"The pendant doesn't matter. Rachel, is your hand all right?"

In the next instant, he snatched up his bag and bolted for the door.

"Rachel, don't touch it! Wait for me. I'll be home right away!"

I reached out and grabbed his arm. "What pendant? Was it the one I gave you?"

My eyes brimmed with desperation, but Steve had no patience for my emotions. "Don't ask so much!"

With that, he dashed into the pouring rain without sparing me a glance.

Memories of that pendant surged in my mind, and I looked at him with a gaze turned ice-cold.

He flipped open the box.

Inside lay the emerald pendant my adoptive parents had left me—our token of love. But now it was shattered into eight pieces, beyond repair.

Steve cleared his throat softly, as if only then remembering that Rachel had broken the pendant long ago. He reached for my hand with practiced ease.

"Cassidy, it's just a pendant. If you come back with me, I'll buy you ten more to replace it."

And that was it—that's how he'd always treated me, like a wild weed no one bothered to care about.

I slipped my hand free, my voice calm and detached.

"No need. Since I was never your chosen target, don't waste any more time on me."

The truth was, the day Steve ran off with Rachel and left me at the altar, I had already given up on him.

Now, all I wanted was for him to stay as far from my life as possible.

But life rarely grants such wishes.

Just then, a cold voice cut through the rain behind us. "Steve, what are you doing?"

It was Rachel.

The moment she appeared, Steve forgot me entirely.

"Rachel, why are you here? Aren't you feeling unwell?"

He stripped off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The scene that had once pierced me to the bone replayed before my eyes, yet my heart felt utterly numb.

Not hers. The instant she saw it was me beside him, Rachel's face darkened. She answered his questions, but her eyes never left me. They burned with hatred.

"I heard the richest man in the city, Lawrence Becker, lives nearby. I thought I'd try my luck and see if he might be willing to help you."

At her words, warmth flickered across Steve's gaze.

"After all these years, you're still the one who understands me best."

The sight turned my stomach. I turned to leave, but Steve pulled me back, placing me squarely before her.

"Rachel, you should go home. I'll wait here for Lawrence. Since Cassidy's here, I'll take her back later. She can look after you from now on."

"Perfect." Rachel's smile widened, her eyes sliding to me. "Cassidy has always been good at serving others. With her around, I'll feel much more at ease."

After all these years, she still knew exactly how to twist the knife.

Humiliation burned hot across my face, but Steve only mistook it for jealousy.

"Enough. Stop nitpicking. Giving you a job is more than generous. If Rachel weren't so frail right now, my family wouldn't need another maid."

I laughed coldly. "Go ahead then. But Lawrence Becker will never invest in your company."

I'd long known the Spencer family had been in decline under Steve's management. They were desperately looking for investors now. What I hadn't expected was that they would dare set their sights on my husband.

The moment I said that, Steve's face darkened.

"Cassidy, who the heck do you think you are to comment on my business?"

Before I could respond, Rachel suddenly gasped, pointing at my clothes.

"Steve, look—her outfit… it looks like it's from the Becker family."

She wasn't wrong. The Becker family's clothes were always custom-tailored, each hem stitched with a discreet little "Becker."

At her words, Steve's expression grew uglier. His gaze swept over me, sharp and mocking.

"No wonder you turned your nose up at the job I offered. So you've climbed your way into the Becker household. Is being their servant better than serving mine?"

His voice dripped with spite.

"In that case, I'll give you a chance. Bring us into the Becker residence, and I'll give you what you've always wanted. We'll finish that wedding we never had. I know it's your life's biggest regret, isn't it?"

A laugh escaped me.

So, he still didn't know.

The day he ran off with Rachel, I had called Lawrence and finished that wedding without Steve.

But I had no interest in explaining.

I brushed his hand away coolly.

"Not interested. Leave. I need to go home."

Steve stepped forward to block me again, but before he could, Rachel let out a sharp cry.

"Steve, look! Isn't that Lawrence?"

I turned and saw Lawrence holding our two little daughters in his arms.

The sight made me smile. I was just about to wave him over when Rachel darted in front of me.

"Cassidy, what do you think you're doing?"

At her words, Steve's eyes snapped back to me. Rachel clutched his sleeve nervously.

"Steve, she's going to slander us to Lawrence. She works for the Becker family. If she says anything, he'll believe her."

Steve caught her meaning immediately. His hand clamped down on my arm.

"No! I won't let you go to him."

Rachel seized my other arm and started dragging me away.

"Lock her up!"

I struggled, my voice frantic. "Stop! I'm Lawrence's—"

Smack!

Her palm cracked against my face before I could finish.

"You were going to say you're Lawrence's wife? You? What gives you the right?"

As if one slap weren't enough, Rachel struck me again, harder, her fury spilling over.

I let out a cold laugh, glaring at them both. "You're finished."

Steve scowled, about to retort—when he realized Lawrence had already reached the gate.

He yanked me upright, muttering under his breath.

"Lawrence is here. Watch your mouth. Think carefully about what you should and shouldn't say."

I rubbed at my burning cheek, disgust twisting in my chest at the sight of him.

By then, Lawrence had stepped out with our daughters.

His gaze found me, and he began walking toward us. The little ones wriggled out of his arms the moment they saw me, their small feet carrying them as fast as they could.

"Cassidy," Steve said quickly, desperation seeping into his voice. "If you'll stop being jealous and causing trouble with Rachel, I'll forgive you for deceiving me for ten years. I'll give you another chance. We can marry. This time, I won't leave with her."

I didn't even look at him. My eyes were on the two little girls racing toward me.

And then, finally, they barreled into my arms.

"Mommy!"