I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Richard did not come back to our room last night. I had my bath and changed into a simple dress. I was about to apply makeup on my face when I heard loud noises coming from the hallway.

I quickly tied my hair into a bun and hurried out of the room. I looked at the maid. "What is going on here and what's the noise all about?"

The house looked like it had been turned upside down. Everything was in disarray. The white walls were covered with black markers. The sofa pillows were thrown across the room. The curtains were cut up with scissors. The flower vase had been broken. And to top it all, the ten million dollars Chinese antique had been broken.

Two other maids were chasing Ayesha around the house; they were practically pleading with her to stop destroying the house.

"Ayesha, stop! Don't touch that painting; it belongs to Mr. Richard," one of the maids yelled. But she was too late. The painting was already in pieces.

Ayesha stuck out her tongue at the maid. "Uncle Richard said this is my house now, and I can do whatever I want, and you are just a servant," she said, like the little tyrant.

Then she looked up and locked eyes with me. I just stood there watching her in silence. Her shoulders sank; I knew she was still scared of what I told her yesterday.

She was contemplating whether to carry on with her destruction or to stop.

"Go ahead. Play as much as you want and take your time too," I said. My expression remained calm.

"Really?" Ayesha asked, blinking.

I leaned, sat down on one of the sofas, with a faint smile, and glanced toward the antiques section in the house. "Sure, just don't touch the antiques section; they are my favorite." Lillian sat on one of the sofas, pretending not to hear a thing or know what was happening.

I don't know if Ayesha had come up with this mess on her own or Lillian had coached her. Either way, it's none of my concern. They can destroy the house as much as they want. I won't be here for long.

"Okay!" Ayesha shouted and ran off to continue her destruction.

The maids stopped chasing her after her. "Mrs. Gates, the house is already a mess. Mr. Richard won't like this," one of the maids said.

"It's fine," I said calmly. "She's just a child; don't stop her. And besides, she's the Gates' only granddaughter. As long as she's happy, that's all that matters. And her mother hasn't said a word, so we should respect her parenting style."

The maid nodded; she seemed to understand the hidden meaning behind my words.

"Mrs. Gates, you are too kind. You and Mr. Richard spoil her a lot."

I kept smiling at her words, but I didn't comment either. Instead, I told her to get me a very beautiful gift box from the storage room.

Immediately, she handed me the empty gift box. I returned to my room and locked the door. I placed the divorce papers Richard had signed inside the gift box. I covered it in such a way that it looked like a lovely surprise package.

Just as I dropped the box on my nightstand, a loud crash came from downstairs. I didn't flinch.

I looked at the package on the nightstand. "Perfectly done," I mumbled to myself.

Moments later, I heard a loud knock on the door.

The maid's frantic voice called out. "Mrs. Gates, please come downstairs. Ayesha has broken all the antiques."

I shot her an angry look. "The one on the shelf?"

The maid nodded. "Yes, madam."

I ran downstairs immediately. Ayesha saw me and lifted her chin smugly. I could see the look of triumph. "I did all that. What are you going to do?"

I turned to the maid. "Call the Gates mansion right now. It's time for them to see what has been happening in this house."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Ayesha charged at me with full force, knocking me straight to the ground. She had charged at me with more force than I had expected. I couldn't move my right leg.

Lillian rushed to me with fake concern. "Fiona! Oh my God, Fiona, are you okay?"

"You know Ayesha is spoiled; she's just being a child. I know she doesn't know how to be gentle sometimes, but she's just a kid. Please don't be angry with her. Look at her cute face; she's sorry."

The maid helped me up from the ground. As I stared at the broken antiques on the floor, I let out a cold laugh. "So you letting your child destroy other people's property because she's cute is your way of parenting?"

Lillian looked shocked; fake tears were welling in her eyes. "Do you really have to blame me? I just looked away for a moment."

I laughed again. "Look at all this damage, and it's not even noon yet. So tell me, will she destroy the whole house before noon? So how exactly have you been watching her?"

"Lillian!" Why do you have to be like this? Do you really hate me and my daughter that much? You really called the Gates Mansion over these stupid antiques that can be easily replaced?"

"Really? Stupid antiques?" I asked coolly. "Those stupid antiques are worth more than a billion dollars, and oh, it belongs to the Late patriarch of the Gates family."

