Chapter 2

The charity gala took place at the most lavish hotel downtown.

I didn't wear the jewel-encrusted gown that Mark had picked out for me.

Instead, I chose a jet-black dress.

It was the kind of color that was only worn to funerals.

As soon as I walked into the ballroom, the surrounding conversations died down.

Mark was across the room, chatting smoothly with Chloe on his arm.

Chloe wore a fiery red, backless dress that burned like an open flame.

The moment Mark saw me, his smile froze.

He strode over and grabbed my wrist, squeezing hard enough to break bone.

"Sarah, what the hell are you wearing?"

He kept his voice low, but every word dripped with threat.

"I told you this was an important night. I told you to look pretty."

I looked up into his eyes, my expression blank.

"Today marks two months of mourning for Leo. What else should I wear?"

Mark frowned, completely missing my point.

"Mourning? What are you babbling about? Go change right now."

Chloe drifted over, linking her arm tightly through Mark's other side.

"Sarah, black really isn't a good look for an event like this. Did something happen at home?"

She blinked her big, innocent eyes as they dripped with fake concern.

My gaze locked onto the necklace around her throat.

It was a custom sapphire piece.

I had fallen in love with that exact design years ago, planning to save it for Leo's future bride.

"Mr. Sterling," Mark's personal assistant, Daniel, interrupted and stepped between us. "The transfer documents for the amusement park project are ready."

Mark nodded, turning to Chloe with a fond smile.

"Here's the present I promised you, Chloe. The park is yours to run now."

That park was supposed to be Mark's birthday present to Leo.

Leo waited until his final breath, and the ground was never even broken.

Now, it was just a toy to keep his mistress happy.

My heart felt like it was being fed through a shredder.

"Mark, that was meant for Leo," I rasped out, my voice shaking.

Mark glared at me in disgust.

"Leo is just a kid. Why does he need an amusement park? I'll build him a bigger one when he's older."

He scoffed. "Chloe needs a project to manage right now. Can you try being reasonable for once?"

Guests around us began whispering, watching the spectacle unfold.

Some praised Mark's generosity. Others smirked at how pathetic his wife looked.

Nausea rolled through my stomach.

A sharp gleam flashed in Chloe's eyes. Suddenly, her foot buckled.

The wine glass in her hand tilted and she 'accidentally' dumped a full glass of deep red wine right down my dress.

"Ah—!"

Chloe cried out, stumbling backward straight into Mark's chest.

"What happened?" Mark caught her immediately, panic written all over his face. "Chloe, are you hurt?"

Chloe's eyes welled with tears as she cowered in his arms, looking completely wronged.

"Mr. Sterling, don't blame Sarah... I lost my balance. Sarah just didn't want to take the drink I offered... she bumped the glass..."

My hands hadn't even left my sides.

Yet in Mark's eyes, I was already the bitter, malicious villain.

He snapped his head toward me, his glare vicious.

"Sarah! When did you become so unhinged?

"Chloe was just trying to offer you a drink, and you put your hands on her?"

The crowd pressed closer, pointing fingers.

"Is that Mrs. Sterling? Where are her manners?"

"I heard she's a jealous psycho. Guess it's true."

I stood frozen in place.

Dark red wine dripped down the hem of my dress onto the carpet, looking sickeningly like Leo's blood.

And yet, I almost wanted to laugh.

That was when Julian Vance appeared behind me.

"Do you need a hand, Mrs. Sterling?"

Julian Vance was Mark's fiercest rival in the business world.

He offered me a clean silk handkerchief.

I took it and slowly wiped the wine from my hands.

"Mr. Vance," I said softly, looking up. "I need a favor."

Julian raised an eyebrow, a stroke of dark amusement flickering in his eyes.