Sasha hadn't expected him to recognize a bracelet before he recognized her.

Her chest tightened, emotions swirling too fast to name. She opened her mouth—

"Sasha, you didn't get my permission," Mira cut in. "Why'd you steal my bracelet?"

She stepped in fast, claws out. Her nails raked across Sasha's hand, slicing clean lines of blood.

Sasha hissed, yanking back—too slow.

Mira threw herself backward like she'd been shoved.

Vincent's face shifted in an instant. He caught Mira like it was instinct, eyes locking onto Sasha—cold and unreadable.

"So that's it. I almost believed you." His voice dropped. "You stole Mira's bracelet. And when you got exposed, you attacked her? Sasha, you're disgusting."

No hesitation. No space for her side. Just blind trust in Mira.

Something icy slid down Sasha's spine.

She lifted her bleeding hand, voice shaking with raw, helpless fury. "If you remember this bracelet, then you should've noticed—Mira never wore it after you got your sight back. Because she doesn't even know it exists. She was never the one who—"

Crack.

Donald's hand smashed across her face.

Everything went black as she crashed into the champagne tower.

Glass shattered around her as the champagne tower collapsed, soaking her in sticky cold.

She hit the floor hard, cuts blooming across her skin, her whole body screaming. Tears mixed with blood and glass.

Diana stalked over, face like stone. Without a word, she dumped her wine straight over Sasha's face.

"Mira didn't wear it," she snapped, "because it was damaged and sent out for repairs. The butler just got it back today. You slipped it on while we were gone and tried to pass it off as yours?"

Donald jumped right in. "It's bad enough you cause drama at home, but today? Your sister's birthday? You embarrassed the entire Clarke family. That bracelet was your grandmother's favorite—meant for her most beloved, Mira. You? You were never in the running."

Vincent didn't even question it. Just like that, he believed them.

He held Mira close while she fake-cried like her lungs were collapsing, gently wiping her tears.

Then he crossed the room, crouched by Sasha, and grabbed her bruised wrist.

He unclasped the bracelet, wiped the blood off with his handkerchief, and gently fastened it around Mira's wrist like it was sacred.

"This holds your grandmother's love—and our five years together," he said softly. "I won't let anyone stain that."

After that, Vincent turned to Donald, his tone ice-cold.

"Mr. Clarke, Sasha stole family property and showed her true colors. Aren't you going to discipline her?"

Donald nodded like he'd been waiting for permission. He barked for someone to bring a whip and grabbed it himself.

"By family rules, what Sasha did today earns fifty lashes. I failed to raise her right and ruined everyone's celebration. I'll punish this unfilial daughter right here and uphold the Clarke name."

The whip cracked down.

Sasha's body jolted, her back torn open on impact. Pain exploded through her spine.

A scream ripped from her throat. Blood soaked through her clothes in seconds.

Everything blurred. Her voice came out in shattered gasps.

"I didn't... steal anything. That bracelet... it was mine. Grandma gave it to me..."

She lay there, shaking, drowning in pain and blood.

Vincent didn't flinch. He just covered Mira's eyes and walked her away.

As their silhouettes faded, Sasha shut her bloodshot eyes.

She bit down on her torn lip, already smeared with blood and tears, and stayed silent.

When it was over, Donald and Diana didn't even look at her. They just left.

One by one, the guests and staff trickled out, whispering, sneering—no one stopped. No one cared.

She stayed there, wrecked on the cold floor, the lights clicking off around her.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Sasha didn't make it to the hospital till early morning, limping in solo once she scraped together enough strength.

The doctor flinched when he saw her. Took three hours just to clean and wrap everything.

She was shaking so bad her clothes stuck to her from sweat. Ended up snapping a few nails from clenching too hard.

After two days in that hospital bed, the scabs finally started forming.

During that stretch, Mira blew up Sasha's phone with nonstop taunts:

[Mom and Dad said they're turning your room into a nursery. When Vincent and I bring our baby home, that's where they'll stay. So when are you clearing out your junk?]

[Went wedding dress shopping today. Vincent couldn't pick, so he bought them all. I tried on heels till my feet were dead—he even rubbed my legs after.]

Sasha scrolled through photos of him staring at Mira like she hung the stars.

Sasha's eyes were empty. Nothing left.

She didn't reply. Just waited for the pain to fade, then went home and packed.

Besides her documents and bare essentials, she trashed everything. Not a single thing stayed.

The butler hovered nearby, nervous. "Your sister wants you in the basement. The light's bad, but it's big. You don't have to toss all this."

Sasha stared at the stripped room, voice flat. "No point. I won't need any of it. Throw it all out. I'm leaving the country soon. I'm not coming back."

The butler stiffened. "You're leaving... and not coming back?"

Before the butler could respond, Vincent pushed into the hallway. "Who's leaving and not coming back?"

He barely got the words out before Mira popped out of the bedroom. "Why're you here so early? I haven't even finished my makeup."

Vincent didn't even look at the butler. Just walked over, tapped Mira's nose. "No rush. I've got time."

"I can never get my brows right," she pouted. "You're good with your hands—help me?"

