Chapter 4

Audrey's POV

My heart sank a little further with every passing second.

Ethan's eyes met mine across the room. For the briefest moment, he looked straight at me.

Then, as if I were no one at all, he calmly looked away.

His arm rested loosely around Mia's waist as she beamed at the crowd.

Applause thundered around me, one wave after another, yet all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

Years ago, when Ethan first founded Solara, he needed a signature piece, something that would put the brand on the map.

I hadn't hesitated. I'd handed him my favorite design.

And it had done exactly what we'd hoped. The moment it launched, it became a sensation, the breakout piece that made people notice Solara.

I could still remember Ethan sweeping me off my feet and spinning me around, so excited that he could barely contain himself.

He'd promised me that one day, when Solara became successful, he'd build me a beautiful design studio of my own.

In the end, he kept his promise. He built the studio, but it wasn't for me.

Mia raised a hand, signaling for the room to quiet down before introducing her latest piece. "This necklace was inspired by the man I love..."

After that, I stopped hearing her. Her voice faded into the background. So did the applause, the cameras, everything.

By the time the event ended, I was barely holding myself together. I stumbled backstage and eventually found the private lounge, where Mom, Dad, and Adrian were waiting for Mia and Ethan before their interviews.

"Mom, Dad..." I rushed toward them, tears already spilling down my face. "That necklace came from Grandma's original sketch. She left it to me. How could you let Mia put her name on it?"

I could still remember Grandma's hand wrapped around mine in the hospital, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her only regret, she'd told me, was that she wouldn't live long enough to see me walk down the aisle wearing the necklace she'd designed for me.

Dad's expression hardened. "She's your sister, Audrey. Why are you acting like everything has to be yours or hers? If your grandmother left it to you, what's wrong with Mia having it too?"

My chest tightened, each breath coming faster than the last.

A moment later, Mia and Ethan walked in together. Mom, Dad, and Adrian immediately went over to them, all smiles and congratulations, as if I weren't standing right there.

I clenched my teeth. "That design was the last thing Grandma left me. Mia had no right to put her name on it."

Mom spun around. Before I could react, her hand struck my cheek.

"That is Mia's design!" she snapped. "Why do you always have to take everything away from her?"

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Grandma left that to me!"

The next second, the room seemed to tilt beneath me. I stumbled backward and collapsed onto the couch. "Something's wrong with my heart."

I'd left the house in such a rush that I'd forgotten my medication.

Mom frowned, but didn't even turn around. "There's always something with you. Didn't all those tests come back normal?"

Adrian immediately chimed in. "This is Mia's big day, Audrey. Stop trying to cause a scene."

I tried to answer, but my lips were trembling so badly that I couldn't get the words out.

Ethan took a step toward me, but Mia immediately tightened her grip on his arm, keeping him beside her.

"Audrey," she said softly, "all your previous test results said you were perfectly healthy."

I hadn't wanted them to worry, so I'd altered my medical reports more than once.

But in the end, it hadn't mattered. They'd never cared enough to read them closely anyway.

Once Mia learned what the argument was about, tears welled in her eyes. "Audrey, I know you're upset with me, but that doesn't mean you can accuse me of stealing from you."

She wiped her tears. "Yes, I've seen Grandma's sketches before. But I only used them as inspiration. I didn't copy her work."

"And what about the design studio?" I asked. "Why is your name on all of my work?"

Ethan finally spoke. "You haven't been well, Audrey. But Solara is a business. It can't operate without an active designer attached to its collections."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Of course. Once again, I was the one they sacrificed so Mia could have everything.

Ethan walked over and crouched in front of me. "Once you're better, I'll make you Solara's second designer."

Adrian impatiently pulled him away. "Come on. We still have to pick up Noah before the celebration dinner."

Ethan glanced back at me. "There's no room in the car. I'll come back for you later."

I couldn't even speak anymore. All I could do was watch them leave.

The door closed behind them. With the last of my strength, I pulled out my phone and tried to call emergency services, but my fingers wouldn't cooperate.

A moment later, my phone automatically triggered an emergency alert.

I remembered setting Ethan as my emergency contact. His reply came almost instantly. "Then just die."

That was all it took for tears to blur my vision.

But I didn't want to die. I wanted to live.

Darkness slowly swallowed everything around me. And just before I lost consciousness, I caught sight of a familiar figure rushing toward me.