After picking their dresses, Nielson and the others still felt unhappy and went to a nearby high-end children’s clothing shop.

As soon as they walked in, Katniss seemed full of motherly love.

“Nielson, look! This outfit is so cute! Our baby will look so handsome in it!”

“This one is nice too. It feels so soft. The three of us standing together will look perfect.”

I, like someone who didn’t belong, like a babysitter, quietly followed behind.

But Katniss still did not leave me alone.

“Heather, you should touch them too. You should learn how to choose nice things for the child,” her eyes seemed to casually pass over my flat belly, her voice full of ill intent, “But you’re still young, you probably don’t know what it’s like to be a real mother yet. You can’t feel that blood bond.”

My lower stomach seemed to ache again. Every word she said felt like a reminder of what I had just lost.

How laughable.

Nielson didn’t even know the truth.

Maybe my silence made Katniss happy, because she laughed softly and didn’t trouble me again.

After leaving the baby shop, Nielson got a call from the housekeeper, saying the old lady wanted to see the child.

So the plan changed; after picking up the child, we drove to the large old house that stood for the Sanchez Family’s power.

This was my first time going to the Sanchez Family’s old home as Mrs. Sanchez, yet I felt like a stranger.

Hyacinth Sanchez completely ignored my presence.

“Katniss is here! Come over fast so I can look at you. You seem thinner again after only a few days. Has Nielson not been taking good care of you?”

Her voice sounded warm, as if Katniss were her real daughter-in-law.

“Oh, Heather is here too?” Hyacinth looked me up and down, her eyes as if she was judging something she didn’t like.

“Don’t stand at the doorway. Come in and sit. Pour Katniss a cup of tea.”

After all, Katniss was not the officially accepted Mrs. Sanchez. Even though Katniss had betrayed Nielson, the Sanchez Family still treated her as the real lady of the house.

I straightened my back and stepped back. “I won’t interrupt your family gathering anymore. I’ll leave now.”

Hyacinth’s slightly angry voice came from behind me.

“Heather, is this how you behave? So rude. You really should learn some manners.”

I slowly turned around, with sarcasm in my eyes. “Mrs. Sanchez, you seem to have forgotten that I never asked for this role in the first place.”

Hyacinth had no reply, her face turning even darker. “Too rude! Such a sharp mouth! Make her kneel at the door. She can only stand up when she admits her mistake. I want to see how strong she really is.”

Nielson, standing nearby, looked like he wanted to speak, but in the end he stayed silent.

Two servants grabbed me hard and with a heavy thump, I was forced down onto the cold, hard ground.

Then they went into the old house together like a family, as if I were someone who didn’t matter.

The night grew darker, the air colder and my body started to shake without control.

I bit my lip.

Then a coat was placed over my shoulders.

I turned around fast and there was Katniss with fake worry. “Heather, it’s windy tonight, be careful not to catch a cold.”

I stayed quiet, but my eyes were pulled right away to the warm, clear sapphire bracelet on her wrist.

It was the family sapphire bracelet of the Sanchez Family, passed down only to the eldest daughter-in-law. Hyacinth had given it to Katniss, while I, the so-called “Mrs. Sanchez,” was still kneeling at the door.

Katniss slowly moved her wrist on purpose, her voice full of pride, “Auntie said it looked nice on me, so she insisted on giving it to me, saying it would belong to me sooner or later.”

I laughed quietly. In the end, all my effort and patience were nothing but a joke.

At that moment, Nielson also came out. His brows were pulled tight. He stepped closer and, without speaking, dragged me up.

His voice sounded annoyed. “Alright, stop kneeling. What kind of behavior is this?”

He also saw the bracelet on Katniss’s wrist and spoke to her lightly, “It’s just a bracelet. I’ll buy you one later. Take her home; there’s a banquet tomorrow. Don’t let this affect important things.”

I looked at Nielson and pushed his hand away hard, the strength making him pause.

“No need,” my voice sounded cold. “I can’t accept the Sanchez Family’s heirloom bracelet.”

I even pulled off my coat and threw it on the ground, refusing to look at either of them again.

I turned and walked toward the old house gate. Like I was not in control, I paused right before the corner.

Far away, at the bright front of the Sanchez Family’s old mansion, Nielson was holding Katniss’s hand, the two of them walking side by side toward the main house.

This picture was deeply painful. I lifted my phone with no expression, took a picture of their backs and kept that moment.

The next day was Katniss’s birthday and I packed my bags early, ready to go.

The moment I opened the door, the whole villa was covered with flowers, full of a party mood.

Katniss, like the real lady of the house, stood in the middle of the living room, giving orders. “Put that balloon a bit higher, yes, right there.”

But the most uncomfortable sight was Nielson, standing next to the ladder, sleeves pushed up, hanging a string of crystal decorations on the window himself.

He was not like his usual self, who ignored small things. His face looked focused, showing patience I had never seen before.

Nielson noticed me and my suitcase first, his brows pulling together again like always.

“Why are you carrying bags so early? Don’t forget there’s a banquet tonight.” His voice was still cold and unquestionable.

Katniss noticed me too. She gently held Nielson’s arm. “Nielson, don’t be so serious. My sister probably needs to go out for a while. She’ll likely come back later.”

Katniss’s eyes passed over my suitcase, showing clear satisfaction and a faint look of dismissal.

“Honestly, it’s better if my sister isn’t here. It saves her from feeling jealous of her older sister, right?”

Nielson seemed to get it. His judging look landed on my face, carrying a bit of annoyance.

Just then, Helios, who had been waiting, walked in from outside and naturally took my suitcase. “Heather, we should leave.”

Nielson’s face darkened the moment he saw Helios. “Heather, are you going out with him?”

Seeing this, Katniss quickly stepped forward.

“Nielson, forget it. Let her go do her work. I, as her older sister, am not lucky enough to have a man come pick me up this early in the morning.”

But Helios didn’t give them any more time. He pulled me along right away and turned to leave.

“Stop,” Nielson called out to me.

This time, I didn’t look away. I met his eyes straight on. “Don’t block my path, I need to leave.”

Nielson looked surprised by how direct I was and fell silent for a moment.

He just stared at me quietly, the silence carrying a restless feeling he didn’t even notice.

In the end, he sighed, stepped aside and silently allowed us to go. “Remember to come back tonight.”

At last, the car slowly moved away from the house.

I took out my phone, opened my Instagram Story, picked the photo I strangely took last night of Nielson and Katniss walking back to the old house holding hands and wrote, “No more time for you.”

Then I tapped send.

I fully turned off my phone, leaned back in the seat and shut my eyes.

The choking mess behind me was finally left behind.