Everyone saw how chill she was acting and started chiming in with their own words of comfort, along with a list of "great guys" she should totally meet.

Calliope smiled politely and nodded along, but inside she was more than a little fed up.

These relatives on her dad's side were the worst kind of two-faced. Living off her family while secretly hating to see them do well.

Now that her engagement had fallen through, they were all pretending to be sympathetic, but she could practically feel them laughing behind her back.

Come on, in all of Aurelian, who else could compare to someone like Lucien-perfect family background, crazy potential, the whole package.

It was just like her last life.

When she couldn't get pregnant, it was this same bunch acting like they cared, while gossiping left and right, blowing the whole thing out of proportion until it was all over social media.

They even managed to get it trending. Total humiliation. She became a joke to the entire city.

Seriously, so fake it made her sick.

After finally seeing the last of those nosy relatives out, the living room fell quiet.

Calliope's smile instantly disappeared, her eyes turning cold.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Carson, about the clause in my grandfather's will regarding company equity-I'd like to move forward with the inheritance and notarization."

"Of course, Miss Godfrey. According to the will, if you're married, you're entitled to 40% of the company's management shares. So, may I ask..."

Calliope tightened her grip on the phone, but her voice stayed calm.

"Yes, Mr. Carson."

"I'm married."

Once she hung up, she walked back into her bedroom.

In one corner stood a waist-high safe.

The code? Her and Lucien's anniversary.

Her finger hovered over the keypad for a second, then slowly tapped in the numbers.

A soft beep, and the safe popped open.

Inside, rows of jewelry gleamed under the light, all dazzling and over-the-top expensive.

Every single piece? A gift from Lucien.

Her eyes flickered, unfocused for a second.

She reached for a velvet box on the top shelf. Inside lay a massive pink diamond engagement ring.

She used to treasure it beyond words – even wore it to sleep.

Now? It just felt blinding and heavy in her hand.

Expression blank, she tossed the ring-box and all-into the bottom of the safe, then carefully placed a marriage certificate on the top shelf.

She locked the top shelf, then hit the intercom.

"Mia, could you come up for a moment?"

Soon, the door opened, and Mia, the elderly housekeeper who had looked after her for years, walked in.

"You needed me, Ma'am?"

Calliope pointed at the open safe. "Mia, sort through everything in here and put it all up for sale online."

"Sell it?!" Mia looked stunned, staring at her like she'd just spoken nonsense. "Ma'am, no... these were your favorites..."

She couldn't believe it. How could she bear to part with these?

Calliope just repeated herself. "Yes. Sell them. All proceeds go to the same charity fund as before, the rural-area kids' scholarship program."

That fund was set up by her mother when she was young. Over the decades, tens of thousands of kids had gotten out of the mountains because of it.

Calliope had been donating parts of her pocket money to it for as long as she could remember.

Panicked, Mia hurried to the safe and carefully picked up a velvet box, opening it to reveal a necklace, shining like a river of stars.

"Ma'am... have you forgotten? That necklace, Galaxy Love... Mr. Sterling gave it to you on your 18th birthday."

"He said you were the only star in his sky, the one that lit up his whole universe."

Mia choked a little as she spoke.

She couldn't wrap her head around it. Mr. Sterling had always treated Miss Godfrey like treasure. Why would he suddenly back out of the engagement?

She couldn't believe it. There had to be some huge misunderstanding. This couldn't be the whole story.

Calliope's lashes fluttered faintly, but she stayed quiet.

Mia picked up another pair of ruby earrings.

"These are the Blazing Love earrings," she said softly, looking at them. "You pulled those all-nighters to finish that AI demo for Mr. Sterling. Worked yourself sick. He stayed by your side for days, then bought these."

"He told me they represent the fire you burned for him-and the love he'd never let die."

Calliope's fingertips curled slightly.

Mia continued, listing each piece of jewelry one by one. And with each one came another memory-those intense days full of passion and devotion. Times that once made her heart race, made her believe in forever.

Now? Each story felt like a sugar-coated dagger, stabbing its way into her chest.

Her eyes reddened-it was impossible to hold it back.

She didn't get it.

How could a guy who used to get all torn up just because her period cramps hurt, who clumsily made her chicken soup, who'd run out in the dead of night just to get her warming patches...

How did that man turn into someone so heartless during the next seven years?

How did he stand by and watch her lie on that freezing cold operating table time after time-while acting like it meant nothing?

She shut her eyes for a moment. When they opened again, all the warmth was gone, replaced by an icy calm.

Taking a deep breath, she cut Mia off mid-sentence.

"Mia, let it go. It's all in the past."

Mia looked at her with a gaze full of worry and disbelief. She still couldn't accept that a couple who loved each other so deeply had ended like this.

"Ma'am, maybe there's been a misunderstanding somewhere. Shouldn't you talk to him again?"

Calliope gave a bitter laugh.

