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?"

"Was I ever!" Betty pouted, shooting covert glances at the relatives, cueing them to keep up their act.

"Joseph!"

I yelled with everything I had, but my plea was muffled and cut short, and all I could do was watch as Joseph was whisked away by Betty.

He did not even spare a glance for that messy corner.

In the bedlam, I was shoved hard and hit the ground with a thud, my knees screaming in pain.

Laughter, sharp and mocking, rang out around me. My fingers clenched into my palms, fury simmering just below the surface.

Those so-called relatives, paragons of virtue on any other day, circled me like a pack of hyenas who were ready to rip me apart.

"That's it!"

I could not take it anymore. With a burst of energy, I sent them reeling.

They stumbled back, their faces etched with fear.

As they scattered, Betty, heels clicking with determination, stormed back to me, ready for battle.

She caught sight of my ragged state and a glint of satisfaction danced in her eyes.

"Aria, what on earth happened to you?"

She gasped in mock horror with her eyes wide, but her uncontrollable smirk betrayed her.

"Don't tell me you tried to swipe something, got caught, and now, you're seething with shame?"

Her eyes then locked onto the silver necklace I wore. It was the last thing my mother had given me.

"Wait!" she screeched, her eyes gleaming with avarice,

"That necklace... It looks awfully familiar. You didn't steal it from my husband, did you?"

I clutched the necklace protectively. "This was my mother's gift to me. It's none of your business."

Betty scoffed, lunging for the necklace, "Oh, sure! I bet it was you, you little thief, who took it from my husband!"

"Back off!"

The pendant on the necklace held a strand of my mother's hair, my final keepsake of her.

Betty's face contorted with malice, her nails digging painfully into my hand. "Hand it over! Someone like you doesn't deserve to wear something so nice!"

The relatives around us began to taunt me.

"Right, how could Aria afford such an exquisite necklace?"

"It's definitely stolen! Just look at how guilty she seems!"

In the midst of the tugging, a sharp 'snap' rang out, and the necklace broke.

The silver chain spilled onto the floor, the pendant shattered, and the lock of my mother's hair was carried off by the wind.

At that moment, my world came to a standstill.

"Oops, my bad, but it's probably for the best. It was stolen goods anyway!" Betty gloated with mock sympathy, her eyes alight with victory.

I slowly lifted my head, the last traces of warmth draining from my gaze.

The peace I had nurtured over five years of spiritual practice shattered in an instant, replaced by a chilling rage.

I spoke, my voice eerily steady. "Betty, do you have any idea what you've done?"

She recoiled from my sudden burst of energy, stepping back, but quickly puffed out her chest in defiance and bragged, "What's the big deal? It's just a lousy necklace. I can pay you back since my husband's filthy rich!"

She waved my lucky charm. "See this? Now, this is a real gem. It's a family heirloom from my husband's side!"

I just stared at her, ice in my gaze, not bothering to intervene. "Go on. Smash it then."

Betty blinked in confusion. "What?"

A smirk played on my lips. "Isn't that what you've been itching to do? Do it. I won't stop you."

My challenge lit a fire in Betty, her face turning red. "You think I won't?"

She hoisted the charm high and, with all eyes on her, hurled it to the ground.

Crash!

The charm exploded on impact, shards glittering as they flew.

Just then, from where Joseph stood, a scream tore through the air.

"Ah!"