Margaret kept walking until noon the next day.

She had wandered in a daze, and when she saw the villa, it felt like she was in a different world.

Her feet were so sore and raw that she could hardly feel them anymore. She furrowed her brow, took a deep breath, and barely managed to calm herself down.

But when she pushed open the door, it slammed shut with a loud bang, as if something had exploded around her.

As she looked around, she saw colorful streamers hanging everywhere.

Nearby, someone was filming, and it looked like they were livestreaming the event.

Soon, a crowd of onlookers gathered, their faces full of envy as they gossiped excitedly.

"I heard Mr. Hartley has been planning this proposal for a long time!"

"Margaret must be the luckiest woman in the world to be with Mr. Hartley! I'm envious!"

Margaret stared at Gavin as he made his way through the crowd. It took a moment, but then it hit her—Gavin was going to propose to her.

The streamers, the balloons, the flowers, the gifts.

And all the friends and family they knew.

If she hadn't just come from Marjorie's place, Margaret would have been swept up in the fantasy once again.

She was pushed by the crowd into the center of the room.

The pain in her feet was like needles stabbing through her entire body. Yet not a single person noticed she was barefoot.

Her feet were bruised and bloodied. But all eyes were on Gavin's romantic proposal.

Someone handed Margaret a bag—a Burberry bag.

Gavin made his way through the crowd, holding a bouquet of yellow roses.

Margaret remembered telling him once that she only liked red roses—vivid, bold, and free-spirited.

Yellow roses, though, were Marjorie's favorite.

In that moment, Margaret realized the truth.

She understood now why Gavin loved Marjorie so much, and yet chose her as a stand-in.

She was a replacement in Marjorie's eyes. Marjorie had transferred all of her hopes for happiness onto Margaret.

It wasn't that Gavin needed her—Marjorie did.

So now, she was playing along with Gavin's charade, fulfilling Marjorie's fantasies.

Margaret couldn't stop herself from letting out a small, hollow laugh.

To everyone else, it looked like she was overwhelmed with happiness. But to her, all the cheers and shouts felt like they were coming from another world. None of it was hers.

Gavin kneeled in front of her, his eyes full of passion. "Maggie, will you marry me?"

Margaret looked down at him, her voice soft but sharp. "Gavin, are you sure you want to marry me?"

Gavin's brow furrowed slightly. He sensed something wasn't right.

After all, this was the second time in two days that Margaret had spoken to him with such doubt.

A nervous flutter ran through him as he tightened his grip on the yellow roses, lowering his voice. "Margaret, why would you ask that?"

He almost stood up in his haste, grabbing her hand, and began to explain.

"Are you mad at me for not being with you last night? There were some important matters I had to take care of. I didn't mean to stay out. Don't be upset, okay?"

The great Gavin Hartley, pleading like this in front of so many people.

Anyone who saw it would have to admit, he was truly a man in love.

So, naturally, everyone around them supported him, isolating Margaret.

"Ms. Chapman, stop being so difficult. Mr. Hartley had urgent matters to attend to. You can't just use his love for you as an excuse to act spoiled, can you?"

"Yeah, Gavin's the most eligible bachelor in our town. You should count your blessings!"

"You wouldn't believe what kind of engagement gift he has prepared for you!"

Someone squeezed through the crowd, holding up an iPad.

On the screen, a shining star was spinning slowly.

The corner of the screen read that it was a satellite software.

Gavin spoke softly, "Maggie, this is the engagement gift I got for you. Will you marry me?"

Margaret stared at the screen, the noise of the crowd fading in and out.

"Is that… a little asteroid?"

"It's a little asteroid! And Mr. Hartley even named it 'Maggie', a symbol of how much he treasures Margaret. I swear, if I could meet a man like Mr. Hartley in my life, I'd give up ten years of my life just to be with him!"

-

They all cheered and laughed.

Margaret smiled, too.

She lightly tapped the iPad screen, her thoughts circling around the name "Maggie".

This wasn't about Margaret.

It was about his one true love—Marjorie.

Margaret felt the wetness of tears on her cheeks.

They all thought she was moved to tears.

And she was. She was deeply moved.

She was moved by the fact that her fiancé loved another woman this much.

The scene was over when Gavin finally noticed the bloodied mess of Margaret's feet.

He frowned, his expression shifting. "What happened to your feet? Weren't you at the hospital yesterday?"

Margaret gave a quiet, indifferent response, her tone flat. "I stepped out for a while."

Gavin lowered his gaze, then tore off a few sheets of tissue and placed them over his legs.

He had a thing about cleanliness, but still, he placed Margaret's feet on his legs.

If she hadn't witnessed Marjorie's bare feet placed so casually on Gavin's lap just yesterday, Margaret might have felt something.

Instead, a bitter smirk flickered in her eyes as she asked, "Why the sudden interest in getting married?"

"You've been... acting a little strange lately," Gavin remarked while watching her closely, his brow furrowed. While gently disinfecting her wounds, he added, "What's going on?"

Margaret simply replied, her voice distant. "Nothing."

Gavin still looked concerned, his eyes searching her face, as though trying to figure out what was really bothering her, especially after what happened later.

He received a phone call from his assistant, and after he hung up, his face darkened.

"You're planning to auction off the Blue Diamond?"

The Blue Diamond was the sapphire ring Gavin had given her last year. A one-of-a-kind, limited edition—only one in the world.