If she hadn't lived this life twice, maybe she'd be just as naive as Mia-clinging to hope, thinking it was some huge misunderstanding.

Maybe she'd cry and beg Lucien not to leave.

Maybe she'd think it was her fault, that she hadn't done enough.

But not anymore.

She knew better than anyone-this wasn't a mistake.

It was seven years of manipulation, a lie she paid for with her youth and health.

Even if he had some hidden reason... so what?

The damage was done. Trust? Gone.

Their story had already ended the moment he let those pills silently work their way through her body.

No explanation could ever make that okay.

She didn't want to know more-and she definitely didn't need reasons.

Her voice came out hoarse, but firm.

"Clear it all out. Every last piece."

Mia hesitated at the sheer finality in her tone. She opened her mouth, then chose silence instead.

"...Yes, Ma'am."

With a quiet sigh, she began packing everything up.

Calliope didn't spare any of it another glance. She turned away and walked out to the terrace.

The early summer breeze brushed against her face, bringing a moment of clarity to her spinning mind.

She leaned on the railing and stared at the city lights in the distance. Something bugged her-there was something she was forgetting, something important. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't place it.

Then her phone buzzed.

And the moment she saw "Husband" flash on the screen, her heart skipped a painful beat.

Crap.

She totally forgot to cancel the wedding surprise for Lucien.

And right on cue, she picked up the call-and that familiar, cool voice came through the speaker.

"I got your gift."

Her grip on the phone tightened.

It was a project she'd sunk six months into-an AI housekeeper core chip embedded inside his favorite anime figurine. It could carry out simple interactions.

Her whole heart had gone into making it. It was supposed to be his one-of-a-kind wedding gift.

In the past, he was so happy when he got it. He hugged her and spun her around like they were the only people in the world.

But this time...

Calliope's fingers were turning cold, bit by bit.

She took a breath and forced herself to speak calmly. "Mr. Sterling, I think you've misunderstood. That thing... was just a product sample sent by mistake. I'll have someone contact you tomorrow to retrieve it."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Lucien replied, "Calliope, let's not kid ourselves, alright? Since we've both moved on, we should really let the past stay in the past."

Her breath caught.

She didn't expect him to just lay it out there like that.

He was the one who betrayed her-how was he now speaking as if he was the one who got hurt? Like she was the problem?

That sudden wave of rage almost had her blurting something out, but she swallowed it back.

"Lucien, don't you think it's ridiculous for that to come out of your mouth?"

Lucien didn't seem fazed at all. His voice stayed indifferent. "Stop sending me things like that. It's childish."

Childish?

Calliope almost laughed out loud.

He once said it was the most romantic and thoughtful gift he'd ever received.

And now it was... childish?

Holding back the emotions bubbling up in her chest, her tone cooled. "If Mr. Sterling doesn't like it, feel free to toss it."

"I didn't like it, that's true. But Angel loved it, so I gave it to her."

Calliope's eyes sharped slightly in shock, her mouth pulled into a near-incredulous smile.

Lucien's voice kept going. "Calliope, I'm going to marry Angel. It's something I owe her."

He paused.

"As for you... you'll be my only sister from now on."

What a joke.

Calliope felt a surge of absurdity and fury crash over her like a wave.

"You're absolutely disgusting, Lucien."

She hung up hard.

If she had let him say another word, she might've completely lost control, letting every inch of pain and resentment she'd buried inside come spilling out.

The wind on the balcony blew harder, tangling her hair and stinging her eyes.

Calliope clenched her lips together, refusing to let the tears fall.

Not worth it.

She opened her phone and blocked Lucien's number.

Just as she turned to head back into the room, her screen lit up again.

It was a Ins group chat she hadn't checked in ages, now flooded with tags.

A message popped up from Olivia: [Cal! Hurry up and check the chat! That fake angel is stirring up crap again!]

Calliope frowned and tapped into the group.

She scrolled up through the messages and saw a photo shared by Angelina.

It was the custom AI figure she'd sent Lucien.

Below the pic, Angelina had tagged her:

[@Calliope, I got the collectible~ It's so pretty and such a surprise! Lucien told me you made it just for us-I knew it! Deep down, you've always wished us well. I'll treasure this forever!]

Calliope stared at the text, half laughing from disbelief.

This was the same group she'd created six months ago to help expand Angelina's network. It included mutual friends of hers and Lucien's.

Now?

[@Calliope Angel's already been so generous; maybe let it go?]

[@Calliope Not to be rude, but you two have been done for a while. It's better like this for everyone.]

[@Calliope Seriously, stop making it awkward for Lucien. We're all friends here.]

[...]

One message after another, coming from those who used to warmly call her "family"-now all changing their tune overnight.

Calliope felt nauseated.

Olivia had already exploded in the chat: [WTF?! Are you all blind?? Cal's the one who got screwed over here! Angelina, have you no shame? You stole her fiancé and her gift, and now you're putting on a show like this?]