Clara stumbled back into the empty mansion and collapsed onto the couch, the tears she had been holding back finally spilling over.

Grievance, humiliation, and betrayal tangled together inside her, suffocating her.

Her phone suddenly rang. The screen lit up with a single word, "Mom." Clara stared at it, and despite everything, a faint flicker of hope rose in her chest.

She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and answered the call.

"Clara, there's a family dinner tonight. You should come." Margaret's voice carried no warmth at all, only impatience.

Clara's heart sank. Her voice came out hoarse. "I'm not part of the Sterling family anymore. Why do you still want me there?"

Margaret sounded even more irritated. "Your sister invited you. Just come."

Her sister?

Clara froze for a moment before realizing that Margaret was referring to the real daughter of the Sterling family.

After a brief silence, she finally nodded. "I understand."

By the time she arrived at the Sterling residence, the dinner had already begun.

The moment she pushed the door open, every eye turned toward her. Whispers erupted, sharp and unpleasant.

Each word felt like a blade stabbing into her heart. Clara clenched her fists.

Julian walked over and cast a cold glance at those whispering. They fell silent immediately.

Just like the day she had fallen for him, this was how Julian used to protect her.

A sharp pain tore through Clara's chest. Julian noticed her ashen face and frowned.

She had seemed off these past few days.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

At that moment, Victor and Margaret stepped forward. The hall fell silent.

Victor spoke, "We've gathered everyone here today to announce something important. After confirmation, Vivian is our biological daughter."

It felt like something exploded in Clara's mind.

Vivian… was the real heiress?

She looked at Vivian in disbelief.

At the announcement, Vivian's face turned deathly ashen.

She shot to her feet, anger flashing in her voice. "You promised me you wouldn't say this in front of Clara!"

The entire room fell silent.

The next second, all eyes were on the newly acknowledged heiress as she hurried to Clara, her voice low and apologetic. "Clara… I'm sorry. I didn't know they would do this."

Clara stared at her, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Suddenly, Clara laughed, tears slipping down her face. "Vivian… what else do you want to take from me? Just take it all. My husband, my family, love, friendship… take everything. Just don't hurt me anymore."

Vivian froze, all the color draining from her face.

"Clara, what are you saying? If you're upset about them announcing this, I can ask them to adopt you as their goddaughter, okay? We can still be family. We can still be sisters."

Clara felt something close to absurdity wash over her.

She slowly lifted her head and looked at Vivian, her gaze calm. "How long are you going to keep pretending, Vivian?"

Vivian's face went pale in an instant. "Clara, I really am doing this for you… I don't want to lose you, and I don't want you to have nowhere to go…"

"Doing this for me?" Clara let out a faint, bitter smile. "If that were true, you wouldn't be taking my money for your tuition, living in a place I arranged for you… while sleeping with my husband."

Tears burst from Vivian's eyes as she instinctively looked at Julian. "Julian, I never meant to hurt her…"

Julian frowned deeply, about to speak, but Margaret had already reached her limit.

"Clara!" Margaret snapped sharply. "Do you have any manners left? Vivian was kind enough to let you stay, and this is how you act? Who do you think you are?"

Before she finished, she raised her hand, about to slap Clara across the face.

In a split second, a figure rushed forward and threw herself in front of Clara.

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

The sound of the slap rang clear.

It didn't land on Clara's face, but struck Vivian hard across her left cheek.

Clara froze, her pupils shrinking in shock.

She watched as Vivian's tender cheek flushed red almost instantly, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of her lips. Clara's heart clenched.

"Vivian…" Clara reached out instinctively, her voice trembling. "Are you… hurt?"

The next second, Julian yanked her away with enough force to make her stumble.

He rushed to Vivian, gently cupping her face, his voice tight with urgency. "Where are you hurt? Are you dizzy? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Vivian shook her head, though her tears kept falling.

She didn't look at Julian. Instead, she turned and spread her arms again, shielding Clara. Her voice was thick with tears, yet unwavering. "Mom! You're not laying a hand on Clara again!"

Margaret stood there, stunned, her hand still frozen midair. "Vivian? You… you took that for her?"

Vivian bit her lip and met Margaret's gaze. "She's the person I care about most."

Margaret's face turned livid as she pointed at Clara. "Look what you've turned her into! No respect, no sense of boundaries!"

"Enough!" Vivian practically shouted. "You keep saying you've taken me back, but do you even know me? You have no idea how good Clara has been to me! All you care about is your image, your reputation. You can't even give her basic respect!"

Standing behind her, Clara listened to it all and suddenly let out a quiet laugh.

