At the tenth matriarch test, Hector Rivas chose the simple white T-shirt his adopted younger sister had casually trimmed.

Mrs. Rivas looked at the high-end custom dress I had spent three months making and told me to leave.

I went home feeling bitter. Grandma gently asked, “Veena Holloway, did Hector choose you this time?”

I took her aged hand and saw the white hairs that had appeared at some unnoticed moment.

So I could become Hector’s rightful wife, I had not accompanied Grandma to the reunion dinner for seven consecutive years and had gone to the Rivas family to take part in this matriarch’s test.

At that time, Hector had promised Grandma that he would love only me and marry no one else in this life.

All the high-society women in Montana resented that I, an orphan, had gained the favor of the Rivas family’s young master.

However, after Hector’s adopted younger sister came back to the Rivas family following her divorce and decided to join this test, he repeatedly used the reason of preserving Elliana Trevino’s image and selected her.

Tonight marked the tenth time, and by the Rivas family’s rules, Elliana had already become the future lady of the Rivas family.

I did not want to lose the last years with Grandma over a vow that would never come true.

This time, I decided not to give him any more chances. When he made a grand public announcement of his engagement to his adopted younger sister, I walked away from him completely.

Only when he realized I had not appeared at the engagement did he publicly call off the wedding, lose control, and turn red-eyed.

1

When she saw me quiet, Grandma drew me into her arms, gently patting my back as she used to when I was young.

“Veena, don’t feel sad. It is all right if you don’t marry.”

I, who had been acting strong, instantly burst into tears.

Feeling embarrassed, I wiped my tears and gave the dress I had made in my spare time while working on clothes for the Rivas family a few days earlier to Grandma.

Thinking about it, it felt absurd, all for the sake of passing the Rivas family’s matriarch test.

For seven years, I moved among well-known mentors, learning fine tailoring, jewelry design, and noble etiquette.

But I had never sewn any clothes for Grandma or bought her even one piece of jewelry.

Standing before the dim mirror, Grandma gently pulled at the stiff collar.

My heart ached as if it were splitting open, and I gritted my teeth.

Over those seven years, I remembered that Hector disliked long cuffs and that Grandma Denise never wore a round-collar dress.

I could recite, in reverse, the clothing taboos about collars for more than twenty members of the Rivas family, yet I did not remember that Grandma had a scar on her neck from years of hard work, making high collars unsuitable for her.

But she accepted the gift and smiled so happily, more than all the praise I had ever received from the Rivas family.

My nose felt strange, and at that moment, Hector called.

"Send a lady’s underwear to my villa on the east side of the city, lace is better."

"This is only for test content, nothing more."

I mockingly smile to myself.

Last week, at midnight, Hector told me to go to the west side of the city to line up and buy Hiraya’s limited sweet soup, saying old Mrs. Rivas wanted to eat.

I ran through the entire street in the snow, guarding that bowl of sweet soup on the way back, my hands numb from the cold.

But when I handed it to him, he gave the sweet soup to the guard dog.

When he noticed I was upset, he kissed the corner of my mouth again.

He said I had done well, that this was just a test.

And the year before last, at a banquet, Hector told me to show my talent to my partner.

He said that as a wife, I had to uphold my husband’s image.

So I stayed up all night to make a fishtail dress covered in sequins.

I was also worried my singing was not moving enough, so I practiced for half a month until my voice became strained.

After finishing one song, I felt satisfied, my face filled with happiness.

The partner lifted his glass and laughed. “A voice like that, if you worked as a top hostess in a KTV, you’d make a lot in one night, wouldn’t you?”

A round of knowing laughter echoed around the table.

Hector joined in, clinking glasses, and allowed me to serve wine to the others.

After I returned, I cried so much I could not breathe and asked Hector Rivas how he treated me.

He said I was too soft-hearted, that the Rivas family’s lady should not behave this way.

Grandma also heard what Hector said, her eyes turning red.

After the call was over, she handed me the passbook she had placed in the biscuit box.

“Veena, give the treatment money back to him.”

“Grandma truly does not want you to endure this kind of hurt. Seeing you humble yourself to please that family pains my heart!”

