It was the last day before the gala. One more day of pretending. One more day of smiling through emptiness.

I wrapped a scarf around my hair, pulled on my coat, and made my way to the main hall to double-check the placement cards. That’s when the door creaked open behind me.

Marcella. Her smile was different—too sharp, too polished, like glass reflecting light. No audience this time. No parents. No Malcolm. Just us. And when it was just us, Marcella’s sweetness disappeared entirely.

She stepped inside as if the room belonged to her. “Up early, huh?” she said, voice dripping with mock cheer. “Still playing the perfect little worker bee? How admirable of you.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. I knew who she was when no one was watching.

It wasn’t new. I remembered her breaking my favorite porcelain doll and screaming that I had pushed her into the cabinet. I got grounded; she got a new dress. I remembered sneaking cookies because of her and taking the blame when we were caught while she walked away praised for her honesty.

Even as we grew older, she whispered cruel truths disguised as jokes:

“Malcolm only married you for the merger.”

“You’ll always be second-best, Amara. Doesn’t matter whose blood runs in your veins.”

It never ended. No one ever believed me when I spoke up. I was always the liar. The ungrateful one. The burden.

Maybe leaving the couple who had raised me with care—the ones who kissed my bruises and tucked me in—was a mistake. But they were gone now.

I had hoped coming to my real family would mean belonging somewhere. I was wrong.

Marcella crossed her arms, leaning against the doorway. “I need you to do something,” she said, crisp and commanding. “Don’t go to the gala tomorrow.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” she said, stepping closer and pulling an envelope from her coat. “Ticket’s in here. One-way. To a quiet resort in the province. A whole week. You like peace, don’t you?”

She placed the envelope on my dresser like it was an offering. “You don’t need to ruin the gala. Stay away from Malcolm while you’re at it. You’re not right for him, Amara. Never were.”

There it was. Her true voice. Cold. Entitled. Cruel.

“I know what you saw,” she added softly. “It doesn’t matter. You’re still married… for now. But it’s only a matter of time.”

I studied her, really studied her, and for the first time, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t bend.

“You don’t need to worry,” I said, calm and steady. “After tomorrow, you’ll never have to see me again.”

Her eyes flickered. “Good.”

I walked out without another word.

That night, I sank into a long bath, lavender steam fogging the mirror, my mind, my thoughts. Exhaustion wasn’t from the work or preparations—it was from pretending, from silencing myself.

When I stepped out, robe around me, hair towel-dried, the door slammed open.

My mother appeared, fury in every motion. She hurled something at me—a gown. Beaded, emerald green.

“What the hell is this?” she snapped. Then she tossed a delicate velvet box, which hit the floor and spilled its contents: a broken gold chain, emerald pendant shattered.

I stared. “Is… is this yours?”

She crossed her arms. “Marcella said she saw you near my room. Did you do this?”

“I… I didn’t,” I whispered, still frozen on the broken emerald.

“Liar,” she hissed. “Marcella saw you. You’ve always envied what isn’t yours. And now you destroy it?”

“I didn’t—” My voice caught. “I swear, I didn’t touch it.”

That was all it took.

A sharp crack echoed through the room. My head jerked.

She had slapped me. Hard.

The sting spread across my cheek, ears ringing—not from the pain, but from her words.

“I should’ve left you with the peasants who raised you!” she shrieked. “You think you’re one of us? You never will be. I regret claiming you as my daughter. Marcella is my only child.”

I froze, her words settling like stone in my chest.

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I stood there, trembling, the box still in my hands, heartbeat thudding like a drum.

A soft knock came.

Marcella stepped inside. “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching for me.

I recoiled, instinctively, but she drew closer, her false warmth brushing against my arm.

“You know,” she whispered, her voice coated in sisterly sweetness, “maybe she’s right. No one really loves you. You’re just… extra.”

Her words cut deeper than any slap.

Something inside me broke.

I shoved her.

My hands shoved Marcella, and for a brief second, she teetered back, eyes wide with shock. I hadn’t meant to push her that far—it wasn’t even a strong shove—but true to form, she made it a performance.

“You little—!” she hissed, lunging at me, nails aiming for my hair.

Before I could react, she had grabbed a fistful, yanking my head violently to the side. Pain lanced across my scalp as I struggled, clutching her wrist, trying to free myself.

“Enough!” I shouted, shoving her back again.

She scratched me. Sharp, burning lines marked my cheek and neck. We stumbled backward, grappling like feral children.

“What the hell is happening here?” Malcolm’s voice boomed as he stormed in.

Marcella melted into tears instantly. “She hit me! Look what she did!” she whimpered, holding up a faint red line on her arm.

“She attacked me first!” I shouted, pointing at my torn shirt, messy hair, and the small trickle of blood on my cheek.

Malcolm didn’t hesitate.

“Amara, what is wrong with you? Are you insane?”

“She started it!” I yelled, desperation in my voice. “She provoked me! She said—”

“Shut up,” he snapped, the word cutting like a whip. “God, you’re pathetic. Always the problem.”

I froze as Marcella sniffled behind him, clutching her staged injuries.

Malcolm’s eyes locked onto mine, colder than I had ever seen. “You’re nothing compared to Marcella. Elegant, composed. And you? Just a bitter, messy shadow.”

The room fell into a heavy silence. The kind that follows betrayal—weighty, permanent. He didn’t even check on me.

I am his wife. And none of it mattered anymore.

That night, I cried myself to sleep. The scratch on my cheek throbbed, but the ache in my chest was far worse.

The next morning, Malcolm asked me to accompany him shopping for the gala. I agreed—for the last time.

At the boutique, he draped a hand lightly on my lower back, as he always did in public, as if to show care. As if he hadn’t spent the previous night in someone else’s arms.

He browsed suits and luxury gifts, while I followed behind, silent, detached. My phone buzzed. Kaia.

“Who’s that?” Malcolm asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes as he reached for my phone.

I pulled it back, holding it close. “Do you really need to read my private messages?” I asked, arching a brow.

His jaw tightened, but he stepped back. “Enough with the phone. We’re heading home soon.”

Once back at the estate, he excused himself, claiming a meeting.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I moved quickly. Into the study. I opened the hidden safe behind the bookshelf and retrieved the hospital report from my miscarriage—the one no one mourned with me.

I slid it into an envelope, added the signed divorce papers, and finally, our wedding ring.

Sealing it carefully, I called a delivery service to send it to Malcolm during the gala.

Then, I took one last walk through the estate. Wiping down every surface I touched. Deleting my fingerprints from the smart lock. Leaving the keys neatly on the dining table. Every trace of me erased.