.

Back at the villa, I left the things meant for Andrius in the study. The bloodied gown I carried straight into the garden and set aflame.

Soon after, a message flashed on my phone. [Maxine, I won’t blame you for today. Go home and wait for me. Be good.]

I curved my lips into a bitter smile, pulled out the SIM card, and tossed it into the fire.

Andrius, I would not wait any longer.