My nails dug into my palm, my voice dry.

“But if we return the money, Grandpa cannot have surgery.”

“We will lose a family member.”

Grandma’s eyes turned red as she looked at the already faded wedding photo in the biscuit box and made up her mind.

“Your happiness, to Grandpa and Grandma, is more important than anything.”

I held back my tears and obediently went to the east side of the city.

As soon as I entered the room, I smelled in the air the scent left after intimacy.

Elliana lifted the lace underwear and cast a flirtatious look at Hector.

“It’s all because Hector got my skirt wet and caused you trouble.”

Watching her behave like the rightful girlfriend, my heart hurt. I took the cash I had just taken from the bank out of my bag and said decisively, “Hector, let’s break up.”

The man laughed, reached out, and pulled me into his arms.

“What nonsense, are you jealous?”

“Didn’t I already say, Elliana divorced her ex-husband. Only by joining the lady test together can she make her ex-husband give up on getting back together. It is all just an act.”

I broke free from his arms and lowered my eyes to hide the sadness.

Last year, Grandma was burned by a leaking electric water heater, her whole arm scalded until the skin split and flesh was torn.

I held her and rushed past three blocks before I flagged down a cab. The operation cost came to eighty thousand, and after checking every account, I had only five thousand.

Even though Hector was the Montana crown heir, I feared he might think I loved luxury, so I hardly took his costly presents and almost never used his help to cut corners.

That was the first moment I broke down in front of Hector, asking him to lend me money, promising I would repay him somehow later.

But he said Veena, you must learn independence. The Rivas family did not support lazy people.

About a month earlier, I had stayed awake without rest to finish the sample gown, and I passed out from low blood sugar, then learned my heart was beating too fast.

The doctor said if I waited any longer, I might need to have a pacemaker put in.

If Hector had just lifted a hand, he could have set up the best operation for me.

But he did not, and only said I was still young with a strong body, so resting for two days would be enough.

He then turned away and reserved a whole level of a private hospital, arranging a full checkup for Elliana, who only had a cold.

For Elliana, Hector never gave up anything; for me, nothing mattered.

"Hector, I am serious—"

"Young master," the butler suddenly opened the door and stepped inside, with a man walking in behind him.

"This Mr. Lozano says he wants to meet Miss Elliana."

The moment Dalton Lozano walked in, he fell to his knees before Elliana, crying with tears and snot streaming down.

“Elliana, I was wrong. I was not in my right mind and cheated. Can you forgive me?”

My blood seemed to turn cold, and I felt nauseous, unable to stop vomiting.

Seven years earlier, I had gone to Maryland alone for a trip.

In a narrow alley, Dalton had pulled me into a dark spot and ripped my clothes.

I fought back desperately and used broken glass to cut his arm before I managed to escape.

I broke down and called Hector.

He rushed back overnight, held me in his arms, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

I had thought Dalton ended up in jail.

Yet now he was kneeling properly in front of us, Elliana’s former husband.

So the “take care of it,” Hector said back then, meant protecting Elliana’s marriage and hiding everything!

My body trembled uncontrollably, my teeth knocking together.

Dalton turned toward me and pointed.

“Elliana, it was all because this woman tempted me back then and caused my first mistake. After that, I couldn’t stop cheating again, it’s all because of her!”

Tears filled Elliana’s eyes instantly. “Veena, the one who seduced my husband before was actually you?”

She seemed afraid and leaned into Hector’s arms.

“Brother Hector, I had been hoping for this marriage… I believed in him so deeply…”

Hector’s face grew cold.

“Veena, say sorry to Elliana!”

I laughed in anger, laughing until tears fell.

Seven years ago, to protect Elliana’s marriage, he covered up her husband’s wrongdoing and chose to deceive me.

Seven years later, to help Elliana fully break free from her ex-husband, he arranged for people to join the lady test together.

“Hector, you really are a good older brother!”

I shoved that bundle of money hard into his arms, turned around, and walked away.

But before I could reach the door, the butler stepped in and blocked my path.

