Chapter 3

I wanted these people to open their eyes and see exactly whose belongings they had touched.

Just then, a friend request notification popped up.

The other party sent me a video, then quickly unsent it.

But I had already seen everything.

In the video, Lucy held up her phone with a radiant smile and said happily, "Mom, I finally have a little house of my own!"

And the background behind her was the house my mother had left to me.

At that instant, every shred of my rationality shattered.

I suddenly remembered that day. My mother had been gravely ill, lying weakly in bed as she held my hand and pressed a property agreement into my palm.

I cried so hard I could barely breathe, telling her I didn't want any house—I only wanted my mother.

But Lucas took the agreement from my hands on his own initiative and pulled me into his arms, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"Mom, don't worry. I'll take good care of Jessica. I'll never let her suffer."

A relieved smile appeared on my mother's face. And with that smile still lingering, she passed away.

I cried until my entire body went numb, collapsing onto the cold hospital hallway floor while Lucas held me tightly in his arms. Again and again, he comforted me.

"Don't be afraid, Jessica. I'm here. I'm right here. Everything's okay."

After my mother's death, I couldn't bear to look at anything that reminded me of her. I was terrified that even the smallest memory would break me down all over again.

So Lucas handled everything himself—my mother's belongings, even her funeral arrangements.

My father saw all of it and patted my shoulder, saying Lucas was a man worthy of trust.

But who could have imagined that the thing Lucas had coveted all along was my money and property.

Truthfully, the things he did were never completely flawless.

The faint traces of perfume lingering on him. The trendy slang he unconsciously used. The increasingly frequent "business trips"...

I had simply chosen to deceive myself because I treated him as my only emotional support.

After retracting the video, Lucy sent another message.

Lucy: [Sorry, I sent it to the wrong person.]

Then she followed up by sending photos of the bakery's newest desserts.

I stared at her unbelievably terrible acting without replying. Instead, I tapped into her social media feed.

She hadn't blocked me yet.

Her latest post was the very same video she had just deleted.

[Moved into my new home! Everyone's invited to my housewarming party!]

Below it was an address.

As expected, it was the address of my house.

At the very bottom, Lucas had liked the post and commented: [Congratulations, babe.]

I even saw my best friend liking and commenting underneath it.

"Congrats, Lucy! Another independent woman of the new generation is born!"

They all knew perfectly well that the house did not belong to Lucy. Yet, every single one of them chose to play dumb and shower her with congratulations anyway.

I watched everything with an icy expression.

Then I called the property agency and informed them there were issues with the ownership transfer process for the house. I requested an immediate freeze on all procedures.

I wanted to see who exactly dared to steal my property right under my nose without my permission.

…

The next day, I drove to my mother's house ahead of time and hired a locksmith to replace every lock with a fingerprint system that only I could open.

After that, I returned to my car and quietly waited for their so-called housewarming party to begin.

Before long, the private courtyard was filled with elegant flowers and delicate desserts.

A towering champagne pyramid stood prominently in front of the fountain.

There were many guests, most of whom I didn't recognize.

Until my best friend appeared.

Holding a glass of red wine, she walked up beside Lucy, her eyes full of envy.

"So nice. You're still so young. Unlike me—I already have wrinkles. Lucas, you better treat Lucy well, hear me? Otherwise, I won't let you off easy!"

Lucy lowered her head shyly while Lucas wrapped an arm around her waist.

With a solemn expression, he promised my friend that he would treat Lucy well for the rest of his life.

In an instant, cheers erupted throughout the courtyard.

A middle-aged woman affectionately grabbed Lucy's hand. Her wrinkled face beamed with pride as she spoke to the crowd.

"Lucy has always been outstanding since she was little! She never made me worry about her studies, and now, even her lifelong happiness has fallen perfectly into place!"