Once the news hit that the ring was up for auction, it created a stir, and the event hall was flooded with people.

Gavin stood up abruptly, the sound of Margaret's foot hitting the edge of the chair barely registering.

She sucked in a breath of pain, cold sweat dripping down her back.

Gavin asked again, his voice heavy, "Why are you selling the Blue Diamond?"

Margaret kept her head down as she calmly reached for the iodine and applied it to her feet.

"There's no reason. I just don't want it anymore."

Gavin stood frozen, half of his face shrouded in shadow, his breath quickening.

After a long moment, he squatted down and looked at her with an expression of cautious concern.

"Margaret, something's not right." His tone was almost gentle, as though he were treading carefully around her. "What's really going on?"

For a brief moment, a surge of emotion rose in Margaret's chest.

She wondered—should she just tell him everything?

Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe Gavin and Marjorie weren't what she thought.

Maybe... maybe Gavin really did love her.

Margaret clenched her jaw, taking a slow, deliberate breath before she spoke, "Actually, I—"

But just as she was about to continue, Gavin's phone rang again.

The familiar pearl emoji popped up on the screen.

Without a second thought, Gavin abandoned all thoughts of Margaret. He quickly stood and walked toward the door.

The sound of his voice was muffled by the glass doors. Soon he came back as he uttered, "I have an urgent meeting. I'll have to go. Take care of your wound."

Margaret called out to him, her voice shaking. "Gavin, don't you want to hear my answer?"

Gavin's brows knit together, and irritation flickered in his eyes.

"What do you plan to do with the Blue Diamond?" Margaret asked, her voice colder now.

Gavin pressed his fingers to his forehead. "If you want to sell it, then sell it," he said, his tone weary.

With a sigh, he added quietly, "We'll talk about it when I get back."

He hurried out, his footsteps fading as he disappeared around the corner.

Margaret's feet curled slightly, and she let out a short, bitter laugh.

She wanted to tell Gavin that all of her courage had run out.

She didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The auction hall was packed, the air thick with excitement.

As soon as Margaret sat down, someone approached her with a smile. "Ms. Chapman, I heard you're selling the Blue Diamond."

Margaret gave a faint smile, but before she could respond, the conversation had already shifted. "I'm set on getting the Blue Diamond today! It symbolizes Mr. Hartley's perfect love for Ms. Chapman. If I win it, maybe I'll find a man as amazing as him."

"You'd better not try to outbid me! The Blue Diamond has to be mine today!"

Margaret sat quietly in the corner, her gaze down while she absentmindedly scrolled through her phone.

On the screen, the latest surveillance footage appeared—Margaret had installed the cameras during her first visit to Marjorie's villa. From then on, she had kept a close eye on Marjorie, watching every move she made.

One by one, the auction items were presented, and when the Blue Diamond appeared, the room erupted in chaos.

"One million!"

"Three million!"

"Five million!"

The bids kept climbing, but Margaret remained calm while holding her earbud, the sounds from the video feed streaming directly into her ears.

"Just bid ten million." Gavin's voice came through clearly.

On the screen, she saw Gavin talking to his assistant.

"The Blue Diamond has to come back to me," he said, lighting a cigarette. The blue flame flickered in the dim light.

At that exact moment, the auctioneer called out from the event, "Ten million!"

The room went silent, stunned by the sudden jump in price.

"Who's bidding that high?"

"You don't know? I asked around. They said someone is bidding this Blue Diamond on behalf of his boss. Apparently, he's planning to give it to his wife."

"I heard they've been together for almost ten years now, but they're still acting like they're in the honeymoon phase."

"Wow, there's another great guy in the world... Why can't he be mine?"

"Ten million, sold!"

The hammer came down, and the Blue Diamond was once again in Gavin's hands.

In her earpiece, Margaret heard his low voice, calm and firm. "Bring it back."

Two hours later, Margaret, curled up in the corner of the auction hall, watched the footage on her phone. She saw a man from the auction driving the Blue Diamond back to Gavin.

Gavin took it carefully and placed it gently in Marjorie's hand.

The moment Marjorie saw the Blue Diamond, she screamed; "It's hers! This is Maggie's! Don't give it to me. I don't want it! This belongs to Maggie. Only she can wear it!

"You're Maggie's too! Why won't you marry her? You don't love her anymore, do you?"

With a swift gesture, Marjorie tossed the Blue Diamond. It slammed against the wall with a sharp crack, shattering into pieces.

To Gavin, ten million meant nothing.

He held Marjorie, his eyes red with unshed tears. "But you're my Maggie," he whispered, his voice thick with regret. "You're the one I want…"

He sighed, his breath heavy with frustration.

With a sharp motion, Margaret hurled her phone across the room.

The staff nearby jumped, startled, and quickly approached. "Ms. Chapman, is everything alright?"

Margaret shook her head lightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No problem at all." The staff member smiled, trying to ease the tension. "Congratulations, Ms. Chapman. You're getting married to Mr. Hartley in just three days."

Margaret froze, her heart sinking. "What do you mean?"

The staff member paused for a moment before raising her phone, grinning.

"It was just announced by Hartley Group. Your wedding with Mr. Hartley is set for three days from now. No need to keep it a secret anymore."

Margaret's face went pale, her expression stiff as if she had been struck by ice.

How absurd—she didn't even know she was getting married in three days.

All because Marjorie had asked, "Why won't you marry her?"