Chapter 1

Thalia's POV

"Oh, Mrs. Hudson. What are you doing out here?" my housekeeper, Margot Lawrence, asked with a start. "I thought you said you were waiting for Mr. Hudson to come pick you up."

The young woman smiled brightly. "I'm going to wait for him right here. Keep me company, Margot!"

I stood less than 15 feet away, completely forgetting about my rideshare.

Mrs. Hudson, huh?

Gabriel Hudson and I had been married for five years, yet Margot had never once addressed me by that title.

The household staff had always read between the lines and called me "Ms. Jensen" instead, making me sound like a guest who happened to be staying in my own home.

Now, I knew why. The real lady of the house was standing right there.

While they waited, the woman slipped the pink diamond ring she had won onto her finger. She had taken off the ring that was already there.

The moment I saw the ring she had removed, my hands began to tremble. Gabriel had given me that ring for our anniversary last year.

The band had been too tight, and I couldn't slip it onto my finger. He had casually told me to leave it with him and that he would get me another one in the right size later. I hadn't thought much of it, so I handed it to him.

I never received a new ring. Meanwhile, the old one was specially resized for his new lover.

Margot adjusted the woman's scarf and said with a smile, "Mrs. Hudson, didn't you say you wanted some pastries earlier? Mr. Hudson went to get them for you. It might take him a while to get here."

At the same time, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Gabriel.

"My meeting tonight has been pushed back, so I won't be coming over. Go home without me. Be careful on the way."

I stared at his message for a long time, my fingertips red and numb from the cold. I typed, "Gabriel, the rings were auctioned off. I didn't get them."

During the second half of the auction, I had bid three million dollars. By then, hardly anyone else was raising their paddle. I thought the pair of diamond rings was finally mine.

Then, just seconds before the auctioneer brought down his hammer, a young woman raised her paddle with one hand, her phone in the other. "I'll bid till the end!"

The entire room erupted. I instinctively turned around. There she was, smiling sweetly at whoever was on the other end of the phone.

When I came to myself, Gabriel's reply had appeared on my screen.

"What a shame."

I stared at those three words, and it felt as though someone had poured a mouthful of icy water straight down my throat, sending a violent chill throughout my body.

Was it really a shame, though? Or did he type those words while eagerly carrying those pastries over, already looking forward to sharing them and the diamond rings with that woman?

The headlights flashed as Gabriel's car pulled up.

As Margot helped the woman into the car, she happened to glance in my direction. The moment our eyes met, her face went white.

Gabriel's car slowly pulled away. Through the window, I saw the woman inside take his hand and hold it beside hers.

The pink diamonds sparkled brilliantly beneath the streetlights. The woman was beaming. Even a rare smile appeared on Gabriel's usually stoic face.