Claire slowed to a halt. Gradually and with clear intention, she raised her eyes toward Jessie.

Something about that gaze made Jessie's chest tighten. She even shifted backward half a step before forcing herself to stop.

"Jessie, stop talking like that." Lorraine intervened with a sharp tone, though her hand rested protectively on Jessie's arm. "Claire might be... troublesome at times, but theft isn't something she'd do. Isn't that right, Claire?"

A carefully arranged smile appeared on Lorraine's face. "It's only a necklace. If you liked it, you could've asked me directly. Why go through the trouble of..."

"I didn't take it," Claire interrupted before Lorraine could finish, her voice steady and emotionless.

"You didn't?" Jessie scoffed and immediately reached for the old canvas tote Claire had left beside the sofa. "Then you won't mind if I check!"

Before she could grab it, Claire's hand shot forward and seized Jessie's wrist.

Her grip was firm and cold, as immovable as iron. Jessie stiffened instantly, unable to pull away.

Behind the thick frames of Claire's glasses, her eyes remained eerily composed. "You have no right to touch my belongings."

"Oh? Getting scared now?" Jessie's confidence faltered under that calm stare, a shiver creeping along her spine, yet she still shouted toward Lorraine. "Mom, look at her! She obviously took it! She's been in prison before—how could someone like her see diamonds and not get greedy?!"

Lorraine's brows drew together as she arranged a look of displeasure. "Claire, have we ever denied you anything in this house? If there was something you wanted, you only needed to ask. Why lower yourself to something like this? That necklace was a birthday present Jessie's father gave her. It's valued at more than three million. This isn't some small matter."

"I already told you I didn't take it." Claire let go of Jessie's wrist and spoke with measured calm, each word firm and deliberate.

"Of course you didn't," Jessie mocked while rubbing the reddened mark on her wrist, anger flashing through her eyes. Then her gaze sharpened suddenly. "Wait. Why does your bag look so full?"

Before Claire had the chance to answer, Jessie lunged forward. Her hand shot into the side pocket of the canvas tote and pulled out a velvet jewelry box.

"See? I knew it!" Jessie exclaimed, triumph spreading across her face as she flipped the lid open.

Inside rested a diamond necklace. Under the lights, it sparkled intensely, the central gem shining with blinding brilliance.

Lorraine inhaled sharply, her voice heavy with exaggerated disappointment. "Claire! Have we ever treated you poorly in this household? Yet you still did something like this? Do you understand what people will say about us? How will the family face anyone after this?"

"There's the proof," Jessie said with satisfaction, waving the jewelry box as if it were a prize. "What excuse do you have now? Mom, call the police. Let them take this ex-con back to where she belongs."

At the far side of the room, several maids working in the dining area couldn't stop themselves from whispering among each other.

"Who would've guessed she was that kind of person? She always looks so quiet, but those are the ones you can't trust."

"I heard she served time before. A real convict. There's no way Mr. Willis married her willingly—he must have been tricked."

"People never really change. Naturally, she'd aim for the most expensive thing she could find. A necklace worth over three million—has she ever even seen that much money before?"

"That's enough." Claire's quiet voice sliced through the chatter, and the room immediately fell silent.

Her eyes moved slowly from the necklace—flashy and almost offensive in its brilliance—to the two women standing in front of her, their expressions full of calculation and hostility.

The entire scene suddenly felt absurd and draining.

Three years of her life had been spent on these people in this house.

During that time, she had done more than her share for Jessie.

Jessie had beauty and very little else to rely on. Trouble followed her everywhere, and the family was always left cleaning up the chaos she created.

The last incident involved the Morgan family, and if Claire hadn't gone alone to handle the situation, Jessie would have paid a high price.

Unfortunately, Jessie turned against the very person who had helped her.

Claire had poured in everything she had, only to be rewarded with insults.

Slowly, Claire straightened her posture.

Her appearance hadn't changed. Her features were still plain, and the dress she wore remained ordinary. Yet the way she stood in the center of the room carried a different presence now, a quiet pressure that made the air feel heavier. Jessie felt a strange unease rising in her chest without understanding why.

"It's only a necklace," Claire said calmly. "And yet you went through all this effort just to put on this little show?"

"What are you trying to say? You think this is some kind of act?" Jessie shot back, her voice rising sharply.

Rather than argue, Claire simply stepped closer and extended her hand toward Jessie.

Startled, Jessie instinctively stepped backward while clutching the jewelry box tightly against her chest. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to get rid of the evidence?"

A faint smile appeared on Claire's lips.

In the next instant, her hand moved swiftly and the velvet box was snatched straight out of Jessie's grip.

