The garden lights glowed faintly against the dark sky, casting long shadows across the pond. Kylie leaned closer, her perfume cloying as her words dripped with venom.

“I’ll get everything from you, Diana,” she whispered, her lips brushing my ear like a lover’s secret. “Arthur, my family, the wealth… all of it will be mine. And you? You’ll be left with nothing.”

Her smile widened when she saw the horror in my eyes.

Then, as if on cue, she gasped dramatically and stumbled backward. The sharp crack of her heel on the stone pathway echoed before she pitched toward the water.

“Kylie!” Instinctively, I reached out to steady her. But the moment my fingers brushed her arm, she twisted and shoved me forward instead.

Cold water closed around me as I plunged into the pond, the shock stealing my breath. My limbs flailed as I fought to surface, gasping, hair plastered to my face.

“Diana!” A voice cut through the night—but it wasn’t a concern for me.

Arthur was rushing forward, his arms wrapped protectively around Kylie, who now sobbed pitifully against his chest.

“Arthur… I—I didn’t mean to upset her. Maybe I said too much…” Kylie’s voice quivered, her tears glistening in the garden lights.

“What the hell were you thinking, Diana?!” Arthur’s furious roar stabbed through me as I trembled in the water. His glare burned with anger, not at Kylie, but at me.

“I didn’t push her!” I choked, shivering violently. “She—she shoved me!”

Kylie shook her head quickly, her sobs growing louder. “No, no… Diana must be upset. Don’t blame her, Arthur. She’s my sister. I don’t want her to feel humiliated.”

Her false kindness only painted me crueler in everyone’s eyes.

“I was the one who was pushed into the water,” I cried, my voice cracking. “Yet you still blame me. Why, Arthur?”

His jaw tightened. “Because I know Kylie. She’s always been kind—she would never harm anyone. It’s you who twists the truth, Diana. You’re framing your innocent sister.”

My body went cold. “Innocent?” I whispered, my heart sinking.

Arthur’s expression didn’t waver. “Apologize to her, Diana. Right now. Or stay in that water until you freeze for all I care.”

“I won’t,” I whispered, my teeth chattering.

“What did you say?” His tone sharpened, dangerous.

Arthur’s jaw tightened, his voice like ice. “Apologize to Kylie. Right now. Or stay in that water until you freeze for all I care.”

“I won’t,” I whispered, my teeth chattering.

“What did you say?” His tone sharpened, dangerous.

“I said I won’t apologize.” My throat burned with the weight of my defiance, tears streaming down my cold cheeks.

Arthur’s face darkened. Without another glance at me, he scooped Kylie into his arms. “Fine. Since you’re so stubborn, you can freeze there.”

And with that, he carried Kylie back toward the mansion, her sobs echoing sweetly into the night, leaving me abandoned in the water.

...

With shaking limbs, I dragged myself out of the pond. My dress clung to me, heavy and dripping, each step painful as I stumbled to the roadside. Trembling, I hailed a cab.

On the way home, my phone rang. It was Aunt Melanie’s daughter, her voice broken with grief.

“Diana… the burial is tomorrow. If you want to see her one last time, you should come early.”

“I will,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, before ending the call.

Tears blurred the city lights as I leaned against the cab window. Shivering, I asked the driver to stop by a boutique. My clothes were soaked through, and I couldn’t go to Aunt Melanie’s funeral like this.

But when I stepped inside, the saleslady’s eyes swept over my dripping form with disdain. “We don’t welcome people like you. Leave before you dirty the place.”

Her sharp words cut deeper than the cold. Faces turned to stare, their judgment burning into me. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to turn around and leave.

I finally found a small thrift shop on a side street. The owner didn’t ask questions, only handed me a secondhand dress at a cheap price. It wasn’t much, but at least it covered me.

Clutching the thin fabric against me, I headed home, tears welling up once again. Aunt Melanie, the only person who had ever loved me, was gone. My husband despised me. My family wished I didn’t exist. And the one who replaced me wanted to strip me of everything.

At that moment, I wondered if there was anything left of me at all.

The morning sky was heavy with gray clouds, as though even the heavens were mourning.

I stood at the edge of the small cemetery, clutching the wilted flowers I had bought from a street vendor. Aunt Melanie’s coffin was already lowered into the ground. Her daughter sobbed quietly, her shoulders trembling.

“She loved you like her own, Diana,” she whispered when she noticed me. “She always said you were the only good thing in her life.”

My throat tightened as I knelt before the grave, tears spilling freely. Aunt Melanie had been my shelter when everyone else turned their backs on me. She had brushed my hair when my mother refused to, cooked warm meals when I was left hungry, and whispered comfort when my brothers mocked me for being different.

Now she was gone.

“I don’t know how to go on without you,” I whispered, my tears wetting the freshly turned soil. “But I promise… I’ll visit whenever I can.”

It felt like burying not just Aunt Melanie, but also the last fragment of warmth in my life.

…

By the time I returned to the mansion, the sun had already dipped behind the horizon. The house was unusually quiet, but as I walked upstairs, muffled sounds drifted from the master bedroom.

I froze mid-step. My heart clenched painfully as I edged closer.

The door was ajar. Through the crack, I saw what I had feared all along—two bodies entwined on the bed.

