Under the soft light, Isabella stood there, stunning as always. She'd just come out from a shower, wearing nothing but a black silk cami dress that hugged her figure-every curve visible under the sheen, seductive without trying.

"You and Theodore are done. You seriously think you still have a place here?"

With no one else around, Isabella didn't bother keeping up appearances. Her tone was sharp and cutting.

Victoria reached out and grabbed something off the table. Lifting up the document, she replied coolly, "Relax. Once I take this, you won't see me around again."

"I meant, stay away from Theodore-period." Isabella's eyes narrowed. "She must've been confused-giving you that brooch. It was never meant for you. It's mine, and deep down, you know that. You're just the ex-wife clinging to what's no longer hers. Try not to embarrass yourself."

She looked at Victoria from above, the disdain in her gaze impossible to miss.

Her lips parted slightly, disbelief flashing across her face before turning to steel. She'd never sought conflict, but something inside her cracked..

A mocking smile slowly tugged at her lips. "For someone who acts so confident, you're awfully quiet about the truth. So tell me, Miss Waters-how long do you think your secrets will stay hidden? Sooner or later, they always crawl into the light."

Victoria continued, "Maybe one of these days, if I'm in a bad mood, I'll be the one to dig it all up. Let's see if you still get to keep that Best Actress crown then."

Isabella's face paled, panic flashing across her eyes. Without warning, she slapped Victoria across the face. "How dare you!"

Victoria didn't hesitate-she slapped her right back.

Isabella froze, clearly not expecting the hit.

The tension in the room was electric when Theodore came downstairs.

Isabella instantly shifted gears, stuffing down all her anger like it never existed. Sweet, gentle, doting mode: activated.

She walked over, cuddling up to him like she owned the place. "Theo, Victoria just came to pick up her stuff. She was just leaving."

Victoria wasn't planning to interfere, but hearing that made her roll her eyes. Why let Isabella have the upper hand? She looked Theodore straight in the eye. "I need to talk to you."

He didn't even blink. "Isabella, I'll have the driver take you home."

Her smile stiffened. Was he seriously kicking her out for Victoria?

She quietly let go of his arm. "Fine."

She didn't even bother changing, just threw on a coat and walked out, clearly trying to hold back her temper but not quite pulling it off.

And for once, Theodore didn't go chasing after her.

That surprised Victoria. She wasn't expecting him to pick sides.

Once Isabella was gone, she didn't waste time. "Gina passed away. The funeral's the day after tomorrow. My dad wants you to come with me."

Theodore didn't react much. He leaned back lazily on the couch, uninterested.

Instead of answering, he tossed out a condition.

"Grandma's health isn't stable. Any bad news could hurt her. I need you to keep pretending-for three months. After that, I'll tell her we're divorced."

So that's why he sent Isabella away.

Victoria paused for a second, then nodded. "Alright."

The brooch at her collar glinted as she turned, and something shifted in Theodore's expression-darker, unreadable. Victoria noticed. Wordlessly, she reached for it, ready to take it off and give it back.

"I did refuse it, but Grandma insisted. Still, I think it should go back to its rightful owner."

Hearing that, Theodore grew a bit annoyed. Did she really hate having anything to do with the Chambers family that much?

His eyes, cold and sharp, landed on the necklace around her neck. Three years, and he's never seen her take it off. She clearly cherished it. Probably a gift from Elijah.

His face turned darker. Voice low and a little stiff, he said, "Keep it. Since we're still putting on the act, let's do it properly. Otherwise Grandma might get suspicious."

His mood kept shifting in weird ways, but Victoria didn't bother figuring him out. When love's gone, there's nothing left to care about.

As she was about to go, he spoke again. "Sooner or later, someone'll catch on if you move out. If the media gets hold of it and Grandma sees, it'll hit her even harder. For now, just stay here."

Divorced, yet she still had to face all the ghosts of their past in this house?

The couch. The balcony. The bedroom.

Every inch of this place whispered of their once-crazy intimacy.

Funny, really. He never loved her, yet in those three years, he played the role of a decent husband.

Everything but love-she'd had all of it.

"Problem?"

Victoria shook her head. "Just make sure Isabella is taken care of. Don't need more drama."

That night, she quietly carried her comforter to the guest room, leaving the master bedroom to Theodore.

Sleep didn't come easy. The night felt long and messy. She lay wide awake.

By the time she opened her eyes, it was already nine. Normally, Theodore would be at the office by now, so she didn't bother changing-just padded downstairs in her pajamas to grab a glass of milk from the kitchen.

