Timothy's voice was hard.

Celeste's smile disappeared when she saw him. She didn't want Hayden to hear about this and worry about her, so she quickly made an excuse to hang up.

As soon as she did that, Terence snarled, "Why did you call the cops, Celeste? Winona just switched out the medication in the heat of the moment. Did you have to go after her for that? Do you know how badly you scared her by calling the cops on her like that? You made her cry!"

His expression was frosty, but his eyes blazed with flames of rage. It was as if she'd committed a heinous crime.

Celeste lowered her gaze and curled her lip mockingly. "You think I should've let her off for what she did? I ended up in the ER last night, you know. Or do you think I should've waited until after I died to call the police?"

She'd gone into shock and had almost died. She'd spent the night in the hospital, yet he hadn't even asked how she was. His first thought upon learning that she'd called the police was to interrogate her, and his first reaction to learning that Winona had switched out the medication was to side with her.

His heart was wholly and completely in Winona's favor.

Terence was taken aback by Celeste's questions. Then, he snapped to his senses, and a trace of irritation flashed in her eyes. He scowled impatiently and said, "She acted impulsively in switching out the medication, but I've already told her off for that. Stop harping on about it. Besides, you're fine now, aren't you? I'll stay here to care for you if you're still mad. Happy now?"

He had more to say, but his phone rang, stopping him. He immediately dropped his scowl when he saw it was Winona calling. "Everything's fine, so don't worry. They can't take you away, alright? Stop crying. Does your cut still hurt?"

He left the room as he spoke on the phone. Celeste watched him, suddenly finding the situation laughable. She'd long since lost hope in him, yet she still found his actions ironic.

She'd almost died, yet all he'd done was berate her. Winona had just cut her hand, yet he was so worried he couldn't bear to leave her for even a minute.

Her chest throbbed dully with pain; she suddenly lost the strength to fight back.

…

Terence claimed he would stay in the hospital to be with Celeste, but Winona wouldn't let that happen. Each time he set foot in the hospital ward, he would receive a message or call from her.

"I'm scared to be home alone, Terence. Can you come back to be with me?

"You know I tend to sleepwalk. I can't rest easy without you watching over me. Come home, please.

"I'm so bored today. If you don't come home to be with me, I might just go abroad to spend a year or two with my friends."

A message or phone call would be enough to draw all of Terence's attention. He would absent-mindedly tell Celeste to rest well before turning and leaving.

All Celeste did was watch calmly as he came and went. Maybe it was because she'd long since lost hope in him, but seeing him so devoted to Winona no longer affected her. She was already numb.

All she wanted now was to get better as soon as possible so she could leave forever and never see him again.

…

Celeste was alone on the day she was discharged from the hospital.

During her final week before her departure, she received an invitation to watch a boxing match. It was organized by one of her company's business partners—she and Terence had both been invited.

She accepted the invitation and got dressed before leaving the house. Terence waited beside the car in a dark suit tailored for him. It made him look commanding.

When Celeste came out of the house, she saw him hold the door open as Winona got into the front passenger seat. She wore a pale pink evening gown, and her hair cascaded down her back in waves. Her makeup was light and impeccable, and she looked up at him with twinkling eyes.

Celeste faltered when she saw them acting so affectionately. Soon, however, she suppressed her emotions and got into the backseat without batting an eye.

On the way to the boxing ring, she looked out the window quietly, not reacting to any of Terence's and Winona's laughter and chatter. Eventually, they fell silent.

Celeste sensed a sharp gaze occasionally landing on her amid the silence. She turned to meet Terence's eyes in the rearview mirror. He looked at her oddly. Then, he looked away.

Guests milled about at the venue. Terence entered the hall with Winona on his arm. He deliberately left Celeste behind as he carefully shielded Winona. He introduced her to everyone he knew and pulled out her seat for her, leaning close to her as he explained the rules of the match to her.

"I guess the rumors online are true—Mr. Ford is very displeased with his wife. Did you see how he hasn't even spared her a glance since they arrived?"

"Anyone with eyes can tell that Winona is the one he cares about. See how he can't take his eyes off her now that she's by his side? I bet he and Celeste are going to call it quits soon."

Celeste's heart ached a little at their words. She clenched her fists but kept her expression calm.

The boxing match heated up, and blood spilled as fists flew. She couldn't stand the brutality, so she got up to quietly leave the scene.

Just then, Winona shot to her feet and felt around anxiously for something. "My necklace is gone! It's missing!"

"Terence, the necklace you gave me is gone! It's the one you got after fighting in 12 consecutive boxing matches, and it's the only one in the world! Hurry and help me find it—it means a lot to me!" Winona cried.

Things descended into chaos, and all the lights were flipped on. Celeste had just made sense of what had happened when someone grabbed her arm and dragged her back from the door.

"Mr. Ford, this person was sneaking out of the hall. The necklace might be with her."

As soon as the words were out of their mouth, a necklace fell to the floor behind her. The person standing beside her hurriedly picked it up and held it high. "Look, here it is! I knew she was sneaking off for a reason! She's a thief!"

All eyes landed on Celeste at those words. Some people were appraising, some were disdainful, some were disgusted, and some were just excited by the drama.

Winona had already made her way to Celeste when the necklace had fallen. She said, "I know your parents died when you were young and that a playboy brother raised you. I can give you everything else that you want, but that necklace really means a lot to me.

"The necklace isn't all that's gone missing. My bracelet and diamond ring are gone, too. They were all from Terence, so please let me search you for them."

She waved as she spoke. Two bodyguards shot forward and grabbed each of Celeste's arms before starting to tug at her clothes.

