Chapter 3

Audrey's POV

The next morning, Maggie happened to stop by with some clothes for me.

She looked uncomfortable as she held them out. "Ms. Audrey, when we cleared out your room, some of your clothes were accidentally thrown away... Mrs. Bennett thought you could wear some of Ms. Mia's things for now."

I ran my fingers over the fabric. It was incredibly soft and expensive. They were most likely designer.

Clearly, Mom and Dad had spared no expense when it came to Mia.

It had only been three years, yet somehow every trace of me had already disappeared from this house.

I remembered how Mom and Dad used to tell me over and over that we were barely getting by, that the family was drowning in debt.

There had even been a time when we couldn't afford another extension on the hospital bills, and I'd gotten down on my knees in front of the hospital administrator, begging for more time.

I blinked hard, forcing back the sting in my eyes.

By the time I came downstairs, there was barely any breakfast left.

Mia seemed to have only just remembered I was there. Her eyes immediately filled with guilt as she stood up. "I'm sorry, Audrey... I completely forgot you were back. We didn't make enough for you."

She looked so genuinely apologetic that there was nothing I could really call her out on. If I made an issue of it, I'd only look petty.

Before I could say anything, though, Ethan was already jumping to her defense. "How is it your fault? She's the one who slept in."

Then he looked at me with an amused smile. "You've always loved sleeping late. We're trying to teach Noah good habits, so we have a rule in this house now. If you don't make it to breakfast on time, you miss breakfast."

"I just got back yesterday," I said.

At that, Noah Cregger looked up at me. He quietly picked up a strawberry and held it out to me. "Here, Aunt Audrey, you can have mine."

Mia's expression dimmed slightly, but she didn't stop him. Instead, she reached over and ruffled his hair. "That's my sweet little boy. Always looking out for everyone."

The diamond on her ring finger caught the light, and a chill went straight through me.

I knew that ring. I'd designed it myself. It was supposed to be my wedding ring.

But then Ethan had "died", and the sketch had become too painful to look at. I'd buried it away along with everything else that reminded me of him.

The name "Noah" hurt even more.

Years ago, Ethan and I had gone to a birthday party for a relative's young son. The kid had been so adorable that I'd leaned over and whispered to Ethan that I wanted one just like him someday.

And if we ever had a son, I'd told him that we could call him Noah.

Now, he'd given that name to his son with Mia. How ironic. It was almost funny, really.

I didn't take the strawberry.

Noah's face fell. He was clearly hurt.

Ethan immediately took the strawberry from him and held it out to me. "He gave it to you. Eat it."

Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. "Stop being difficult."

Mom and Dad didn't look pleased either. The disapproval in their eyes made it clear that they thought I was being childish.

Just then, Adrian walked in. He took one look at the scene and frowned. "You've barely been back a day, and you're already making everyone walk on eggshells? He's just a kid, Audrey. Don't take it out on him."

I laughed quietly and pushed Ethan's hand away before looking around the table at all of them. "I'm allergic to strawberries."

No one said a single word.

Finally, Mom forced an awkward smile, trying to smooth things over. "Well, honey, you could've just said so."

Funny. They used to be so careful about my allergy, always checking everything I ate. Now somehow, their forgetting had become my fault.

Adrian gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject, turning to Mia. "Come on, Mia. I'm here to take you to the launch."

I frowned, having no idea what he was talking about.

Dad, on the other hand, was practically glowing with pride. "Mia's new collection is going to be a huge hit. I know it."

Everyone gathered their things, dressed and ready to go, while I stood there alone, completely left out.

"What launch?" I asked.

Ethan answered without thinking. "The new collection launch for Solara. You know…"

I froze, surprised to hear the brand was still around. After all, they'd told me it had gone under.

Every time I'd asked about it before, they'd said the company had shut down. I wondered why they had lied to me.

I opened my mouth to ask, but Adrian cut me off impatiently. "It's not like you'd understand any of this. We're already running late. Let's go."

There was just enough room in the car for everyone. Everyone except me.

The guilt in Ethan's eyes deepened when he realized it. "Stay home and be good. I'll bring you some lobster bisque from that place you love."

Except I hadn't loved it in three years. There had been a time when I'd eaten it so often that eventually, even the smell of it made me sick.

In the end, Maggie was the only one who seemed bothered by the way they'd left me behind. She offered to drive me to the launch herself.

I still had my old Solara employee badge, and surprisingly, it got me inside without a problem.

As I passed the design studio, something made me stop.

I pushed open the door, and my breath caught.

The room was filled with my work. Design after design, collection after collection.

For the first time that morning, a rush of happiness swept through me. I stepped closer, eager to see my name beneath them.

Then I looked at the designer credits. Every single label bore the same name—Mia Bennett.

I didn't even remember leaving the room. I wandered through the building in a daze until, somehow, I found myself at the entrance to the main event hall.

Ethan was standing onstage behind a microphone, his face glowing with pride. "And now, I'd like to thank the brilliant woman behind this collection, my lead designer and my wife, Mia Bennett!"