Then, she heard the faint creak of the front door. Someone was coming in.

"Theodore," came Isabella' voice.

Startled, Victoria's brain short-circuited, and she instinctively ducked into the kitchen.

The man strolled lazily downstairs. From where he was, he easily spotted her trying to hide.

The corner of his mouth tugged up in amusement, but he didn't say anything.

Beaming, Isabella walked up with a lovingly packed breakfast in hand. Her voice sugary sweet, she said, "Someone didn't bother sweet-talking me, so I had to do it myself. Even made some smoked salmon bagel this morning to win your heart."

It was the kind of teasing intimacy between lovers-something Victoria had never even dared to hope for.

"Aren't you worried about the paparazzi? Could mess up your career, Miss Waters."

She giggled. "What, you can't afford to take care of me, Chambers?"

As she spoke, she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, even playfully nibbling on his chin.

Theodore's gaze flicked toward the kitchen, his brow creasing a little.

Victoria leaned against the fridge, hearing every mushy word from the living room. Her chest felt suffocating. She took another sip of milk, lips twitching.

Straight-up self-inflicted misery.

A while later, Theodore made up some excuse and had someone escort Isabella out.

"She's gone. You can come out now."

Victoria stepped out from the kitchen, looking up to find him staring at her with a slightly smug expression.

"Why were you hiding?"

"Didn't feel like dealing with your darling sweetheart. Figured I'd give you two lovebirds your moment."

He said nothing, but his gaze dropped to the milk on her lips. His throat tightened suddenly, remembering the heat of that one wild night.

That mental image came way too fast, and this time, logic didn't stop it.

They weren't standing that far apart. The moment he spaced out, he pulled her straight into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

"Theo-"

Her shocked gasp got swallowed up in the kiss.

Theodore placed one hand under her, laying her gently on the sofa, his other hand gripping her waist firmly to keep her still.

Victoria, already teetering on the edge, suddenly remembered how close Theodore and Isabella had become. That thought felt like a thorn under her skin.

Her lashes lowered slightly, dulling the light in her eyes. A soft word slipped out from her lips-just one word, but it stopped him cold.

"Disgusting."

Reality snapped back like a slap. Theodore quickly let go. He looked down at her pale face and let out a cold, bitter laugh.

"Did you feel disgusting with Elijah too?" he scoffed. "Or is it just with me?"

Victoria's breath caught in her throat at the jab. Her expression dimmed even more. She looked up and stared at him without saying a word.

Theodore raised an eyebrow and stepped back, face turning distant and cold.

"Gina's funeral is tomorrow morning at nine. Don't forget." That was all she said before turning and walking away.

Just like that, the whole incident passed without much of a ripple.

Rain drizzled nonstop. Gina's funeral had only a handful of close friends and family. Everyone stood quietly under umbrellas.

Hannah was sobbing uncontrollably in William's arms.

Victoria and Theodore stood off in a quiet corner. As she looked at the people who once felt like home, at these so-called parents and relatives, all she saw now were strangers.

Staring at the photo on the gravestone, memories surged-her painstaking effort to piece together that crushed skull. Her brows tightened.

Five years ago, she was the princess of the Ellis family, adored by all. Then they found their real daughter, Gina, and just like that, everything changed.

Too many things happened since. Gina wasn't the sweet innocent girl she pretended to be. She killed Victoria's cat, twisted the truth, made herself the victim.

That was all it took for William and Hannah to believe that Victoria had faked it all just to get rid of Gina-that she was jealous and cruel.

And things like that happened over and over. Within a year, Victoria was thrown out, ties completely severed.

"Aren't you going to go comfort your parents?"

The low voice behind her pulled her thoughts back.

Victoria's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked at Hannah, barely staying upright from grief. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. She took one step forward... then stopped. In the end, she didn't move closer.

Just as Hannah was about to faint from all the crying, her phone buzzed again and again.

She unlocked it-an unfamiliar email. Inside was a video.

She and William exchanged a glance, then tapped play.

The clip showed Gina arguing with a skinny woman. From Gina's face, she was clearly upset.

Hannah's voice was hoarse, her hands trembling, "This... this was before Gina went missing... Who's that woman?"

William's brows drew together, a terrible feeling creeping in. That figure... looked too much like Victoria.

But he didn't say it.

Not until the woman turned-and her face became clear on the screen.

The shock hit hard. Hannah's phone slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a loud thud.

It was Victoria.