She stepped forward, standing beside Vivian, and looked calmly at Margaret. "Mrs. Sterling, you're right. I do lack manners. After all, growing up, all I ever got from you was punishment and scolding. You never once had the patience to actually teach me any."

Margaret's face went deathly ashen.

Julian looked up sharply, staring at Clara in shock. Was this really the same quiet, obedient Clara?

Vivian froze as well, her eyes filled with pain.

Clara didn't look at anyone again. She turned and walked away.

Clara had just stepped out of the Sterling residence when the night wind hit her, cold enough to make her shiver.

Footsteps hurried up behind her. She didn't turn. She already knew who it was.

Her wrist was seized suddenly, the grip firm and familiar.

Julian's voice came low, edged with anger. "Clara, you're just leaving like that? You're going to leave Vivian there by herself?"

Clara turned slowly to face him.

Under the streetlight, he still looked as composed as ever, but his eyes were full of blame, as if she had done something unforgivable.

"So?" she asked softly. "You think I should've stayed?"

"She just took a slap for you. She looked ashen, and you walked out without saying a word?" Julian's tone carried unmistakable disappointment. "I always thought you were just rigid, Clara. I didn't expect you to lack even basic decency."

Clara looked at him quietly, then suddenly smiled.

It was a faint smile, but it cut through every layer of pretense like a blade.

"Aren't you there for her?" she asked. "Aren't you the one who comforts her, takes care of her, gives her everything she wants? What would I, an outsider, be doing staying?"

Julian's pupils contracted.

He could tell. She knew.

But instead of panicking, he frowned, irritation creeping into his voice. "What are you overthinking now? There's nothing going on between me and Vivian. Stop imagining things."

"Nothing going on?" Clara repeated softly, as if tasting something absurd. "Then what I saw at the hospital… you holding her like that… I imagined it?"

Julian fell silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. "You were following me? When did you become so… vicious, Clara?"

"Vicious?" Clara looked at him, feeling as if a dull blade were carving into her chest. "I'm the vicious one? Julian, if you didn't love me, you could've just said so. I didn't beg you to remarry me. I didn't force her to leave you. You love each other, but you don't have the courage to stand against your families. So you hide behind this story of 'sacrificing for me' just to feed your act of devotion and her act of kindness. You treat me like a fool, comforting me, lying to me, using my feelings as a stepping stone for your love."

Her voice remained steady, but the pain in her eyes was impossible to hide, the corners already tinged red.

Julian scoffed. "We were together because of an arranged marriage. Who ever said I loved you? Who promised you forever? If you'd faced reality earlier, you wouldn't be hurting like this now."

Clara froze.

So in his eyes, none of this counted as betrayal.

Because from the very beginning, she had never mattered to him.

At that moment, a choked voice broke in. "Clara… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Vivian stood on the steps, her cheek still swollen, tears streaming down her face.

She stumbled toward Clara, reaching out but not daring to touch her. "It's my fault… I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have fallen for him… But I couldn't help it… I hate myself every day for it…"

"Vivian!" Julian stepped forward immediately, pulling her behind him. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong. Feelings aren't something you can control."

Vivian shook her head, crying harder. "But she's Clara… how could I…"

"That's enough," Julian cut her off, his voice low. "You don't need to apologize for loving me."

Clara stood there, watching them.

One cried in remorse. The other stood firm in defense.

How ironic. The one who hurt her most… was also the one who had loved her most sincerely.

Suddenly, Clara felt exhausted.

So exhausted that even anger had drained away.

"Forget it." She spoke softly, as if to herself, and to them. "Whatever you do, I don't care anymore."

She looked at Julian and said only one thing. "Don't forget to sign the divorce papers."

By the time Clara returned to the mansion, it was completely dark.

She went straight to the bedroom, opened the closet, and started packing.

She didn't have many clothes. Most were simple suits and a few old sweaters, things she wore when she was alone.

The designer dresses Julian had given her were untouched, hanging neatly in the corner like a dream that had never been opened.

Her phone rang.

It was her former boss in Kingshaven.

"Clara, your position is ready, and your visa has been expedited. You can come anytime. The company has arranged an apartment for you, and you can start next Monday."

Clara closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Thank you. I'll take the earliest flight over."

After hanging up, she felt the weight on her chest ease, just a little.

If she stayed any longer, she would break. Not her body. Her heart.

In Kingshaven, she could have a new job, a new life, new people.

She had just stuffed the last coat into her suitcase when the front door was pushed open.

Julian stood in the doorway, his tie loosened, his expression a mix of urgency and anger.

The moment he saw her packing, his expression darkened. He strode over and grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"

Clara didn't struggle. She simply pulled her hand back gently. "We're getting divorced. Of course I'm moving out."

