In the fifth year of my spiritual practice, my phone suddenly exploded with messages.

[Aria, why aren't you replying? Are you really that petty?]

Puzzled, I opened Messenger, and froze. My cousin, who never seemed to measure up to me and always went out of her way to oppose me, was getting married, and she expected me to attend.

"Sorry, I've been busy lately. I won't be able to make it," I replied politely.

However, my courteous response only fueled their ridicule.

"Stop pretending! You haven't kept in touch with your family for years. Are you too embarrassed because your life is such a mess?"

"She won't even come to her own cousin's wedding? How heartless!"

"Let me guess, the real reason she can't come is she can't afford a wedding gift."

One cutting remark after another appeared, until Betty Stewart stepped in, feigning concern.

"Come on, don't be so harsh on Aria. We're family, after all."

"If she's really struggling, I could ask my husband to help her get a cleaning job."

Then she sent me the digital invitation, the gold lettering gleaming.

When I saw the groom's name, my pupils constricted in shock.

Joseph Clark?

Wasn't he the short-lived husband who had spent three years sucking up to me just to extend his life?

I was just about to set my phone aside when a message from Joseph Clark buzzed in.

[Hey there, wifey. Missing me yet?]

[Don't push yourself too hard with your spiritual practices, okay? That lucky charm you gave me? I've been keeping it close all the time.]

His message, dripping with sweetness, made my heart sink.

Up until that day, I had been convinced that my husband was the world's most hopeless romantic. He was always so full of love for me, constantly checking in, sharing every little detail of his day.

However, in a mere moment, it all turned into a cruel joke.

I packed my bags in a daze and headed to the wedding hotel.

As I stepped into the banquet hall, my eyes immediately found Betty Stewart, radiant in her white wedding gown.

She was the center of attention, encircled by relatives.

The relatives were fawning over her, their faces plastered with ingratiating grins.

"Betty, you've always been more mature than Aria, and now, you've made such a splendid match. You've really made us proud!"

"Absolutely! The Clarks is one of the most prestigious families around, and Joseph's a real go-getter. You'll have to look out for us now!"

"Betty's always been bright and quick-witted. I knew she was destined for big things."

"Please, you're making me blush," Betty purred, her head dipped in feigned modesty, but her lips betrayed a triumphant smile.

"Joseph has been wonderful, indeed. The wedding venue alone set us back over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, eyes wide with surprise and envy.

"A hundred and fifty thousand dollars?! Wow, talk about a lavish affair..."

"Joseph promised me the best," Betty said with a smug smile, caressing the diamonds adorning her wedding gown.

"This dress is a one-of-a-kind Itania creation, the handcrafting alone cost thirty thousand dollars. I never meant to flaunt, but what can I do when I'm married to the wealthiest man around?"

She feigned a look of concern, yet her eyes sparkled with triumph.

The relatives gasped in awe, while a few young girls, green with envy, reached out to touch the gown, only to be deftly sidestepped by Betty.

From the doorway, I let out a soft laugh.

Three years ago, when I first laid eyes on Joseph, he was a man battered by life and plagued by illness.

He once caught me performing a mystical ritual and became convinced I possessed magic. He begged me to heal him.

Eventually, I relented and gave him a lucky charm. His health began to mend, and his luck took a turn for the better.

Little did I know that his newfound fortune would become Betty's favorite showpiece.

Then, Betty's eyes met mine.

She paused before letting out a theatrical gasp and a laugh loud enough for all to hear.

"Well, if it isn't Aria? What brings you here in that getup to my wedding?"

Glancing down at my robe, I noticed the patches at the cuffs and hem, the wear and tear from my time spent in mountain solitude.

"This is what I wear for my spiritual practices," I said, undisturbed by her mockery.

Betty laughed, sharp and mocking. "Aria, surely you haven't given up on love just to live as a hermit?"

Laughter erupted from the relatives as they caught sight of me.

"Seriously, who dresses like that anymore? You look like you're begging in the streets."

"I know, right? You're practically radiating poverty. Did you escape from some rundown place?"

"Aria, it's your cousin's big day. Can't you put on something nice? You've been to college, for heaven's sake. Why do you seem to be moving backwards in life?"

Betty sauntered over, oozing fake concern. "Let's not be too hard on Aria. Maybe she's just strapped for cash?"

She paused dramatically and continued, "I'll tell you what. I'll have the makeup artist whip up a bridesmaid dress for you, how about that?"

I glanced at her cake face with a pound of makeup and could not help but snicker.

I replied calmly, "That's alright. Those of us dedicated to spiritual practice aren't hung up on appearances."

The mocking resumed instantly after my comment.

Betty sidled up to me, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.

"Aria, if you're struggling to find a date, I could get Joseph to set you up with some of the security guys from his office. They might be a bit on the older side, but they'd sure take care of that man-crazy itch of yours!"

I was about to snap back when her eyes locked onto the lucky charm at my neck, her pupils shrinking in shock.

"Wait!" she lunged, yanking the charm so hard the cord burned a red line into my neck.

"How do you have this lucky charm?!" she screeched, her voice shrill with panic.

"This is my husband's family treasure, and he always kept it with him!"