Kylie’s soft moans filled the room as Arthur kissed her neck, his hands caressing her as if she were his most precious treasure.

“Arthur…” she whispered breathlessly. “Shouldn’t you take off your ring?”

“No,” he murmured, pressing his lips against her shoulder. “It’s hotter this way. Forbidden love. If only Diana were half as enticing as you.”

My vision blurred, my chest constricting so tightly I could barely breathe. My husband—my Arthur—was making love to Kylie in the very bed that had once been ours.

I leaned against the wall, numb. I never expected my marriage to end like this.

At first, life with Arthur had been like any ordinary marriage. We were deeply in love—or so I thought. When my family discovered I wasn’t related to them by blood, they had wanted to cast me out immediately. If not for the marriage alliance, they would have disowned me without hesitation. Instead, they decided to adopt Kylie and send her abroad to complete her studies.

I had been heartbroken then, but at least Arthur was still by my side. He was the one I turned to when my family shunned me. He had been my comfort, my refuge, the man I thought would never betray me.

But it turned out, everything had all been an illusion. He was never mine to begin with.

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open snapped me out of my thoughts.

I staggered back, just as Arthur stepped into the hall with Kylie nestled in his arms. They froze when they saw me standing there, my face pale, my eyes brimming with tears.

Arthur stepped out first, his arm draped loosely around Kylie’s waist. Their eyes widened when they saw me standing there, pale and unmoving.

“Diana—” Kylie immediately slipped from his embrace, her face soft with feigned worry. “Don’t misunderstand. I was running a fever last night, and Arthur just... took care of me.”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her voice trembling at just the right pitch to sound sincere.

I stared at her blankly, the air thick in my lungs. “Taking care of you,” I echoed in a whisper, my lips curling bitterly.

Kylie lowered her gaze, feigning guilt. “I know how this must look. But please don’t think badly of Arthur. He was only being kind.”

I let out a harsh, humorless laugh. “Kylie, do you take me for a three-year-old child? Do you really expect me to believe such nonsense?”

Her smile faltered. Before she could reply, I stepped closer, my voice sharp with anger. “You’ve stolen everything from me—my family, my place, my husband. Was this what you wanted all along?”

Her silence was answer enough. Fury surged in my chest. My hand rose before I could stop myself, and the sharp crack of my palm striking her cheek echoed down the hallway.

Kylie gasped, clutching her face.

“Diana!” Arthur’s roar shook me to my core. He shoved me hard, and I stumbled back, nearly falling. My hands flew instinctively to my stomach, terror flashing through me.

The baby…

“Arthur...” My voice trembled as I steadied myself. “If Kylie wants everything, then she can have it. I won’t fight anymore.”

For a fleeting moment, his eyes softened, guilt flickering there. He opened his mouth as if to speak—but Kylie leaned weakly against him, her voice soft and pitiful. “Arthur… my stomach hurts. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”

His guilt vanished instantly. His jaw hardened, and his voice turned cold. “Diana, go make her something to eat. That’s the least you can do after humiliating me yesterday.”

I froze, my hand still pressed protectively against my belly. His order was like a final slap across the face, a reminder of just how little I mattered.

—

Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my body trembling as the weight of everything crushed me. I reached for my phone with unsteady fingers and dialed the one person I could still lean on.

“Hello?” My best friend’s calm voice came through the line.

“Can you…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Can you draft a divorce agreement for me?”

There was silence on the other end, then a soft sigh. “Diana… are you sure?”

“Yes,” I whispered, tears sliding down my temples as I lay staring at the ceiling. “I can’t keep doing this. They all want me gone. I’ll give them what they want.”

“Alright,” she said gently. “I’ll prepare it right away. But Diana… don’t lose yourself in their cruelty. You deserve more than this.”

Her words barely reached me. My heart was already numb.

…

The night dragged on endlessly. I wandered the house, my footsteps echoing through the empty halls. Every corner carried memories of the woman I had once been—hopeful, foolishly in love.

The dining table where I had waited hours for Arthur to come home.

The study where I had stayed up late, sorting his documents while he was “on business trips.”

The sofa where I once believed his embrace was my safe place.

How naïve I had been.

…

The next morning, I moved on autopilot. I cooked breakfast, set the table, and placed each dish carefully, though my hands trembled.

Kylie was the first to arrive, radiant in a pale pink dress. “I have some business to attend to today,” she said sweetly, sliding her hand into Arthur’s when he appeared moments later. “Since I just got back, Arthur will accompany me.”

Her tone was light, but her eyes flicked to me, daring me to object.

I only hummed softly, lowering my gaze to my plate.

Arthur didn’t even look at me as he pulled out a chair for Kylie. They laughed quietly between themselves, their voices carrying across the table. It was as if I were no longer there.

The moment the door closed behind them, silence swallowed the house whole.

I cleaned the dishes with mechanical motions, then went upstairs to pack my belongings. My friend had already emailed me the divorce agreement. I printed it out, signed it with shaking hands, and placed it neatly in the drawer of Arthur’s study.

My gaze lingered on the document for a long time. That single sheet of paper was heavier than any stone.

This was it.

They wanted me gone. I would grant their wish.

I no longer had a home here.