As soon as I finished saying the words, the Gates family started driving into the compound one after the other.

"Woah, they arrived faster than I thought," I said coldly, looking at Lillian who was already panicking.

Her face stiffened as she heard the cars drive in. She glared at me. "You did this on purpose, right? You planned all of it."

I held my chest, pretending I was hurt by what she had just said. "Lillian, why are you accusing me wrongly? I was in my room just now preparing a gift for Richard. It's not nice to accuse people of what they don't know about," I said coldly.

The moment the Gates Matriarch entered and saw the chaos, her gaze swept around the wrecked mansion before finally landing on Lillian, who was still panicking.

"You wretched woman, you are not satisfied with killing my son, and now you are teaching my granddaughter to be just like you." Since you clearly don't know how to teach your child, then I will have to discipline you.

"What? Y-you want to punish me?" Lillian asked, her mouth shaking.

"Are you questioning my authority as the Matriarch of the Gates family!"

Lillian quickly went on her knees. "No-no, that's not what I meant. I dare not question you."

"Go outside and kneel for two hours."

"Grandmother, it's cold outside, please can you spare her this once?" I begged on her behalf.

"No, Fiona, no need to plead on her behalf. She needs to learn her lessons," the Matriarch said.

I kept quiet immediately. The maid was massaging my leg, and Ayesha had run to hide inside her room. Despite her reluctance, Lillian knelt down in the sun.

"Good for her," I said to myself, smiling. This is just the beginning of her torment. I didn't spare her another glance.

"What about the antiques?" the maid whispered to me.

"They are already broken and of no use to us now, just sweep them off the floor."

Of course, the broken antiques were the fake ones. I had already hidden the original ones as part of my divorce compensation. I purposely told Ayesha that those antiques were my favorites; I knew Ayesha would definitely break them.

The Matriarch left after she made sure that Lillian had completed her punishment. The maid helped me to my feet as I headed upstairs to my room.

"Bad woman!" Ayesha screamed just as I was about to open the door to my room. "I called Uncle Richard; he will throw you out of the house, then you will be homeless."

How can the heart of a five-year-old child be filled with so much hate? "Then I will be waiting," I said, smiling at her.

"He will surely divorce you and marry my mom; he only loves me and my mom," Ayesha continued shouting.

I chuckled. "Alright, tell him to hurry up and divorce me. I don't even want to stay here another minute."

I know Richard and Lillian still needed me to cover their affairs. A divorced man living with his late brother's wife under the same roof will definitely raise questions among high society, and Lillian's reputation will be ruined, and I know that Richard will never allow it.

Richard returned to the house about an hour later. I was busy scrolling through my phone when I heard the sound of his car.

I was curious to know what was happening downstairs, so I stepped out of my room, pretending I wanted to get something from the kitchen.

Richard was crouched down in front of Lillian; he was applying ointment to her knees. Her face was red from sunburn. I stood at the staircase so I could get a better view of the romantic drama.

"You fool, why did you kneel? You should have refused," Richard said, wiping tears from the corner of Lillian's cheek.

"Matriarch gave the order; what other choice do I have? And you know they are still angry with me," Lillian said in a trembling voice. "Please can you hurry up with the divorce? I can't stand her anymore, and besides, it's not like we still need her around."

Richard frowned, confused. "You mean Fiona?"

"Yes," Lillian said, biting her lips. "She's wicked; she told Ayesha she could play with the antiques, then turned around and called the Matriarch."

"Uncle Richard, Mummy is right." Ayesha ran to him, hugging his legs. "Aunty Fiona is a bad woman."

"That's impossible," Richard said, cleaning the tears from Ayesha's face. "Maybe you misheard your aunt. She's the sweetest and kindest person in our family. And I know she will never tell you to break things around the house. And you know, she's everyone's favorite, especially the Matriarch."

I knew the last remark was aimed squarely at Lillian; he wanted her to know that she was asking for the impossible.

Lillian looked at him, surprised. "Are you implying that Ayesha and I made up stories to frame her? Since when have you started doubting me? Richard! You have changed; you never doubted me before, and now just for Fiona, you have started doubting me!"

Richard's gaze softened as he realized what he had just said. "Lilly, I'm sorry. I never doubted you, and I certainly have not changed too."

Lillian held his collar. "Then tell me, can you swear on it? Swear that you have not developed feelings for Fiona? Swear that you have never touched her, not even once."