"She killed Gina..." Hannah mumbled, face pale as a ghost, struggling to believe what she just saw. She turned her head and saw Victoria standing a short distance away with an umbrella. Something inside her snapped. Like a tight string suddenly breaking. She lost it-rushed over and slammed into her, both hands wrapped around Victoria's neck.

"You took my daughter! You killed my Gina!"

The chaos drew every pair of eyes their way.

Victoria gasped for air. Hannah's nails dug deep into her skin, leaving harsh indents, as if she really meant to strangle her.

Her arm dropped limply, the umbrella clattered onto the ground.

Theodore's eyes turned cold in an instant. He yanked Hannah's hands off Victoria with force and shielded her with his body. The moment he caught sight of the fresh red marks down her pale neck, his expression darkened.

"Why didn't you dodge?"

His tone was harsh. He turned to her-she just stood there, stunned out of her mind, not reacting at all.

Hannah was still spiraling, her bloodshot eyes locked onto Victoria. "We took care of you for over twenty years! This is how you pay us back?!"

She lunged at her again-never once giving Victoria a chance to explain.

In the scuffle, Hannah yanked the necklace off Victoria's neck and threw it to the ground.

"Elijah!"

The name slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Ignoring the rain and the crowd's stares, she darted over and scooped the necklace into her hands, cradling it close like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Her fragile expression made something in Theodore's chest twist unpleasantly. He clenched his jaw and walked over quietly, holding the umbrella over her head.

"Hannah, calm down!"

William tried to soothe her, casting Victoria a conflicted look. He didn't say a word, but his eyes-those eyes were full of disappointment.

Victoria had no idea what was going on. All she felt was a sharp, aching hollowness in her chest, like someone had carved it open and just left it bleeding. Her knees hit the ground, weak and unsteady.

She did nothing wrong. She hadn't hurt anyone. After all these years-her supposed parents didn't believe in her either?

"Hannah!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Hannah suddenly collapsed.

The funeral turned into a mess after that, ending earlier than planned.

Just beneath the trees at the edge of the cemetery, a slim figure disappeared into the rain. Isabella closed the car door with a smirk after watching the show.

But the memory of Theodore shielding Victoria made her grip her phone so tight her knuckles went white. Then she shoved it at the man next to her.

"Get someone dependable. Wipe out any trace of this."

Aaron Mills didn't know why she was so involved in the Ellis family's mess, but he backed her without question. "Don't worry. I've got it."

Isabella turned her head, watching through the window as Theodore held the umbrella over Victoria.

She thought the what Victoria had suffered-far from enough. Not a single look from Theodore should land on anyone else.

Back at the villa, Isabella filled the bathtub with cold water, shed her clothes, and slowly sank into it.

...

In the heavy downpour, Victoria tucked the necklace away, her eyes suddenly sharp with resolve. She wasn't going to take the blame for something she didn't do. She needed to go back and get real answers from the Ellis family.

As she stood, her legs gave out for a second, and she stumbled. A hand caught her wrist just in time-Theodore's.

Her skin was ice cold.

He'd seen that look in her earlier-blank, hollow. He figured she must've been thinking of Elijah. A sour feeling bubbled up in him, annoyance-but also, strangely, something like heartbreak.

Victoria pulled her arm back from Theodore's grasp, snapping out of her daze.

"Thanks," she murmured, her voice low, eyes dropping to conceal the storm swirling inside.

With everything in chaos, she had no choice but to head home.

Theodore got in the car too. Before Victoria could say a word, he calmly stated, "I'll take you."

That was a first. He was always buried in work, and not once had he offered to drive her anywhere. Victoria turned to look at his profile, dazed for a moment.

Rain still poured outside. The pounding against the car windows was nonstop, and a chilly draft crept in through a crack, making Victoria shiver.

Moments later, she saw Theodore reach out, turning up the heater.

Her gaze flickered. Was he... actually worried about her?

But the thought was gone as soon as it came.

She couldn't forget how recently he'd been at the hospital, holding Isabella gently, comforting her, saying the divorce had gone through and promising to make things right.

Victoria's lips curled into a bitter smile as she turned to stare out the window.

Everything outside was a blur behind the sheets of rain-directionless, just like her-without a home to return to.

The car came to a stop in front of the Ellis family house.

As soon as she got out, Theodore's phone rang.

On the other end, Isabella's voice was feeble, barely hanging on. It sounded like she'd fall apart any second.

"You suddenly have a fever?" Theodore asked.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, face pale as paper from the chill. "Maybe I caught a cold... I'm not sure. Don't worry about me. Go take care of Victoria."

Then, deliberately, she knocked over a glass on the table, letting it crash to the floor. She screamed into the phone.

