"What do you mean, 'why'? Your sister's wedding is coming up—stop bringing bad luck into this house."

Odette couldn't stand that pitiful look on her face. If it weren't for Ursula, Teresa wouldn't have been lost to them all those years, and she certainly wouldn't have developed bone cancer so young.

Meanwhile, Ursula had lived like a princess under this roof, opposing Teresa at every turn.

"I'm warning you—your sister's marriage to Thomas is set in stone. Don't even think about pulling anything, and stay out of his sight."

"What about me?" Ursula looked at her, eyes hollow. "Everyone knows Thomas and I have been together. You're having Teresa marry him... Have you even considered what people will say behind my back? How they'll mock me?"

"What nonsense. Compared to your sister's happiness, a few whispers about you mean nothing." Odette waved it off, convinced Ursula simply refused to make sacrifices.

"Your sister has suffered so much. This entire family owes her. Forget a marriage arrangement—I'd give her the whole Abbott estate if I could. She's this sick now, and you'd still watch her die alone? Do you have any humanity left?"

Ursula fell silent.

In their minds, Teresa's name had always been sacred, above everything else.

No one thought it absurd for a younger sister to surrender her fiancé to the elder. No one cared that Ursula would become a laughingstock.

"If I don't agree—"

"What right do you have to refuse?"

Odette's smile turned cold. That meticulously maintained face showed not a trace of maternal warmth.

"Let me be clear: Thomas agreed to marry your sister himself. He wants to take responsibility for her, to make it up to her, to care for her. If you ask me, he's had feelings for her all along. Keep making a scene and you'll only humiliate yourself."

She gestured, and someone handed Ursula a stack of photographs.

Scenic shots from around the world.

Even a glance revealed landmarks from multiple countries—and in each one, Teresa and Thomas, posing together like lovers.

But what truly gutted her were the dates printed on each photo. Every single one matched a time when she'd been away on business.

For two years, ever since the Abbotts made it clear they wouldn't provide much of a dowry, she'd been working herself ragged, taking every trip she could.

All so she wouldn't embarrass Thomas when they married.

"I need to hear it from him!"

Ursula spun around—and there stood Teresa, poised and elegant, right behind her.

"No need for all that trouble. The answers you want? I have them right here."

Cold rain spilled from the night sky.

Ursula walked numbly through the downpour, ignoring the bite of the chill, her mind replaying the video Teresa had shown her.

Someone had asked Thomas: "Thomas, you're really marrying Teresa? Cancer's unpredictable... What if she recovers? Or doesn't die as quickly as expected? What happens to Ursula?"

Thomas's voice had been lazy, indifferent. "Teresa is her sister. If she survives, Ursula should be happy for her."

"But then Ursula can't marry you. Aren't you worried she'll get angry and leave?"

Thomas had smiled faintly, swirling his glass with nauseating self-satisfaction.

"A dog that's been trained to depend on you doesn't just walk away from its master. Besides, she's worked so hard to marry me. She won't give that up."

Twenty-two years.

She had known Thomas James for twenty-two years.

Never once had she imagined he would describe her in such degrading terms.

And Teresa—Teresa had made a point of showing off the hickeys on her neck, telling her that Thomas had already slept with her.

The nausea hit her in waves.

Ursula doubled over in the rain, tears and bile threatening to spill out all at once.

She didn't know how long she stood there before her vision blurred and everything went dark.

When she opened her eyes again, an IV line was taped to the back of her hand.

"Ursula! You're awake? You've been out for three days—you scared me half to death!"

A sweet, vaguely familiar voice rang out beside her. It took Ursula a moment to place it.

"You're... Hailey?"

In her hazy memories, a young girl had asked her over and over, tears streaming down her face, "Can you really save my brother?" That image now overlapped with the person in front of her.

Hailey Weiss broke into a bright smile and gave her a quick rundown of how she'd stumbled upon Ursula unconscious.

"By the way, why were you standing alone in the rain in the middle of the night? I called your emergency contact, but no one ever showed up. Should I notify someone else in your family?"

The light in Ursula's eyes dimmed.

Her emergency contact was Thomas. He'd set it up himself, back when things were different.

As for the Abbotts—they were too busy preparing for Teresa's wedding to spare her a thought.

"They're probably just busy." Her voice was flat. "I'm sorry—have I caused you trouble?"

"Not at all." Hailey waved it off. "My work in Northport wrapped up anyway. Besides, with the Weiss family backing me, who's going to give me grief?"

That jogged Ursula's memory.

Hailey was the only girl among the younger generation of the Weiss family, and the beloved younger sister of Greg Weiss, CEO of Weiss Conglomerate. With that kind of backing, life had always been smooth sailing for her.

After a few more exchanges, Ursula felt the medication pulling her under again.

Once she was asleep, Hailey finally pulled out her phone.

"Ursula's awake, but something feels off. She seems really out of it—should we... do something?"

The reply from her perpetually busy brother came instantly.

"Taking tonight's flight."

