When I stepped out of my room, I just happened to witness Erica stumbling into Thomas' arms, wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

It only took one look for me to realize that the bathrobe she was wearing had belonged to Gwendolyn. My heart lurched almost instinctively.

But for some reason, Thomas didn't get mad or fly into a rage. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

It was just yesterday that I was made to kneel in the snow for a full three hours, all because I'd accidentally worn Gwendolyn's dress.

But now, not only did he not mind Erica wearing Gwendolyn's bathrobe, he even kissed her.

I couldn't help but find all those rules he kept going on about completely absurd all of a sudden.

After Gwendolyn died, Thomas had cycled through one substitute after another. All the women resembled her.

The latest one was Erica, and she was the most similar to Gwendolyn so far. She even resembled Gwendolyn more than I did, especially in personality.

Because of that, Thomas practically spoiled her rotten. He indulged her every request and never once said no.

Now she was Robin's tutor, which naturally meant she stayed in the villa.

But it was also after she came to the villa that Robin and I started drifting apart, and he even seemed to hate me more with each passing day.

He grew more attached to Erica, insisting that only she read him bedtime stories. By this point, both Thomas and Robin were completely taken with her.

No longer wanting to look at them, I turned and went back to my room to pack my things.

In the five years I'd lived here, Thomas had rarely given me gifts, and we practically shared no fond memories.

The only thing that stood out was the necklace he gave me on my birthday last year.

When he gave it to me, he explained that he had only bought it for Robin, but because it was sold as a family set and he didn't know what to do with the extra one, it went to me.

The other necklaces were worn by him and Robin.

The set was designed to symbolize protection and was said to bring peace and ensure safety. He told me he got it in the hope that Robin would grow up happy and healthy, free from illness or harm, under its protection.

However, I secretly looked it up afterward. It turned out that the necklaces didn't have to be bought as a family set at all. Each piece could be bought separately.

I never understood why he would lie about something like that.

Whenever I saw them wearing the necklaces, I would fall into a daze, foolishly believing that I was part of the family as well.

Looking back now, I realized that it was simply an illusion I had fooled myself into believing.

I took off the necklace and left it on the bedside table.

I hoped Thomas could find a wife who was right for him, and I hoped Robin would be blessed with a mother who genuinely cared for him. After all, I had only ever been an outsider they despised.

As I slipped out the back door with my suitcase, I found myself at a loss. I had no idea where I could go.

From the day I entered the Torres residence, I had completely cut off contact with my family. At that moment, I felt like a lone boat lost in a blizzard, with no harbor in sight.

Just then, footsteps came from the backyard. It was Erica. Seeing the suitcase in my hand, she immediately walked over. "Where are you off to, Winnie?"

"That's none of your business."

I didn't want to get tangled up with her, so I picked up my suitcase to leave, only for her to grab my arm.

"I didn't expect you to be this sensible. It would've been better if you had left sooner and saved yourself all that suffering, though. But… since you're leaving anyway, why don't you do me one last favor?"

I hadn't even processed her words when she let out a scream and plunged into the man-made lake in the backyard.

It was the dead of winter. Although the surface of the water had frozen over, the ice wasn't thick enough to support Erica's weight.

It shattered instantly, and Erica screamed for help in the freezing water.

Hearing the cries for help, Thomas rushed out of the house. The moment he saw what was happening, he froze. He jumped in without a second thought and pulled her out of the lake.

Robin also ran out of the house, hurrying over to Erica in concern. "Ms. Glover, are you okay?"

Shaking from the cold, Erica smiled weakly, looking pale and pitiful. "Robin, I'm fine… I just don't know why Winnie would push me. If this was because I accidentally tore her dress yesterday, I apologize. I'm sorry…"

I flinched hard and spoke up immediately. "I didn't push her! She jumped in on her own! There are surveillance cameras here. You can check them if—"

"You horrible woman!" Robin cut me off furiously. "You already killed my mom and took her from me, and now you want to harm Ms. Glover as well! I won't let that happen!"

Killed his mom?

Shocked, I was still trying to process what he meant when he suddenly charged at me and pushed me into the water.

The icy water was freezing, and I was instantly soaked from head to toe. I shouted for help, yet they all merely looked on coldly. Even Thomas didn't bat an eye.

He watched me flail in agony in the water, his eyes filled with nothing but cold indifference. "You can drop the act. Did you really think I didn't know you could swim?"

It was true that I could swim, but that was a long, long time ago.

I'd hardly swum since moving into the Torres residence. On top of that, with my knees still hurting and the water so cold it made my limbs stiff, I couldn't control my movements at all.

My eyes reddened as I struggled with everything I had just to keep my head above water, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Thomas… Save me!"

Alas, he simply looked away, slipped off his coat to drape it over Erica, and carried her inside.

"You can come back up on your own once you're done with your act."

Everyone else followed him inside. Robin took one last look at me, picked up a rock from the ground, and hurled it at me, hitting me squarely on the head. "Just die, you murderer!"

I didn't know why he was calling me that, or why he claimed I was the one who killed Gwendolyn, but I had no strength left to care.

Despite struggling with all my strength and calling for help, the cold water swallowed me bit by bit until I eventually lost consciousness.

I never expected that I would still be alive after that.

When I regained consciousness, the smell of antiseptic stung my nose, and all I could see was the white ceiling of the hospital room.

A gentle male voice sounded near my ear. "How are you feeling?"

Absolutely awful. That was what I wanted to say, but my throat hurt so badly I couldn't get a single word out. It felt like knives were scraping against my throat.

As I forced my eyes to stay open, I caught sight of a hazy figure in a white coat.

For some reason, the first thing I noticed was his hand. He had long and flawless fingers, and his knuckles were well-defined.

I was sure I had seen those hands somewhere before. Nevertheless, I was too drained to think and soon slipped back into unconsciousness.

For a long time after that, I drifted in and out of sleep. Days had gone by before I finally woke up for good.

There was no one by my side, but a note and some pills had been left on the bedside table.

The note read, "Be sure to take your medicine. I'll be back soon." Below it were the dosage instructions and precautions.

The handwriting looked familiar. Even so, I didn't dwell on it and took the medicine as instructed.

As I turned on my phone, I was shocked by the sheer number of notifications. There were thousands of messages and more than a hundred missed calls, all from the same person—Thomas.

He'd assumed I would swim back up on my own after I fell into the water that day, but when he couldn't find me anywhere, he began to panic.

He quickly had people look for me, but the search yielded nothing. Then, he had the man-made lake drained. Only after confirming that I hadn't drowned in it did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, I was still nowhere to be found.

He called me countless times and sent message after message, his tone in them gradually shifting from haughty anger to outright panic.

As I was reading through the messages, another call came in.

"Hello?"

The moment the caller heard my voice, his breathing turned sharp and ragged.

"Winnie? Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you? Why is there nothing in your room but that necklace? What's the meaning of this? The house has been a mess since you left, and Robin hasn't had anyone looking after him!"

It had been two weeks since then, and for some reason, Thomas' voice sounded strangely hoarse.

I listened quietly as he vented all his anger. Only after he finished did I finally speak in a cold voice. "Why? It's because you and I are done, Thomas."