Elliana nestled into Hector’s arms, pretending to comfort me.

“Veena, I don’t blame you. At that time, when Hector suddenly sent my ex-husband home, I thought it was some shameless woman who had lured him.”

“Although I know my ex-husband is a womanizer, without someone taking the initiative, he would not have dared attach himself to others.”

I did not want to respond to her insinuations and looked at Hector coldly.

“The money has been returned to you; we are even now. Why won’t you let me leave?”

Hector frowned deeply and replied, “What do you mean, even? You have not apologized to Elliana. How can the future lady of the Rivas family be so petty and unwilling to admit her mistakes?”

“If you had not worn such a short skirt that day, it would not have stirred this man’s dirty thoughts and ruined Elliana’s marriage.”

I stared at the man before me in shock, as though I were meeting him for the first time.

Dalton suddenly kneeled to me.

“Just admit you tempted me. Do you really want my family to break apart before you feel satisfied?”

Fear made my whole body shake.

Hector seemed unable to tolerate it and ordered someone to pull Dalton away.

The room grew quiet for a while, but then Elliana handed me a glass of wine and said, “Veena, if you drink this, we will pretend nothing happened and live peacefully like sisters, okay?”

Her actions seemed gentle but carried hidden strength. I only pushed her slightly, yet the wine ended up spilling across her body.

Very pitiful.

Hector carefully wiped away the wine from Elliana and rebuked me with a dark expression.

“Veena, must you push things to this point?”

A chill spread through my body, and I clearly saw the in pride in Elliana’s eyes.

She had planned this on purpose, bringing her ex-husband here to act out the scene.

She twisted the pain I once suffered and made it seem like my wrongdoing.

Elliana slowly rubbed the diamond ring worth hundreds of billions on her finger.

I bit down on my lower lip, my heart aching as if something was biting into it.

On every anniversary of our relationship, Hector would let me look at that ring once.

He would kiss me deeply and briefly place the ring on my finger.

“When we get married, this ring will be yours.”

The taste of blood filled my mouth as I pulled off the rope ring he had casually braided for me and worn on my finger.

“Have you said enough? Hector, we have broken up. You have no right to order me.”

Hector looked at the rope ring, the corner of his lips lifting slightly, his eyes dark.

“Elliana is right. You only care about wealth. You came close to me because of my money.”

“I allowed her to use the ring; it was only the last check for you. If you showed no concern, it meant you truly loved me. Tomorrow, I will bring you to file our marriage and place your name in the Rivas family record.”

“But you made the wrong choice.”

I felt no remorse at all; I only thought my seven years had been too painful.

Hector gave me plastic earrings, yet went to a sale to get emerald earrings for Elliana.

He handed me a bag that was already old from ten years ago, yet he bought Elliana the newest custom handbag.

In his view, I was only fit for low-quality items.

If I liked luxury, what was it that I wanted?

Elliana lifted her lips, then her voice broke as she removed the ring, ready to pass it to me.

“Sorry, Veena, I was the one who caused your confusion. I will give it back to you now.”

From a side Hector could not notice, Elliana pressed the ring base, and the pointed tips dug hard into my hand.

I pulled back in pain, and Elliana released it with the motion.

The diamond ring dropped to the floor; the stone flew off somewhere, and the band bent out of shape.

Elliana covered her lips.

“Veena, even if you feel upset, you should not throw the ring.”

“This is the rare pink diamond the Rivas family bought, meant to pass to the next lady of the house.”

My hand had a deep, long cut.

I answered with anger.

“It was clearly you…”

“Veena, do you still think you can speak to me about ending things now?”

Hector grabbed my jaw hard, anger burning in his eyes.

“This ring costs a hundred billion. Can you pay for it?”

Before I could respond, he motioned to the guards to push me down, hold me in the bathroom, force me to kneel on the floor, and throw several buckets of cold water over me.

The cold winter water chilled me until my whole body shook, and my knees hurt deep to the bone.

He pulled out his phone and called the hospital in front of me, planning to stop my grandfather’s oxygen.

“Since you show no thanks, then use your family to pay for it, so you can wake up!”