Nick cast a cold, penetrating look at Mia, then suddenly let out a mocking laugh. “Since you don’t mind, why don’t you help Uncle Jacob carry Xena’s luggage upstairs?”

He was clearly trying to humiliate her, probably annoyed that she had made him lose face in front of his one true love.

Mia’s face turned slightly pale, but she quickly recovered, forcing a smile. “Sure.”

With that, she turned and started helping Uncle Jacob move the luggage.

She was so obedient, so compliant. Logically, Nick should have been pleased. Yet, as he watched her calmly carry the bags upstairs, an inexplicable irritation rose within him.

The room was tidied up quickly. Just as Mia was about to head back downstairs, Xena walked in.

“Mia, thank you for letting me stay here.” Xena grabbed Mia’s hand with both of hers, her brows furrowing as she said with a delicate, pitiable expression, “If it weren’t for you and Nicky, I really don’t know where I would have gone.”

As Xena spoke, the light caught on the back of her hand, and Mia’s eyes were drawn to it—a dazzling flash that stung her vision.

Xena was wearing a ring on her left ring finger, identical to Mia’s wedding band.

No, not identical. The diamond on Xena’s ring was larger, brighter, and far more striking.

By comparison, Mia’s wedding ring looked like a cheap imitation.

Even though she had already decided to leave, a sharp pang pierced her heart at that moment.

So, even her engagement ring had been nothing but a knockoff.

A stand-in paired with a counterfeit—how fitting.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Moments later, a delivery man entered, carrying a massive cake.

“Wow! Who ordered a cake?” Jenna exclaimed. “Nick, was it you? Did you get it for Xena?”

“Xena’s birthday is next week,” Nick replied without looking up. “But yes, I did order her a cake in advance. Did the bakery mix up the date?”

Everyone was still confused when the delivery guy suddenly called out loudly, “Is Mia Larson here? The recipient is Mia Larson. This cake is from your aunt, Zoe Larson. She asked me to tell you that she knows today has been really hard for you, but she doesn’t want you to dwell in sadness. She’s grateful you came into this world and wishes you a happy birthday!”

The living room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Mia.

For once, Nick’s expression showed a hint of guilt. Awkwardly, he said, “It’s your birthday today? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xena’s birthday wasn’t until next week, and he had already ordered her gifts and a cake well in advance.

But Mia’s birthday? He hadn’t remembered at all.

Of course, why would he? She was just a stand-in. What was the point of keeping track of things like that?

“Oh, it’s my birthday today? I completely forgot.” Mia diffused the awkwardness with a lighthearted tone. “I didn’t expect my aunt to remember. I’ll have to call and thank her later.”

She would also take the opportunity to check on the progress of her move abroad and push her plans forward. The sooner, the better.

“Nicky, you’re unbelievable,” Xena said in a playful, almost scolding tone. “How could you forget your own wife’s birthday? Mia, don’t be upset. Oh, by the way, when I got off the plane, Nicky gave me a gift—a stunning diamond necklace.

“How about this necklace? Let’s call it your birthday gift from Nicky!”

With that, Xena took off the diamond necklace from around her neck and handed it to Mia with a bright smile. “Mia, happy birthday!”

The necklace was stunning, featuring a rare red diamond set in heart-shaped platinum—a symbol of a love that was meant to be unique and irreplaceable.

But that love wasn’t hers to claim.

“No, thank you,” Mia said, shaking her head with a polite smile. “This is a gift from Nick to you. How could I take something so precious away from someone else?”

If it wasn’t meant for her, she wouldn’t take it.

She wouldn’t accept the necklace and she wouldn’t accept the man who gave it either.

“What’s with the attitude?” Nick suddenly snapped, his frustration boiling over. “So I forgot your birthday because I was busy with work. Is it really such a big deal? Do you have to act like this?”

Mia was stunned. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong.

She hadn’t cried or caused a scene. She had smiled the entire time and spoken with perfect courtesy. So why wasn’t he satisfied?

“I wasn’t being sarcastic,” Mia said softly, lowering her gaze to hide the exhaustion in her eyes. “Nick, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to take the necklace? If that’s what you want, I’ll take it.”

With that, she took the necklace and genuinely thanked Xena. “Miss Quinn, thank you for the gift.”

As a stand-in, Mia felt she had already been as accommodating, cooperative, and respectful as she could possibly be to save Nick’s pride.

But for some reason, after she accepted the necklace, Nick became even angrier.

“Mia, you’re unbelievable!” he spat before storming out, slamming the door behind him.

Whether she refused the necklace or accepted it, Nick was furious.

That was when Mia understood that it was never about the necklace. No matter what she did, he would never be satisfied.

“Those who are loved can get away with anything, while those who aren’t can never do anything right,” she concluded.

The birthday cake from Zoe was enormous, but no one joined Mia to eat it. Not wanting to waste Zoe’s thoughtful gesture, she forced herself to eat the entire five-tier cake on her own.

By the time she finished, she was so painfully full that she ended up in the bathroom, throwing up for what felt like forever.

“How absurd,” she thought, slumping onto the bathroom floor. Tears streamed down her face as she laughed silently.

When she was a child, they couldn’t afford birthday cakes. She used to stand outside the bakery, staring through the glass at cakes she could never have.

And now? Now she finally had more cake than she could ever eat, but it only left her sick—her stomach aching and her chest heavy with regret.

