The Jewelry Designer's Revenge My Husband Gave My Crown to His Mistress

The jewelry I designed won the Gold Award.

At the gala, a mysterious buyer purchased the necklace for twenty million dollars.

"I heard it's a gift for the love of his life."

"The buyer wants two letters engraved beneath the pendant—LP—his lover's initials."

When the necklace was presented, the buyer stepped into the spotlight. It was Warren Henson. My husband.

A reporter asked what the initials meant, and he smiled with the same tenderness I'd known for years. "They're the initials of the woman I love."

I stood among my peers, a smile blooming across my face, ready to walk onstage and surprise him. A jewelry designer's husband buying her award-winning piece—romantic, extravagant. I could already picture tomorrow's trending topics. Even the engraving spelled it out. My name was Leonora Pruitt. LP.

"Happy graduation, Yvonne."

I stopped mid-step.

How foolish of me. The woman he loved was the college student I'd been sponsoring for four years.

……

My foot had barely left the ground when her name detonated in my ears.

A girl in a white cocktail dress, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, pressed both hands to her flushed cheeks and gazed up at Warren with stars in her eyes.

Camera flashes erupted like a storm.

The smile on my face froze at the corners of my mouth.

And the looks from my colleagues—some pitying, some mocking, some dripping with schadenfreude.

They all knew Warren was my husband. They'd assumed he bought the necklace to celebrate my win. None of them expected this.

Warren took the necklace and draped it around Yvonne Drake's neck with the gentleness of a man handling something precious.

"Happy graduation. From now on, stay carefree forever—my little girl."

Yvonne rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Warren."

The moment she turned and saw me, she stumbled backward, retreating into Warren's arms.

Warren noticed me. Something flickered behind his eyes, and he let out a resigned laugh. "You followed me here? That's a little pathetic, Leonora."

I pointed at the banner hanging above the stage. "This is my gala. Celebrating my necklace winning the award."

"The one you just bought."

Every gossiping pair of eyes in the room locked onto us.

I stepped closer and looked at Yvonne. "Happy graduation. I hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate you yet."

"Though I have to wonder—a college girl still paying off student loans, still relying on donors just to finish her degree... wearing a twenty-million-dollar necklace around her neck. Doesn't that seem a little off?"

Yvonne's face turned scarlet. Her eyes reddened, and her hands trembled as she reached for the clasp.

"I'm sorry, Leonora. I know I don't deserve it. I had no idea Warren would give me something this expensive."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke, the picture of wounded innocence.

Whispers erupted around us.

"No way—college students are that extravagant now? Wearing jewelry worth millions while collecting financial aid?"

"I heard she's on a merit scholarship too. Who knows how she got that."

"She's supposed to be broke? That dress alone costs thousands. Something doesn't add up."

"You think she's someone's kept woman?"

"Isn't that Mr. Henson? Doesn't he have a wife?"

The murmurs grew louder and louder.

Yvonne lifted her tear-streaked face to mine. "I'm sorry, Leonora. But today's my graduation. Warren brought me here to see what this world was like."

"I've never been to anything like this before. I don't belong here. I'll leave right now."

"I'll take off this dress and return it to Warren."

"And the necklace—I'll give it back to you."

"I may be a poor student, but if something isn't mine, I won't take a single thing."

With that, she set her jaw and reached behind her back for the zipper of her dress.