"Divorce?" Julian let out a cold laugh. "Think this through, Clara. You're not the Sterling heiress anymore. And you're still trying to use divorce as leverage?"

Clara paused and looked up at him.

Under the light, her gaze was still, like a lake in late autumn, without a ripple.

"You're saying all this now…" she let out a soft laugh, "does that mean you don't want the divorce?"

Julian froze.

Her words struck like a needle, catching him off guard in the softest part of his chest.

Ever since she mentioned divorce, something in him had felt unsettled.

"You're overthinking it." Julian turned his face away, his tone hard. "I just don't want you coming back to bother me and Vivian when you have no one left."

Clara nodded, zipped up her suitcase, and stood. "Don't worry. I don't have a habit of chasing married men."

She picked up her suitcase and walked toward the door.

The door closed softly behind her.

She flagged down a cab and gave the driver the airport address.

As the car pulled away from the mansion, she didn't look back.

Julian remained where he was, his fists clenched, his knuckles ashen.

On the third day after Clara left, Julian booked out an entire VIP floor at a bar.

Champagne towers rose nearly to the ceiling, and the women's laughter on the dance floor was sharp and grating.

"Another drink, Mr. Laurent?" someone offered him a glass of whiskey.

He tilted his head back and downed it in one go.

Clara used to stop him after two drinks, saying his stomach couldn't handle more.

Now that no one was stopping him, he drank as much as he pleased.

"Mr. Laurent, I heard Clara left the country. Does that mean you and Vivian can finally go public?"

Julian narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. No one's in the way anymore."

He pulled out his phone and sent Vivian a message.

It didn't take long before Vivian arrived at the bar.

At a glance, she saw Julian with two girls in his arms, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his gaze unfocused.

"Julian." She walked over, frowning. "You've had too much to drink. If Clara sees this, she'll be hurt."

"I'm not drunk." He pushed the girls aside and pulled Vivian down to sit. "Clara's gone, you know that? She wants a divorce. She's already moved out."

Vivian froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "When did that happen?"

"Three days ago." He grinned, careless and bold. "Now it's perfect. No more sneaking around. I'll take you to meet my parents tomorrow. We'll tell them we've been together all along."

Vivian shot to her feet. "Have you lost your mind?"

Julian blinked, confused. "What? She's the one who asked for a divorce. I didn't force her. Isn't this what you've been waiting for?"

"Waiting for what?" Her voice rose sharply. "Waiting for you to push Clara out? For her to be alone in another country with no one to rely on?"

The room fell silent.

Julian frowned. "She has money. The Sterling family gave her plenty. What could happen to her?"

"Money?" Vivian's voice trembled with anger. "Did you forget she's not their real daughter? Yes, they offered her money when she left, but she didn't take it. Not a single dollar! She left Rivermont without the Sterling family or the Laurent family behind her. How do you expect her to survive?"

Julian's smile froze.

He suddenly remembered how quickly she had packed that day… how light her suitcase had been.

But he dismissed the thought just as quickly. She was only acting out. In a few days, she would call him, asking him to take her back. He could just bring her home then.

After all, the last two times they divorced, she hadn't lasted three days before returning.

"She'll come back," he said with certainty. "She always does."

"This time is different!" Vivian shouted. "You don't know her! She looks calm and gentle, but she's more stubborn than anyone. If she says she's leaving, she means it!"

She grabbed her bag and rushed toward the door. "I have to find her. What if something happens to her… what if—"

Julian grabbed her. "Why are you panicking? She's not a child."

"She's my friend!" Vivian shook him off, her anger rising as she looked at his stubborn expression. "She's my best friend! And you…"

She took a deep breath and stared at him, speaking each word slowly. "Julian, what we have is wrong. And if anything happens to Clara, I will never forgive you."

Julian stood there, stunned.

He had never seen Vivian like this.

In his mind, she had always been gentle and considerate, smoothing things over for him, even telling Clara to be more understanding when they argued.

"Vivian!" Panic crept into his voice. "Just listen to me—"

"No need." She picked up her bag and stood. "Don't come looking for me again."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this," she said, meeting his eyes. "Between you and Clara, I will always choose Clara."

The door slammed shut.

Vivian returned to her apartment and sank to the floor, having no idea where to find Clara. Anxiety twisted inside her, leaving her unable to sit still.

She remembered college, when Clara had a 39-degree fever and still stayed up with her until dawn, helping revise her thesis.

She remembered her surgery, when Clara had stayed by her bedside for three days and nights, collapsing from exhaustion.

"I'm sorry… Clara…" she whispered, burying her face in her knees. "I should've cut things off with Julian a long time ago…"

She pulled out her phone and called Clara again. But all she heard was the same cold message. "The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."