I silently slipped off the bracelet, gripping it tight in my fist for a moment.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

Then, with a smile reaching my eyes, I passed the bracelet to her.

Simon kept his head down, lost in silence.

How ridiculous I felt, for a moment thinking he would remember the bracelet and intervene.

I was deluding myself.

With a smile, I told Ella, "It suits you beautifully."

I lifted Nicole up a bit more, holding her close, and walked away without looking back.

"Lily..."

Simon's voice trailed after me, but Julia cut him off.

"Just let her leave! We don't need that kind of negativity."

From the corner, Ella gasped and exclaimed, "Simon, I think the baby moved!"

"What? Let me have a feel."

I quickened my pace, their voices soon fading into the distance.

Back home, Nicole was still reeling from the news of her father's absence, her tiny face creased with sorrow, tears clinging to her lashes, her cheeks flushed from crying.

She gripped my hand, her voice quivering with the brink of tears. "I want Daddy to be there for my birthday again..."

I gently pushed her damp bangs aside and pulled her onto my lap, correcting her softly, "We call him Mr. Hoffman now, Nicole. He's not Daddy anymore. How about we go home, would you like that?"

Nicole's voice cracked with the strain of crying. "Isn't this supposed to be my home?"

"This is Mr. Hoffman's place, not ours. Just a little longer, and I'll take you home, sweetheart."

Nicole's teary eyes drifted to the grand piano in the corner of the living room, a birthday present from Simon last year.

Back then, she had been ecstatic, begging her father to teach her to play, feeling like the luckiest 'Princess Nicole' in the world. Simon had indulged her with a loving smile, his eyes brimming with fatherly affection.

However, that was all in the past.

"Can I have just one more birthday with Daddy?"

She was too young to let go, to call him anything else.

I did not chide her. Instead, I stroked her hair and said, "Alright, I'll talk to Mr. Hoffman."

Nicole was caught up in the grown-ups' storm, whether she liked it or not.

I would do whatever it took to make things right for her.

On the morning of Nicole's birthday, she was up at the crack of dawn, slipping into her most cherished princess dress.

I had learned my lesson and texted Simon three days ahead, but silence was all I got back.

Nicole had just finished a round of piano practice, her fingers dancing over the keys, and turned to me with eyes full of anticipation.

She was all set to play 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' for Simon, the tune he had taught her last year, which she had been perfecting for days.

The moment our eyes locked, she understood.

Little Nicole's head drooped as she gently closed the piano.

"Dad's swamped. He can't make it."

Nicole cracked open the cake box, slicing off a piece.

"Don't worry, Mom. That just means more cake for us, right?"

Nicole's brave front cut me deep.

I felt utterly worthless, failing to grant my girl's simple wish.

With a heavy heart, I messaged Simon again.

[All Nicole wants is one birthday with you.]

[Can't you even do that much?]

Minutes ticked by until a ping broke the silence.

[Go ahead without me. I'll do something special for Nicole later.]

I was about to lose it, but the message vanished, replaced by a new one.

[I'll be there soon.]

Hope sparked in me as I wrapped Nicole in a hug.

"Mr. Hoffman remembered! He's on his way!"

Nicole's spirits soared, and she flipped the piano lid back open, her playing innocent and relentless.

"Dad says I'm clever for learning 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'! He'll be so surprised!"

Nicole could not stop chattering about it, her face beaming.

Thirty minutes later, the doorbell chimed.

Nicole scampered to the door and leaped into Simon's arms.

"Daddy!"

However, there was Ella, right by Simon, and a whole posse of high-society types trailing behind them.

"What's with the extra kid at Hoffman's future wedding home?"

"Why hasn't anyone kicked this woman out yet?"

"Talk about a jinx..."

Their whispers and snide comments filled the air, every word a needle to my ears. A bodyguard was already on his way to remove me.

A chill of dread washed over me.

'Simon, can you really be this heartless?' I wondered.

My heart pounded as I gazed at him, the world around us fading away. I mustered a soft whisper, "Simon?"

However, Simon, almost on instinct, shoved Nicole from his arms and snapped at her with a fierce look, "Why are you calling out to me like that?!"

Then, avoiding my gaze in a fluster, he announced to the crowd, "We've crossed paths, but we're not close. I don't know where she came from, stirring up trouble."

Ella, perhaps deliberately, was toying with a bracelet, seemingly unbothered.

The weight in my heart sank like a stone, tugging at my insides with a sharp ache.

So, nine years together had dwindled to being labeled a 'troublemaker'.

Nicole stumbled backward, her eyes welling up. She sniffed and carefully changed her address.

"Mr. Hoffman..."

She made her way to the piano, took a seat, and said in a hushed tone, "Dad... Mr. Hoffman, may I play a song for you?"

She had longed to spend a proper birthday with her father.

In her innocent belief, she thought that reviving their shared memories would bring back the dad she knew.

However, before her fingers could grace the keys, a delicate, pale wrist stopped her.

Ella, all smiles, played the part of the hostess perfectly. "My future home won't tolerate any disruptions from a wild child."

Nicole's face went white as a sheet, tears streaming down uncontrollably, splashing onto the ground.

However, not a single soul showed any sympathy.

Rage boiled over in me when I saw my daughter's tears. I wrenched myself free from the grip of several towering bodyguards, snatched up a crystal cup from the table, and flung it at Simon.

The cup caught Simon off-guard, its jagged edge slicing a gash across his forehead.

"Bullying a child, how low can you go?!"

Breathless, with a fiery gaze, I stood there, staring down Simon.

The truth was plain as day. Simon had not sent that message.

It was Ella's scheme, using him to humiliate us publicly, to push Simon to cut ties with us once and for all.

However, I was done playing parts in the Hoffman family's twisted play.