"I swear to you, Lillian, I haven't touched her," he said without a hint of guilt in his voice.

I smiled bitterly. He wasn't wrong. I cleared my throat to draw their attention. Richard was startled.

"Honey, how long have you been standing there?" he asked, panicking.

"Long enough to hear what you were saying to Fiona," I said smiling. I could see the shock on their faces.

"Relax, I was just kidding. I didn't hear anything, and Lillian is your sister-in-law, so there's no need to eavesdrop on your conversations. Anyway, my cousin invited us to her wedding this Saturday. He wants to know if you will be free to attend."

"Your cousin?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, the one that gave you that contract to sign-the one hundred million dollar contract with you."

"Yeah, sure, I will be free. We will go together."

"Okay, honey." I glanced at Lillian and Ayesha, who was still holding on to Richard's legs tightly. I didn't say a word to them as I went back upstairs to my room. Richard followed behind me, trying to hold my hand, but I shrugged him off.

"Honey, you got a gift for me?" Richard asked, reaching for the gift box as soon as we entered the room.

"Oh that? It was supposed to be for our wedding anniversary. I prepared it specially for you, and I was going to present it to you."

"Honey, I'm so sorry. I promise I will never miss our anniversary ever again."

"It's fine. I know you have been busy with work and meetings lately, so it's totally understandable that you forgot our anniversary." I picked up the gift box from the nightstand.

"Take the gift; it's still yours. Your birthday is next week, but you are not permitted to open the box until next week. Consider it an early birthday gift from me," I said, smiling sweetly.

Before he could say anything else, a knock came on the door. "Richard, I just hurt my leg; can you come and massage it for me?" Lillian's voice came from outside the door.

Richard quickly tossed the gift on the bed and ran out of the room without a second thought.

I smiled bitterly as I picked up the gift box and placed it back on the nightstand.

Two days later, I had just come back from the hospital, tired. I had spent the whole day seeing patients. It was as if the whole of Northwale City had chosen the hospital where I worked for their consultations today. My throat was sore, and I was having a serious headache.

I barely managed to escape, and today was also my cousin's wedding. Luckily for me, the wedding would be held at night. I arrived home by 6 p.m. and had a quick bath. I changed and applied a little makeup. I was too exhausted for any glam.

As I came downstairs, everywhere was quiet. I sensed something was off. Since the arrival of Lillian and her daughter, the house has never been this eerily quiet. It's unlike them, but that's not my concern anymore.

I tripped over something and almost fell down. I turned back to see Lillian smiling, her leg outstretched.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked angrily.

"Oops, I didn't see you there."

I wanted to say something, but held myself back. "She's not worth it," I mumbled to myself as I straightened my clothes and was about to walk out of the house, when she ran to the door looking at me challengingly.

"What now, Lillian?"

"Do you know why Richard married you?"

"Nope, but you can tell me," I answered by crossing my arms.

"Because I chose you. You are just my replacement, and now it's time for you to give Richard back to me."

Her words cut deep into my heart. I had thought that Richard and I were in love back then, not knowing he was just marrying me to hide his affair with his sister-in-law.

"Why are you quiet? Say something," Lillian said, grabbing my arms.

I snatched my arms away from her. "Lillian, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"You can play dumb all you want, but tell me, Fiona, who do you think Richard will choose? Me or you?"

I smiled innocently. "Don't tell me you are having a secret affair with my husband, your own brother-in-law? Oh no, was that the reason that led your husband to his early death?" I said to her, still smiling.

Lillian opened her mouth to say something, but the words refused to come out. "And about who or what Richard wants, I don't care anymore. So stay within your limits," I said, brushing past her as I walked out of the house.

Lillian's gaze followed me to the black car parked in the driveway. If looks could kill, she would have killed me already.

I entered the car and turned to Richard, who was looking handsome as always. He was dressed in a black designer suit. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting?"

"No, honey. You look beautiful," he said, reaching to touch me, but I pulled my hands away before he could reach me.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked as he drove off.

"No, I'm just tired from work."

"You work too hard, honey. I don't know why you insisted on working. You know I have the money to take care of you for the rest of our lives," Richard said sweetly.

I would have believed him if I was still the stupid and obedient Fiona who was kept in the dark. Now I know. "Can you drive faster?" I asked him. I was already irritated sitting in the same car with him.