"Hey!" Jessie barely managed to start protesting before Claire flicked her wrist.

The box sailed through the open front door in a smooth arc before plunging directly into the courtyard fountain with a loud splash.

"My necklace!" Jessie screamed as she dashed outside.

Lorraine's composure faltered, the color draining from her face.

Claire brushed her hands together casually, as though she had just discarded something completely worthless. Then she faced Lorraine again, her gaze steady and her tone cool and precise.

"Lorraine, setting me up like this is painfully obvious. Should we review the surveillance footage and see who placed that necklace inside my bag?"

Lorraine's expression stiffened. For a brief moment, no words came out of her mouth.

"And there's something else you should know." Claire kept her tone calm and steady. "Ten minutes ago, Cade and I signed the divorce papers. From this point forward, I have nothing to do with your family. I'm no longer your daughter-in-law, and you don't get to slander or insult me whenever you feel like it. As for that necklace, since it's sitting at the bottom of the fountain now, you can retrieve it yourselves."

Right after that, Claire didn't give either woman another glance. Without hesitation, she turned and walked upstairs.

Only after the faint sound of a door closing echoed from the upper floor did Jessie rush back into the living room.

Water dripped from her clothes as she shouted angrily, "Mom! She—she threw my necklace into the fountain! She's completely crazy! Call Cade and make him come back so he can deal with her..."

"Be quiet." Lorraine's sharp voice cut Jessie off, her expression dark and severe.

Her eyes remained fixed on the staircase, and suddenly a memory from three years earlier resurfaced.

At that time, Lorraine had passed the study and caught sight of Claire standing quietly at Cade's desk. Papers detailing an overseas acquisition were spread across the desk, along with several rare antiques.

Lorraine had assumed Claire was simply staring at them in fascination. She even found the situation amusing, thinking that an orphan wouldn't recognize the value of what she was looking at.

Now, however, a forgotten detail returned with striking clarity.

Claire hadn't been paying attention to the antiques at all!

Instead, her eyes had moved across a complicated column of financial numbers, and she had given the slightest shake of her head.

Lorraine felt a chill run down her spine. A creeping sense of unease tightened around her heart.

Perhaps... she had never truly understood the woman she had dismissed so easily.

After stepping into the bedroom, Claire began packing her belongings with quick, practiced movements. When she finished, she took out a second phone and opened a messaging app she hadn't used in years.

Inside a small group chat with only a few people in it, she sent a single message.

"I'm divorced. Back to being single."

Almost instantly, her phone buzzed without stopping as replies flooded in.

Nate Singh, her racing partner, responded first, "Wait. What? Claire, did someone hack your account?"

Right behind him came Kenneth Wright's reply—the medical genius everyone jokingly called a miracle doctor. "This deserves a celebration. You're free now. Drinks tonight. No backing out."

Next to appear was Zayne Ford's reply—the hacker of the group. "Want me to erase your online footprint? Send me your IP. I'll do it for free. Cade won't be able to track you."

Jemma Scott, Claire's jewelry designer friend, chimed in with obvious excitement. "About time. I told you that man was never good enough for you. Claire, I'm sending you something from my 'Rebirth' collection. Let the world see how brightly you can shine."

The notifications came so quickly that the screen began to blur.

Reading their messages, Claire felt something inside her soften. These friends were noisy, stubborn, and unfailingly loyal.

With calm fingers, she typed a short reply. "I'm serious. Divorce is finalized. See you at the same place later."

After placing the phone aside, she walked to the farthest corner of the walk-in closet. Hidden behind a row of hanging clothes, a concealed drawer quietly slid open.

Inside, there were no garments at all. Only a black metal case rested there.

Claire placed her thumb on the scanner, and with a soft click, the lock released.

Everything inside the case was laid out with flawless order. A surgical scalpel reflected a cold metallic shine. Beside it rested a set of unique racing keys, a sleek high-end laptop, and a thick pile of design drafts filled with precise lines and meticulous detail. The work looked refined enough to hang in a gallery.

For three years, she had locked all of it away so she could live as Cade's wife.

During that time, she buried her sharp instincts, her drive, and every trace of the life she once lived.

Now those parts of her would return.

Claire lifted the laptop from the case and switched it on. The familiar system appeared on the screen as her fingers quickly moved across the keyboard. Within moments, she had slipped into the Willis Group's internal network.

One by one, she removed every record of the crises she had quietly resolved during the past three years. The deletion included the core technology she personally created, the same project Willis Group had planned to use in their cooperation with the Morgan family.

Cade had always assumed those successes were the result of luck or capable staff.

He would never realize how many nights she spent awake while he slept, clearing every obstacle standing in his path.