...

Ursula's sleep was restless and shallow. She woke not long after and, once the doctors confirmed nothing serious was wrong, decided to check out.

Hailey volunteered to handle the discharge paperwork.

Ursula tried to protest, but Hailey cut her off with a wave.

"Don't be so formal with me. I know it's been four years, but remember—when you were saving my brother, we lived together for three months. That makes us friends, at least."

"Alright then. I won't hold back."

She had just finished changing when the door swung open and Thomas strode in.

"I heard you were sick?"

Ursula's expression soured instinctively. "What's it to you?"

Mistaking her coldness for a tantrum, Thomas paused. "Look, I didn't explain myself well the other day. Even after Teresa and I get married, it won't change anything between us. Everything can stay the same as before. So stop making a fuss, okay?"

Ursula laughed—a hollow, bitter sound that curdled into disgust.

She was making a fuss?

He was the one treating her like a complete fool.

"Thomas, I don't take out the trash. From now on, stay the hell away from me."

"What's that supposed to mean? You want to break up?"

When she moved to leave, he reached for her wrist out of habit.

That was when a furious voice cut through from the doorway.

"Ursula Abbott, what do you think you're doing?"

Odette and Teresa had arrived—no one knew when.

Without bothering to see who had grabbed whom, Odette stormed over and slapped Ursula across the face.

The crack echoed through the room. Thomas's expression went cold.

"Mrs. Matthews?"

"Stay out of this, Thomas. This girl refuses to let go. If I don't teach her a lesson today, who knows what she'll pull next."

Odette was seething. She had already warned her. And she dared to disobey?

"Ursula Abbott, have you no shame? He's your future brother-in-law! You fake being sick just to harass and seduce him—what exactly are you after?"

Ursula had been drifting in and out of consciousness for days. She hadn't contacted Thomas at all.

Even if Hailey had called the emergency contact number, that couldn't possibly constitute harassment.

She pulled out her phone, her gaze turning cold. "Fine. If I really did harass him, I'll own it. But if I didn't, then either return this slap or we call the police."

Without waiting for their reaction, she turned the call log toward them.

The dense list of records showed clearly: Ursula's phone had only called him twice, three days ago, both during normal hours.

Thomas, on the other hand, had called her over a dozen times in recent days—sometimes even in the middle of the night.

Who was harassing whom was obvious at a glance.

"Even if I was wrong, I'm your mother! You wouldn't dare hit me, would you?" Odette hadn't expected that even now, Thomas had been secretly contacting this wretched girl behind their backs.

Ursula let out a cold laugh, her mocking gaze sweeping across all three faces. "I can't hit you, true. But that doesn't mean I can't hit them. Unless you'd prefer to involve the police?"

The sudden bride-swap had kept the Abbott family in the spotlight lately. Odette certainly didn't want this dragged to the precinct.

But Ursula's reaction caught her off guard.

Shouldn't she have swallowed her grievances quietly after clearing up the misunderstanding? Where did she get the nerve to cause such a scene?

Before, Ursula would have let it go for the sake of keeping the peace.

But now? Why should she keep enduring this?

"Not choosing? Then let's just call the police." Ursula dialed without hesitation. Before she could press the final digit, Teresa suddenly rushed forward in tears and grabbed her hand.

"Ursula, I know you're doing this because you're angry with me. If hitting me would make you feel better, then go ahead. Consider it my apology as your older sis—"

Slap!

A sharp crack cut off her speech. Ursula's hand had already swung.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Thomas reacted with fury, instinctively pulling Teresa into his arms. Pain flickered in his eyes.

"Ursula, she's your sister! She's ill! How can you be so vicious?!"

Teresa, still reeling from the sudden blow, clenched her teeth. This little wretch actually dared to hit her?

Hadn't she always been helpless against Teresa's schemes before?

Before Teresa could speak, Ursula's lips curved slightly. "So Mr. James cares this much? But I gave you a choice just now. You're the one who stood there and did nothing."

"Or is your concern for her... only this much?"

What Thomas noticed first was how she addressed him. His brow furrowed. "What did you just call me?"

Teresa stiffened in his arms. At a time like this, he was fixating on that?

And Ursula was right—Thomas's reflexes were usually quick. Why hadn't he blocked the slap for her?

"Thomas..." Tears spilled down Teresa's cheeks. The red welt on her face made her look utterly pitiful.

Thomas realized his misstep. Tightening his hold on her, he said, "Stop trying to drive a wedge between us. Apologize to your sister."

"Gladly—"

Ursula nodded, stepped forward, and slapped Thomas across the face.

"There. Enough?"

"You—! You little monster!" Odette watched both of them get hit and charged forward to discipline her.

Ursula sidestepped, her voice flat. "Thomas, this is what you two owed me. Now we're even."

She turned and walked toward Hailey.

Behind her, Odette shrieked that she'd gotten too bold, that she'd pay for this.

Ursula didn't look back.

Make her pay?

But she had nothing left to lose.