They laughed, chatted, and slipped back into the room, door swinging shut behind them.

Sasha looked away, silent, dragging her packed suitcase behind her.

The rest of the day, Vincent and Mira were stuck together like glue—grossly affectionate.

He made her breakfast, fed her piece by piece, arms around her like they were in some rom-com.

They watched movies—he kept pausing to explain random Easter eggs like it mattered.

Out on the balcony, he kissed her hard, let her lipstick stain his collar. The way he smiled at her... yeah, there was no hiding it.

The servants, catching glimpses, couldn't help whispering.

"Mira and Mr. Scythe are glued together. Not even married yet, and already acting like newlyweds."

"She's been spoiled since forever. Once they tie the knot? Forget it. No one'll be able to tell her anything. Girl's got it made."

"Feel bad for Sasha though. Ignored her whole life, then falls for her sister's fiance? That's brutal. Same blood, totally different luck."

Sasha stood behind the door, hearing every word. Her eyes dropped, quiet.

She used to ask fate why it hated her so much—over and over.

But dying once? That changed everything.

If she had to fight that hard to keep something, it was never really hers to begin with.

Family. Love. All of it.

So now? She didn't hold on to anything. She just wanted out—no mess, no looking back, no getting dragged down again.

At dinner time, the staff said Donald and Diana had booked a private room at some hillside hotel and expected everyone there.

Sasha opened her mouth to bail, but Mira yanked her into the back seat before she could get a word out.

The whole drive, Mira kept talking, and Vincent just played along—every word.

"Vincent, after we get married, can we honeymoon in Eurphie? I wanna see the aurora, hit up fashion week, all of it. You'll have to take, like, a million pics of me. I want your phone, laptop, tablet—everything—set to my selfies. No repeats."

"Deal," Vincent said. "I'll even hire a few pros to sharpen my skills. Gonna catch you at your best, print every shot, hang 'em in my office and study. That way, anytime I miss you, I just look up."

"Then don't back out later. When we have kids, we'll flip through those albums with them. Hey, how many do you want? If it's a boy, he should totally look like you—tall and hot. But if it's a girl, she better take after me..."

They kept going, like Sasha wasn't even there.

She stared out the window, silent.

The day Vincent got his sight back, she'd been out cold on sleeping pills, trapped in a dream.

In it, she was the first face he saw when he woke. After that, no one else existed to him.

He stuck to her side, lined up surprise after surprise, took her everywhere, showed her a world bursting with color.

He dropped to one knee and proposed like he meant it. Walked her down the aisle hand in hand. Wrapped his arms around her and their kid for family photos.

In that dream, she had someone who loved her for real. A tiny family that was hers.

Then she woke up, and it all popped like a bubble.

She'd given everything she had—and still ended up dying a brutal death.

Her thoughts were spiraling when the sharp screech of brakes yanked her back.

A sports car was barreling straight at them, clearly out of control.

Then—boom. Metal crunched, glass exploded, and their car smashed headfirst into a bridge pillar.

Sasha felt like her whole body shattered. Blood poured from her forehead, arms, legs—everywhere.

The pain hit so hard she couldn't even breathe, like she was being ripped apart from the inside.

Through the blur of red, she forced her eyes open—just enough to see Vincent pulling a shaking Mira from the wreck.

The doors on both sides were crushed in. Flames were already licking up from the trunk.

Sasha bit down hard, lips splitting as she forced herself to stay awake. Her body screamed in pain, but she dragged herself toward the front seat anyway.

Every move left a trail—blood dripping on the seats, pooling on the ground.

She'd barely made it out and stumbled a few steps when the car blew.

The explosion roared behind her, flames shooting high, the shockwave slamming her into the pavement.

She stared at the wreckage, heart ice-cold.

If she'd hesitated, blacked out for even a second... she would've died in that fire. Again.

From the moment it all went down to the second she clawed her way out—five minutes passed.

And not once did Vincent look her way.

Even after Mira was safe in his arms, he never turned back. Never even thought to check if Sasha was still breathing.

Watching Vincent hold Mira close, whispering soft reassurances, Sasha let out a tired, bitter smile.

Her strength gave out. Eyelids heavy, like someone had dropped bricks on them.

Somewhere in the blur, ambulance sirens wailed. Nurses' voices cut through the haze.

"The other patient's in critical condition—she's already unconscious from blood loss. Mr. Scythe, she needs surgery first or she won't make it!"

"Mira's hurt too! Treat her first. I don't care what happens to Sasha—just save Mira!"

That voice. Cold. Familiar.

Sasha cracked her eyes open just enough to see Vincent's face—tight with panic, but not for her.

Donald and Diana showed up right after, crowding around Mira, tears streaming.

"Save Mira first. She's our treasure. If anything happens to her, how am I supposed to face my wife?"

"Exactly. We're their family. If Sasha doesn't make it, we won't blame the hospital. Just focus on Mira!"

Every word landed the same way—they chose Mira. Again.

Whatever hope Sasha still had snapped and went dark.

Blackness rushed in, pulling her under.

That old helpless fear from the moment she died before wrapped tight around her all over again.