I kept my eyes fixed on the floor. "I took it off."

Cillian's grip tightened, and a pained hiss escaped my lips.

Liliana quickly intervened. "Cillian..."

As if jolted from a trance, he released me and forced a smile for her. "Sorry, I lost my composure."

I turned and walked away, the stares of the onlookers burning like needles against my back.

...

Six days before my departure, I was organizing documents.

Cillian's mother, Maeve, called, telling me to step aside for Liliana as soon as possible. I refused, stating that a divorce required Cillian's consent.

She was not pleased. "You've been in this family for three years without producing an heir for the Brennans," she chided, her tone sharp. "It's time Cillian found someone who can."

I lowered my head. "He can. But only after he agrees to a divorce."

Cillian could marry whomever he wanted. It was no longer my concern.

Besides, the divorce agreement was already signed. All it needed was a trip to the courthouse.

I hung up the phone. In the hallway, I caught a glimpse of Cillian and Liliana strolling in the garden below.

He wore a crisp white shirt, his posture perfect. Liliana, wearing her new diamond necklace, smiled as she reached up to adjust his collar.

She stood on her toes, and the sunlight caught the diamonds, making them sparkle. The breeze rustled their clothes as their eyes met, a private, tender moment.

Cillian always used to lock himself in his study, claiming he was busy. He had never once taken a walk with me like that.

I stormed back to my room, thoughts spiraling. The documents in my hand were a blur. I couldn't focus. Just a pawn. A piece in his game. All his passion, all his tenderness—it was always reserved for Liliana.

I stared blankly at the papers until my assistant, Anya, came in with the asset report I'd requested.

Anya Petrova reported, "Ma'am, I've cross-referenced everything. Besides the investment assets, an heirloom from your mother is missing—her handmade wedding dress and the Callahan family crest necklace."

My head snapped up. "What did you say?"

My dowry had been so vast, it was impossible to keep track of every single item.

She repeated, "The family crest necklace and a wedding dress."

"A crest necklace?" I mumbled, and then the image of Liliana's new diamond necklace flashed in my mind.

I stormed into her room and found her standing before a full-length mirror, trying on the very wedding dress my mother had sewn by hand for me.

Her wedding to Cillian was in six days. Everything was happening so fast. I couldn't shake the feeling that he'd had this planned long before my father's fall.

Rage boiled inside me. I strode forward and grabbed the hem of the dress. I tore at the delicate, handmade lace and pearl beading, ripping them from the fabric. They scattered across the floor like a shattered dream.

But my fury wasn't spent. I yanked harder, rewarded by the brutal, satisfying sound of tearing fabric.

Liliana cowered. "I'm sorry! I'll take it off right now."

I clenched the ruined fabric in my fist, glaring down at her. Liliana collapsed onto the floor, a weeping mess amidst the ruined dress, pearls rolling into the corners of the room.

She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling. "If you wanted it off, you just had to say so. Why did you have to do this?"

I looked down at her and nudged her with the toe of my shoe. "You wore my mother's heirloom without permission, and you have the nerve to question me?"

She lowered her head and broke into sobs.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hall, and Cillian burst in. He shoved me aside and pulled Liliana into his arms.

I stumbled, my hand flying out to steady myself on the nearby vanity.