Celeste's expression darkened. "Let me go! I didn't steal from you! There are surveillance cameras everywhere—look at the footage if you've lost something! You think you can just search me like this after forcing a false accusation on me? Do you think you're still abroad?"

She tried her best to break free, but a woman's strength still fell short when compared to a man, especially since two bodyguards were holding onto her.

She couldn't escape them, and the crowd watched her coldly. Her gaze hardened as the bodyguards tried to strip her. Then, throwing caution to the wind, she kicked Winona hard in the abdomen.

Winona screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Come on, she's the heiress of the Lodge family. Why would she steal a necklace? This must be a misunderstanding."

"Why wouldn't she? Mr. Ford won that necklace after fighting in boxing matches, and Celeste is hopelessly in love with him. Who knows how long she's been jealous of Winona?"

"She even had the nerve to kick Ms. Ford. Do you see the look in Mr. Ford's eyes? He's going to kill her."

Sure enough, Terence charged forward as the crowd whispered among themselves. His eyes were filled with heartache as he checked on Winona. Then, he turned to give Celeste a deadly look.

"Do you want to die, Celeste Lodge? How dare you hurt Winona! Apologize now!" he roared.

Celeste remained where she was, her fingers trembling as she pulled her clothes tighter around herself. She said sarcastically, "You didn't do anything when she ordered her bodyguards to seize me and strip me in public, yet you're making me apologize for fighting back. Do you even have a heart, Terence? She orchestrated this whole thing—there's no way I'm apologizing for that."

With that, she turned to leave.

Terence's expression turned hideous, and he stormed after her, stretching out an arm to stop her from leaving. He said commandingly, "I told you to apologize. You're not going anywhere if you don't."

She clutched the hem of her clothes so tightly that her nails almost bit into her palms. Her blood boiled, but all she did was force out, "What if I refuse to apologize?"

What would he do if she didn't apologize?

He sneered and raised a hand. The two bodyguards from earlier came to grab her again. Terence said, "We need an assistant in the boxing ring to hype things up. I'll send you up there."

Terence's sentence was short and sweet, but his words made Celeste's blood run cold. The boxing match they were watching that day was a professional one, and the boxers would fight to the death to please the audience.

The more blood there was, the more excitement it would bring about. She wouldn't just end up becoming a joke if she were sent up there—she probably wouldn't even make it out alive!

She couldn't believe Terence could be this cruel just to get back at her on Winona's behalf!

Celeste started laughing. She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.

"Don't you think an apology is the least you can do, Celeste? You stole from Winona and even hurt her! What right do you have to cry?" A trace of impatience flashed in Terence's eyes.

The bodyguards closed in on Celeste, and despair washed over her. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard that it drew blood, then mustered all her strength to shove the bodyguards away.

After that, she lunged forward and slapped Terence hard across the face, using all of her might. The crisp sound echoed in the silent hall.

"I didn't steal anything, so I'm not apologizing!" Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she tried to keep her sobs at bay. "Why do you think I kicked her? Because she framed me for something I didn't do and tried to strip me without any proof!

"Should I have let her humiliate me as everyone watched instead of pushing her away? You believe everything Winona Ford tells you without even thinking whether it makes sense! What do you take me for, Terence? What exactly do you take me for?"

Celeste's eyes brimmed with tears, and anguish colored her voice. She'd always been calm and composed, so this was her first time losing control of her emotions.

Terence was taken aback. He stared at her, suddenly feeling his chest clench uncomfortably.

Just then, Winona approached. She said, "Alright, alright. I'm sure Celeste didn't mean for this to happen. The bodyguards misunderstood me. Anyway, the necklace has been found. I'll let this matter slide."

Her attitude did a 180, and she smiled faintly. However, it didn't reach her eyes. As she picked up a wine glass, she looked at Celeste and mouthed, "You're done for."

Then, she leaned close and poured the wine on herself before dropping the glass on the floor, making it shatter. She staggered backward, her eyes reddening. Coincidentally enough, she slipped on the glass shards and lost her balance, falling right into Terence's waiting arms.

"Celeste, I genuinely wanted to bury the hatchet and move past this. How could you…" She hissed and lifted the hem of her gown to reveal a thin scratch. "It hurts…"

The crowd was immediately abuzz.

"She really has no manners—not that she had any parents to teach them to her! It's bad enough that she stole from Ms. Ford. Look at how she rejected Ms. Ford's attempt to make things up to her and even got physical with her! That's guilt written all over her face!"

"Her parents are probably turning in their graves, knowing that she's so uncivilized."

Amid the comments, Terence snarled, "Celeste Lodge!"

Celeste saw the smugness in Winona's eyes and knew this was yet another of her favorite tricks. She sneered inwardly, dried her tears, and stepped forward. She grabbed another wine glass and shattered it at Winona's feet.

Then, she grabbed Winona and shoved her hard as the latter watched in horror. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she fell right onto the glass shards.

She screamed in pain and cried, "Terence!"

This time, she was genuinely hurt.

Celeste said icily, "Stop using your tricks on me, Winona. I'll get back at you each time you try me."

She wiped the wine that had gotten onto her fingers and watched as Terence lifted Winona into his arms, his gaze brimming with heartache. Then, it became filled with venom as he glared at Celeste.

There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her if anything else happened to Winona. Her breathing hitched, and she swallowed her humiliation as she turned and left.

Terence came running after Celeste as soon as she stepped out of the venue. "Stop right there! Apologize to Winona right now!"

He pressed a hand to the car door, stopping her from getting in. She glanced at him before shoving him aside and getting in.

As she shut the door, she heard his icy voice, "Don't regret this, Celeste!"