Chapter 2

When I returned to the estate, I began packing my things.

I gathered every gift Lorenzo and Ethan had ever given me and packed them into cardboard boxes.

Then I instructed the housekeeper to burn them.

I wasn't taking a single thing they'd given me.

When I finished, I stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the lonely swing in the garden.

There used to be a lavender field there.

I loved lavender, so Lorenzo and Ethan had once hired the best horticulturist they could find to teach them how to grow rare varieties.

They had secretly spent three months learning everything they could before planting the entire field with their own hands.

Back then, they always told me that every summer, the estate would be filled with my favorite lavender.

But everything changed after Chloe moved in.

She claimed to be allergic to the scent of lavender and said she preferred swings.

Without a second thought, Lorenzo and Ethan had torn out the entire flower field and replaced it with a swing for her.

I looked away, another wave of nausea rising in my stomach.

Perhaps I was just exhausted from not sleeping well the night before.

I didn't think much of it and went back to my room to rest.

The next morning, just as I came downstairs, I heard familiar footsteps at the entrance.

Lorenzo was back.

He seemed to be in an excellent mood. He strode toward me, opened his arms, and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Sophia, did you miss me?"

He kissed the top of my head, his voice full of affection.

I instinctively turned my face away, avoiding his kiss.

Lorenzo paused, but quickly pulled me back into his arms.

"What's wrong?"

Looking down at me, he finally noticed my reluctance.

Not wanting him to suspect that I was planning to leave, I calmly explained,

"Nothing. I worked late last night. My back and waist are a little sore."

The moment he heard that, Lorenzo scooped me up and carried me to the bed. He gently began massaging my lower back.

I watched him in silence.

The concern in his eyes seemed genuine.

But so was the way he cared about Chloe.

I sighed softly.

"You don't have to go through all this trouble. I'll be fine after some rest."

Lorenzo touched my forehead to check my temperature. Once he was sure I wasn't running a fever, he sat beside me.

"Sophia, how about we go to Italy tomorrow to see the jewelry exhibition?"

"I remember you've always wanted to attend the International Jewelry Design Exhibition."

It was always the same.

Whenever Lorenzo missed one of our anniversaries, he'd go out of his way to make it up to me.

The last time, he'd taken me to the World Cup and arranged for me to meet and have dinner with my favorite soccer player.

The time before that, he'd brought me to an exclusive international auction and spent a fortune bidding on something for me.

I didn't want anything else to go wrong before I left, so I simply replied,

"Okay."

Lorenzo smiled with satisfaction.

"Good. I'll have my assistant make the arrangements."

He probably thought I was still the same easily appeased Sophia, the kind of woman who would forgive everything as long as he offered a little sweetness.

Just then, I heard voices outside the door.

"Are you sure Sophia will like my gift, Ethan?"

Chloe sounded nervous.

"Of course. You put so much thought into it. She'll love it."

The moment they finished speaking, they walked into the room.

Chloe held out a gift box.

"Sophia, I brought you something from my business trip last week. I hope you like it."

I didn't want her gift.

I reached out to return the box, but just as my fingers touched it, Chloe deliberately let go.

Crash!

The box hit the floor, and a delicate crystal glass tumbled out.

It shattered into pieces.

Ethan's expression immediately darkened.

"Sophia, what was that for?"

"This is a limited-edition crystal glass. Chloe went out of her way to get it for you. Even if you don't like it, you shouldn't treat her gift so carelessly."

My head was spinning. I stumbled back a few steps and tried to explain.

"I..."

Chloe interrupted, looking utterly hurt.

"Sophia, if you don't like it, you could have just told me. You didn't have to trample all over my feelings. Ethan told me you liked collecting crystal glasses, so I thought..."

She trailed off, her voice trembling with a heartbreaking sob.

Ethan immediately softened his tone to comfort her.

"Chloe, you've done nothing wrong. There's no one who wouldn't like you."

Lorenzo, however, didn't offer me a single word of comfort.

Instead, he turned to me with a cold expression.

"Sophia, look at yourself. Your behavior is utterly disappointing."

I clenched my fists, another wave of nausea twisting through my stomach.

I hadn't done anything wrong.

Yet every time Chloe so much as looked upset, they would take her side without hesitation.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Chloe suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach.

"It hurts... My stomach hurts so much."

Her voice was faint, and her face instantly turned pale.

Lorenzo's expression changed. He rushed forward and swept her into his arms.

"Where does it hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

Ethan hurried after them, too.

Within seconds, the living room was empty.

I watched them disappear through the door.

I tried to stand, but the room began to blur around me.

The pain in my stomach grew unbearable, and a ringing filled my ears.

I reached for the sofa to steady myself, but my hand missed.

The next second, everything went black.

I collapsed onto the floor.