"Honey, you know you can talk to me if you are worried about something?"

"I'm fine, just thinking of how to celebrate your birthday next weekend," I lied.

"Oh that, you don't have to stress yourself about that. Lillian will take care of the preparations since she's already living with us."

"Okay," I answered nonchalantly, looking out of the window.

He wanted to say something when his phone rang.

"Mr. Gates, your brother's wife is on a blind date." The voice of the person on the other end of the phone was calm but loud enough for me to hear.

Richard frowned. He was already fuming, but he tried to control himself.

"Send me the location right now," he said in an icy tone.

After hanging up, he turned to me with a look of worry on his face. "Honey, something important came up. I won't be able to attend your cousin's wedding."

"Something important?" I smiled. I did not want to bother asking when I already knew everything.

"Okay, I understand," I said calmly. "You can just stop me at the entrance."

The car finally slowed to a stop. Richard held my hand. "Can I at least get a kiss?"

I pulled my hand away as I slipped out of the car. "You are blocking the entrance. There are other cars behind you."

Richard looked stunned for a moment, like he was trying to process my sudden mood swing, but I remained calm with a smile plastered across my face.

"Alright, make sure you have a lovely time at the wedding, and send my blessings to the new couple," he said before driving off.

The wedding hall was filled to the brim. Everything was perfect. I watched as the bride and groom exchanged their vows. My mind flashed back to my own wedding with Richard. That day was the happiest day of my life, despite my parents' disapproval. It was just Richard's family and my cousin and a handful of my friends from the hospital.

After the wedding, my cousin offered to drop me home, but I refused. "Tonight is your first wedding night. You are supposed to be with your bride," I said, hugging him.

I took a taxi home, my shivering from the cold. The atmosphere at home felt unusually pleasant. It was as though I don't belong here anymore.

"Fiona, you are back?" Lillian greeted me with a big smile on her face, which was very unusual because she hardly smiled unless she was up to something.

I was sure that Richard had made it up to her. "This is my house, Lillian. Was I supposed to never return?"

She clearly wasn't done. She walked over to me, playing with a blue diamond necklace on her neck and a matching bracelet on her wrist.

There was the same diamond set Richard had promised to buy for me on our fifth anniversary. Now I realized why he never talked about it anymore. He had already given them to his beloved mistress.

"Richard said you have a good eye for jewelry. Take a good look. This set cost over two million dollars. Richard bought them for me. He said the blue diamonds are perfect for my eye color. Do you think they are worth it?"

"Yes, they match your eyes perfectly," I said, smiling. "And you forgot something: Richard and I are still legally married, so half of that two million dollars belongs to me." I said smugly. "It's from our joint account, and he took out the money without my permission."

"What do you mean the money came from your joint account? You are just a common doctor. The money belongs to Richard."

I nodded and brought out my phone. "Lillian, you have till midnight to wire back one million dollars to my account, or else I will have to report this theft to the Gates Matriarch and also inform the police."

"Check your phone. I have forwarded my account details to you, so do the needful before midnight. And also think carefully before accepting another gift from my husband."

Lillian's phone buzzed in her hand. Her face darkened as she read the content of the message. "You low-life bitch," she yelled at me angrily.

"Ah ah, you don't want me to add assault, do you?" I asked, waving a finger at her. I know there was no way Lillian would ever come up with a million dollars on her own, but I don't care. She has to pay back the money, or else she will face the consequences.

I went upstairs to my room, leaving the visibly angry Lillian still standing at the door. After a quick shower and napping for a few minutes, I went to my jewelry box and started picking out the most expensive jewelry sets. Alice had already found a buyer for me. Once I sell them off, I wouldn't have to worry about money for a while after my divorce.

My eyes fell on my wedding gown. Looking at it now only brings back painful memories. I packed the gown in a bag and called the maid to sell it off or throw it away.

As the maid was dragging the box downstairs, I followed closely behind her, scrolling through my phone. Richard walked in, and his eyes fell on the bag.

"Are you traveling somewhere?" Richard asked, confused.

"No, honey, I'm disposing of the wedding gown."

"What? Why are you disposing of the wedding gown?"

"Honey, I mistakenly poured wine on it, and there's a huge tear on it too. So keeping it is of no use to me now. It's useless."