"Ahh!"

"Isabella?" Theodore frowned sharply, but the call had already ended.

His lips pressed into a tight line. Without another thought, he rushed back toward the car.

As if just remembering something, he paused and looked back at Victoria, his expression unreadable. "Something came up. I gotta go."

Victoria gave a small nod and stepped back.

She didn't respond-because deep down, she knew the truth.

To Theodore, it was only ever Isabella who truly mattered.

She turned and walked into the villa. Behind her, the sound of the engine roared to life and faded into the distance, taking her heart down with it.

His eyes caught the lone figure in the rearview mirror-umbrella in hand, unmoving. A storm of conflicted thoughts swirled behind his still expression, but he remained frozen, as if torn between staying and leaving.

He had waited.

Waited for Victoria to stop him. To say something.

But she didn't. Not a word. She wanted him gone-was that it?

Inside the house, it was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Victoria let her eyes skim the living room, then froze at the faint noise upstairs. She inhaled deeply and slowly climbed the steps.

At the master bedroom door-slightly ajar-a hoarse female voice came through.

"You brought her into our home, and look what happened! We never should've adopted her. She murdered my daughter-Gina was just a kid! Call the cops! She has to pay. I won't stop until there's justice. She doesn't deserve to walk free!"

Hannah's cries turned to rage, her voice rising with every word. The hatred was so raw you could feel it.

She had once loved Victoria like her own daughter. Never would she have imagined things would come to this.

And William just stood there with a face full of sorrow, his hand gently rubbing Hannah's back.

He let out a long breath, voice heavy with disappointment and pain.

"How... how could Victoria turn out like this?"

Victoria's knees almost gave out as she leaned weakly against the railing, all the color drained from her face.

Even her dad believed it now?

What really crushed her wasn't the made-up accusation-it was the heartbreak of watching the people she once called family refuse to believe her at all.

How was she supposed to stay strong with that?

That's when William stepped outside. The second he saw her, he froze with surprise.

"You... what are you doing here?"

This had been her home, too.

But now, coming back here felt like trespassing.

Victoria opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Inside, Hannah spotted her and stumbled out of the house, charging straight at her.

"You murderer! I'm going to kill you!"

Her hair was a mess, eyes wild with rage and heavy with tears that hadn't dried. She looked terrifying.

Victoria was caught off guard and instinctively backed up several steps-almost falling down the stairs.

The look in Hannah's bloodshot eyes was like poison.

"Dad, Mom... you really don't believe me?"

It felt like someone stabbed Victoria in the chest-deep and merciless.

William held Hannah back, shooting Victoria a complicated look.

"Just go... don't come back."

That said everything.

They didn't believe her.

To them, she was already a killer.

In that moment, the wall she'd painstakingly built around herself came crashing down.

"You were the one who took me in, who said I was family. You know who I am! And now you won't even give me the chance to defend myself?"

She'd been carrying so much these past few days, the pressure in her chest was suffocating, like something heavy and wet clogging her lungs.

"Victoria, I..."

William's face twisted with guilt. He'd always treated her like his own.

But with everything that had happened, with what looked like solid evidence, how could he ignore his real daughter's death just for her sake?

His thoughts were a mess of conflict, and before anyone could react, Hannah broke free from his arms and ran barefoot up the stairs toward the rooftop.

"Hannah!"

Both of them took off after her.

As they reached the rooftop, Victoria saw Hannah already climbing over the protective railing. Her dress flapped wildly in the wind, and she swayed dangerously with every gust, like death could whisk her away at any second.

They were on the fourth floor-if she jumped, there'd be no coming back.

"Mom!"

"Hannah!"

Their voices trembled with fear, but neither dared rush forward in case it spooked her more.

Rain soaked them to the bones. The wind bit through their wet clothes, making them shiver.

Victoria blinked through the rain. "Mom, please... just calm down. Can we talk? Please?"

But Hannah didn't respond to her-her eyes locked on William.

"We only had Gina. Just one daughter. If you can't get justice for her, William, then what's the point? I'll go be with her instead!"

"My poor baby. She must be so cold and lonely down there. I've got no reason to stay here anymore-I might as well keep her company!"

William trembled, trying to reach her. "Stop saying that! Hannah, I'm here-we'll go through this together. Just come back down, please!"

Watching this unfold, Victoria's heart hurt so badly, it physically ached.

But who caused all this anyway?

She clenched her fists tight, nails digging into her palms.

"Mom!"

The word burst out of her, and suddenly she dropped to her knees on the soaked rooftop with a hard thud.