When the screen displayed the message "DELETION COMPLETE," Claire's face remained calm.

The marriage was over. Now, every last connection between them had to go.

The Willis family no longer had any claim on her. From this moment on, they would never gain another benefit from her efforts.

After closing the laptop, Claire picked up her phone and sent a private message to her closest friend, Rylie Miller. "I'm all free."

Rylie's response came almost immediately. "Give me ten minutes. I'll be outside that idiot's house to pick you up."

That was how Rylie operated. When she made a decision, she moved fast enough to make people nervous.

She promised ten minutes, yet the roar of an engine reached the street in less than six.

A striking sports car glided to the curb and stopped sharply. Dressed entirely in black, Rylie leaned against the vehicle with complete confidence. The moment she spotted Claire stepping out with her suitcase, a wide smile spread across her face.

"Congratulations," Rylie said brightly. "You're finally free."

Claire hadn't even opened her mouth when Rylie suddenly produced a bottle of champagne like a stage magician. With an effortless flick of her wrist, she popped the cork.

The cork shot skyward, and sparkling foam burst into the air under the glow of the sunset before splashing onto Claire's shoulder.

"I didn't have time to grab anything extravagant," Rylie said with a playful grin. "So, champagne will have to do. Let's celebrate your new beginning."

The cold liquid soaked into Claire's shirt, but she barely noticed. Instead, a warmth filled her eyes as tears threatened to surface.

It felt wonderful.

Now that she'd walked away from Cade, the life that truly belonged to her was finally beginning again.

With a mischievous smile, Rylie tossed her the keys and raised an eyebrow. "Want to drive?"

"Hop in." Claire caught the keys, slid behind the wheel, and pressed the accelerator without hesitation.

The Bugatti Veyron roared awake and surged forward, pulling away from the house before merging smoothly into the flow of traffic.

The speed rose quickly, yet the car remained perfectly stable under Claire's control.

Rylie leaned deeper into the seat and tilted her head toward Claire. "So tell me something. What finally snapped you out of that awful taste you had in men?"

"His first love returned," Claire said evenly without taking her eyes off the road. "They're together again."

Rylie nearly erupted. "Are you kidding me? She ran off, disappeared, then strolled back three years later? Are there no other men in the world? She had to go after your husband?"

Her frustration kept building, the words pouring out faster with every second. "And Cade? Total jerk. Married, and still clinging to his first love. Honestly. He's revolting."

Claire stayed silent. Rylie's outburst was so fierce that she wasn't sure how to respond.

Sensing her friend's discomfort, Rylie coughed lightly. "I'm just furious about it. They get to pick up where they left off while you're expected to quietly disappear? Why make things convenient for them? And that Dina—come on. You should compete with her directly."

Claire shot back calmly, "And what would that accomplish? Announce to the world that I'm the woman who got thrown aside?"

"But they're getting off far too easily!"

"They're not," Claire said softly, though her tone carried quiet certainty. "From now on, I'm simply Claire. I'm not anyone's accessory anymore. I never will be again."

"Now that's what I wanted to hear." Rylie's mood shifted just as quickly as it had ignited, the anger fading away. "This calls for a celebration. Drinks?"

"We'll do that later," Claire said as she turned the steering wheel slightly. "I need to make a stop first. I'm getting a new look."

"Finally." Rylie's eyes brightened with excitement. Then another thought crossed her mind, and she leaned forward slightly. "Oh, right. You've been completely absent for three years, and a bunch of people in the medical world have practically gone crazy trying to track you down. When are you planning to return?"

Claire's face remained calm. "The timing feels right now. Let the news spread."

Rylie chuckled, clearly entertained. "Speaking of that, Cade has been searching for you as well." Her amusement only grew as she continued, "Apparently, his first love needs treatment. He won't realize the truth, not until it smacks him directly in the face. The woman he discarded so casually is the one he desperately tried to reach for help: the legendary figure, Dr. L."

A sharp smile formed on Rylie's lips. "Honestly, I can't wait to watch his expression when he finally figures it out, when that smug confidence of his finally cracks."

The car pulled up in front of one of Draesdale's most famous buildings, the Axis Building. Claire and her friend headed straight for the top floor.

Rylie slipped her arm around Claire's shoulders and nudged her forward. "Come on, lift your head. You're finally free." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Tonight we're celebrating properly. I'll hire ten male escorts with perfect abs and throw you the wildest party you've ever seen."

Despite herself, Claire felt the corner of her mouth lift into a faint smile.

Then Rylie suddenly reached up.

In one swift motion, she removed the thick black glasses from Claire's face. With an easy flick of her wrist, she tossed them straight into a nearby trash can.