“Some things lose their meaning once they’re lost, even if you finally get them back,” she mused.

By evening, Mia had packed her belongings and moved out of the master bedroom.

The rightful owner of Nick’s heart—his “one true love”—was back. As a stand-in, she knew her place. She couldn’t stay in the same room as Nick anymore. It might upset Xena.

As she was moving her things, Xena stepped out of the adjacent room. She was wearing a skimpy camisole dress, so short that it barely covered anything, exposing her alluring shoulders and her long, slender legs.

“Mia, don’t misunderstand,” Xena said sweetly, her voice dripping with false sincerity. “Nicky isn’t staying out of the master bedroom to avoid you. He’s just still upset. Don’t worry, we didn’t do anything. We were just playing cards, that’s all.”

Mia smiled faintly. “There’s no need to explain to me.”

Even if they had done something, it didn’t matter. The divorce papers were already prepared. Tomorrow, she would find the right moment to have Nick sign them.

“Mia, you’re still misunderstanding.” Xena bit her lip, her face a picture of innocence and grievance. “Nicky and I…”

Before Xena could finish, Mia cut her off with a calm smile.

“I know. You and Nick grew up together—childhood sweethearts, deeply bonded. Now that you’ve finally returned after so many years apart, of course, you have plenty to catch up on.

“So go ahead and reminisce. I won’t get in your way.”

With that, Mia turned and walked away without looking back.

Xena stood rooted to the spot, watching Mia intently for a long moment, her gaze heavy with unspoken meaning.

Nick spent the entire night in Xena’s room.

Mia hadn’t gone out of her way to notice this but Mrs. Zimmer, the housekeeper, had eagerly pulled her into the backyard early that morning to share this “important information” in hushed tones.

“Ma’am, you’ve got to start paying attention!” Mrs. Zimmer said anxiously. “That shameless little vixen, Miss Quinn, is clearly here to seduce Mr. Ford! You wouldn’t believe what she was wearing last night. I couldn’t even look!”

Mia smiled faintly. “You’re overthinking it. Miss Quinn and Nick grew up together, and he holds her in high regard. Please don’t speak badly of her again. Nick wouldn’t be happy if he heard you.”

Mrs. Zimmer froze, her expression bewildered. She looked Mia up and down before hesitantly asking, “Ma’am, what’s going on with you?”

“I’m fine,” Mia replied with a smile. “I’m doing great.”

But that smile looked like a mask welded onto her face.

She would keep smiling. She wouldn’t cry anymore.

“No, something’s definitely off with you today!” Mrs. Zimmer said with certainty. “You used to call Mr. Ford affectionately as ‘Nicky,’ but now you’re using his name—Nick!”

Mia lowered her long, dark lashes and stayed silent.

In truth, when she first got together with Nick, she didn’t call him “Nicky” either. Like his friends, she used to call him “Nick.”

It wasn’t until their first night together that he made her call him “Nicky.”

That night, he had pinned her to the bed, blindfolded her with a strip of black cloth, and, while roughly pulling her hair, demanded she call him “Nicky” over and over.

For the longest time, Mia thought “Nicky” was a special name just for her to use, a sign of their intimacy. The thought had secretly made her happy for quite a while.

It wasn’t until yesterday, when she heard Xena call him “Nicky,” that she realized the truth.

No wonder he had blindfolded her that night.

Her eyes didn’t look like Xena’s.

But her voice sounded similar, so he made her call him “Nicky,” over and over again, as if that was all that mattered.

“Mrs. Zimmer,” Mia said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder, “in a place like this, the most important thing is to focus on your work and keep your thoughts to yourself. Please don’t say anything bad about Miss Quinn anymore.”

She would be leaving soon, and Xena would take her place as the lady of the house.

If Mrs. Zimmer offended Xena, she would certainly pay the price later.

After advising Mrs. Zimmer, Mia went upstairs to grab the divorce papers and then headed to Nick’s study.

Nick was busy working but scoffed when he saw her walk in. “Finally realized you were wrong?”

“Yes,” Mia said flatly. If he said she was wrong, then she would let it be. She was too tired to argue, especially since it would all be over in a few days.

“If you’d figured that out sooner, none of this would’ve been necessary!” Nick said irritably, his tone sharp. He pulled a finely crafted gift box out of a drawer and tossed it onto the desk in front of her. “Here’s a belated birthday gift. Open it.”

Mia wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but her instincts told her that if she refused, Nick would only get angry.

She still needed him to sign the divorce papers, so it was better not to provoke him. Silently, she accepted the gift without a word.

Just then, Nick’s phone rang. Out of the corner of her eye, Mia saw the caller ID—Xena.

Nick glanced at her, then pulled a pair of headphones from the drawer and put them on.

He answered the call, and the cold indifference in his eyes was immediately replaced with a smile. His tone softened, a stark contrast to how he spoke to Mia.

Mia placed the divorce papers on the desk in front of him. “Please sign these.”

Without so much as glancing at them, Nick scribbled his signature and went right back to his call with Xena, his voice warm and affectionate.

Mia frowned slightly, hesitating before asking, “Aren’t you going to check what you just signed?”

“No need,” Nick replied impatiently. “It’s just about hiring foreign specialists for your mom’s treatment, right? Take care of it yourself. If there’s anything that needs my signature, just give it to Assistant Wilson to pass on to me. And stop calling me over nothing. Do you have any idea how many important calls I missed last time because you wouldn’t stop blowing up my phone?”