The chatter in the banquet hall died down, all eyes suddenly on us.

I rubbed my stinging neck and met her gaze with serenity as I replied, "This is my lucky charm."

"Absurd!"

Betty's cheeks turned a fiery red as she thrust the lucky charm at the onlookers.

"Take a good look, everyone. This charm has 'Clark' etched on the back. It's obviously the treasured heirloom of the Clark family!"

She turned the charm over, and there it was: the name 'Clark' handcarved into the metal.

"Aria, you didn't steal from my husband, did you?" Betty questioned.

The relatives around us burst into a frenzy.

"Unbelievable! Aria's a thief!"

"All that education, wasted!"

"No wonder she looks like a peasant. She's got the guilt of a thief!"

I calmly observed the commotion with detachment.

I had carved that lucky charm myself, and the "Clark" on the back was only there because Joseph would not stop nagging me to include his last name.

"Betty, this isn't your husband's charm. It's just a matching pair to the one your husband has."

There were two of those charms: one with Joseph, one with me. They shared a secret bond, channeling a ceaseless flow of mystical energy from me to him, altering his fortunes.

Should either charm break, Joseph's health would plummet back to its frail state.

However, before I could get a word in, Betty's hand flew up and she struck me across the face.

Slap!

The sound rang out in the hall. My cheek stung with pain, but I faced her with undisturbed calm.

"Aria, have you no decency? To think you'd share a lover's token with my husband?"

Betty's scream pierced the air, her face, once meticulously dolled up, suddenly contorted in rage.

"I snooped through Joseph's phone and guess what? His top contact is you, his little side piece!"

She lunged, her fingers clawing into my skin as she seized my collar.

"I should've known! He's always 'got something to take care of'. Yeah, right. He was meeting up with you, you homewrecker!"

The room erupted into chaos. Relatives gossiped and pointed, their murmurs a relentless tide.

"Unbelievable. Aria's luring her own brother-in-law!"

"She's been away for years, and this is the dirty secret?!"

"This is a dark day for the family!"

Betty's grip was knocked loose by a surge of my spiritual energy, sending her stumbling back in shock.

She shrieked, "What the hell?! As if stealing and being the other woman wasn't low enough. You're getting violent now?!"

I fixed her with an icy stare, my voice a calm storm of certainty.

"Betty, you've got nothing on me. How dare you label me the other woman? You're the one who wasn't here first."

That set her off like a rocket.

Her face flamed red, her eyes spitting fire. "You dare to play the victim?"

She hoisted my lucky charm, poised to hurl it down.

"I'll put an end to your smugness! I'll stop your little game with my husband! This trinket goes down, and we'll see who's left standing!"

A chill ran through me.

I locked eyes with her, each word deliberate. "Betty, that charm is bound to Joseph's life. You can't just smash it."

She froze for a moment before letting out a derisive laugh. "Stop scaring people with your nonsense! It's just a worthless charm. How could it possibly be deadly?"

The relatives around them quickly chimed in in agreement.

"Has Aria lost her marbles with all that spiritual mumbo-jumbo? Why's she spouting crazy talk?"

"Right? As if some trinket can control fate. Who's buying that story?"

I ignored their sneers.

"Believe it or not, that's your choice. However, if you break it and something happens to Joseph, you're on your own."

Betty's face went pale, my words clearly striking a nerve.

However, she quickly snapped back to her haughty self, tossing my hand aside. "Oh, please. You think I'm falling for this hocus-pocus?"

Betty's eyes gleamed with malice as she smirked. "Aria, you're so worked up over this charm. You didn't swipe anything else from my hubby, did you?"

She called out loudly to the relatives, "Come on, search her! Let's see what else she's hiding!"

The relatives exchanged uneasy glances, reluctant to cross a line.

Publicly frisking someone was a bit much, after all.

Betty's expression turned icy. "What's the matter? My husband's the top dog around here. You really want to cross me, the big man's wife?"

Her words hit hard, and the relatives' hesitation crumbled.

A gaggle of middle-aged women swarmed me, yanking at my robe from all sides.

"Stop it!" I yelled, struggling to get free.

However, I could not use my magic against so many ordinary folks.

My sleeve ripped with a harsh sound, exposing my pale arm.

More relatives piled on, some pinching, some tugging at my hair.

"Wow, look at that skin! Bet you've been charming the pants off the guys, huh?"

"Look at those rags. Who knows what shameful secrets you've got hidden?"

"Aria, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you lost your mom young, and you missed out on some life lessons. Going after someone else's husband? That's just low.

I was reeling, a mix of shock and fury boiling inside me.

Years of honing my inner strength, and for what? To be humiliated like that?

In the midst of the turmoil, the banquet hall doors burst open with a ruckus.

I glanced up and there was Joseph, looking sharp in his suit, striding our way.

"Joseph!" I blurted out, desperate for him to put an end to that spectacle.

However, Betty was onto me in a flash.

With an icy huff, she hurried over and latched onto Joseph's arm. "Honey, what took you so long?"

She was blocking him from seeing me, pouting up at him as she purred, "I've been waiting forever!"

Joseph chuckled and gave her cheek a playful squeeze. "I got caught in traffic. Were you worried?"