Without those frames hiding her features, Claire's face immediately looked sharper and clearer.

Her smooth forehead and bright eyes now stood out under the lights, every detail visible without obstruction.

"Much better," Rylie said as she studied her closely, clearly pleased with the result.

Not long afterward, Claire found herself sitting upright before a vanity mirror.

The woman reflected in the glass barely resembled the dull version of herself she had shown the world for years.

Her once straight hair had been styled into soft waves that framed her face and made her look vivid and striking. Her makeup remained simple, almost natural, except for the bold touch of red lipstick.

The realization struck her like a sudden jolt. The woman staring back in the mirror was nothing like the quiet, easily ignored Claire the Willis family had grown accustomed to overlooking.

From the velvet sofa, Rylie stretched comfortably and watched with a pleased smile. "I told you," she sneered with confidence. "With a face like yours, all it takes is a little effort and you'll turn every head in the room."

Even the stylist, who worked with beautiful women every day, couldn't hide his reaction. "That's unbelievable..." he murmured under his breath.

Claire remained silent as she studied the reflection before her.

For years, she had deliberately concealed this face.

Her mind drifted back to her mother during those final moments. Martha Lloyd's frail hand had gripped hers tightly, her breath so faint it barely carried her words. "Claire... beauty invites lies. It makes people use you. Hide it. If you look plain, you'll stay safe."

Claire had believed every word.

Her mother had once been known for her beauty, yet that same beauty had drawn men who manipulated and deceived her until she was trapped in a marriage that felt like a prison. In the end, neglect and cruelty destroyed her spirit—and soon after, she passed away.

When everything fell apart, Claire had been left behind and sent to an orphanage.

From that moment on, she buried herself beneath layers meant to erase her presence. Thick bangs hid her forehead. Oversized glasses masked her eyes. Pale powder dulled her skin, and loose clothing swallowed her figure.

Piece by piece, she had transformed herself into someone ordinary enough to be ignored.

Back then, she had even convinced herself that Cade might be different. She thought he might look past appearances and appreciate who she truly was.

She had been mistaken.

Concealing who she truly was had never protected her. If anything, it had only made people more comfortable showing their contempt and cruelty.

That meant one thing. She would no longer hide.

"Claire," Rylie called out as she stepped up beside Claire, her tone suddenly serious. "From this moment on, be yourself and stop shrinking into the background. You deserve to live in the light and have the best life possible."

Slowly, Claire raised her hand and brushed her fingertips across her cheek as if testing the reality of what she saw.

"You're right. Let's go," Claire remarked as she stood up. Her voice sounded calm, yet there was a quiet determination in it that was impossible to ignore. "We have somewhere to go."

...

Meanwhile, inside a private VIP room at the hospital, Dina rested against the headboard of her bed. Her complexion looked pale, and an IV tube was taped to the back of her hand.

"Cade... I'm sorry. I made you worry again," she muttered softly, her voice trembling just enough to sound fragile. "I only felt a little dizzy. It's an old problem that comes and goes."

Sitting beside the bed, Cade took her hand gently in his. His voice carried a warmth he rarely showed anyone else. "Don't apologize. Your health matters, so you have to be careful. What did the doctor tell you?"

"It's nothing serious. I only need a little rest," Dina responded with a gentle smile, her eyes resting on his face with quiet gratitude. "Cade... being able to return to your side again makes me truly happy."

A faint warmth stirred in Cade's chest. He was just about to respond when his phone vibrated.

Lowering his gaze, he saw a message from his assistant, Nigel George. "Sir, Ms. Lloyd has already moved out. She signed the divorce agreement as well. Regarding the asset transfer and the additional fifty-million settlement, should we begin processing it now?"

That quickly?

Cade frowned. He had imagined she would hesitate. He expected tears, arguments, or even pleas.

Given her feelings for him, he assumed she would use her efforts over the past three years as leverage in some way.

For a moment, a faint and unfamiliar emotion passed through his mind. It was so slight that he did not even pause long enough to identify it.

Then Dina coughed softly beside him, and the thought disappeared completely.

"What happened?" she asked with gentle concern. "Is there a problem at the company?"

Cade locked the screen and slipped the phone back into his pocket. When he turned back to her, a calm and reassuring smile returned to his face. "It's nothing important. You should rest. I'll stay here with you."

After some time, Dina finally drifted into sleep. Once she was resting, Cade stepped out into the hospital corridor, where Nigel was already waiting. The assistant quickly handed him a tablet, barely able to hide the excitement on his face.

"Mr. Willis," Nigel said eagerly, "we just received new information about Dr. L."