4

Chapter 4

Without waiting for her response, I went back to the bedroom to pack.

I pulled open the closet and threw my suitcase on the floor with a heavy thud.

The sound of the zipper closing was like a marriage's death knell.

All these years, I'd changed for Damien—conservative dresses, dark-colored suits, all left hanging in the closet.

I only packed the things that truly belonged to "Amelia Wallis."

Until I pulled open a drawer and my fingers froze.

Empty.

The necklace was gone.

It was the Wallis family's only heirloom, worn by generations of women.

My mother had pressed it into my hand on her deathbed, her voice trembling but firm:

"Amelia, this is the mark of a Wallis daughter. No matter who you marry, remember, you'll always be family blood."

And now, it was gone.

I practically tore apart the entire cabinet but couldn't find it.

A cold premonition rose in my chest.

I rushed downstairs.

In the living room, Daisy sat leisurely, Damien beside her.

They were extremely close, and around her neck—that necklace.

Sunlight fell on the necklace, the familiar pattern making my breath catch.

My voice shook with cold. "Take it off."

She paused, then laughed softly. "This is a gift from Damien. It has nothing to do with you."

Her tone was gentle, but her eyes were challenging.

I walked closer, step by step, almost through gritted teeth. "That's a relic from my mother, a necklace passed down through Wallis generations."

She lowered her head like a scolded child, but her hands clutched it tighter.

"But... this is what Damien gave me. He said he wanted to make me happy."

Her eyes glistened with tears, as if she were deeply wronged.

"You're lying!" My voice shattered like broken glass. "That's a one-of-a-kind necklace! You're a thief!"

I lunged at her.

Damien immediately blocked me, grabbing my shoulders. "Calm down, Amelia, maybe it's a misunderstanding—"

But I fought to break free. He clearly hadn't expected such intensity.

Finally, he turned anxiously to Daisy. "Daisy, take off the necklace. Let her see."

Daisy's eyes swam with tears. "But she called me a thief... This was clearly your gift."

Damien was torn. "Amelia, I can buy you however many necklaces you want. This thing isn't worth much. Daisy, don't cry. I'll buy you a whole collection of new ones later."

I felt nothing but irony.

He'd never understand it wasn't about money.

It was the only thing my mother left me, the symbol of Wallis blood, now hanging around the neck of the woman I hated most.

Daisy sobbed as she finally removed the necklace.

Just as I reached for it, she suddenly let go—

"Crack!"

The necklace hit the floor hard, shattering into pieces.

Dead silence.

I stared at the fragments, my breath cut off.

My chest felt like it had been split open by a blade.

I looked up at Daisy.

A faint smile played at the corner of her mouth.

In that moment, I understood—she'd done it deliberately.

Fury instantly burned through my entire body.

I rushed forward and slapped her hard across the face.

Daisy clutched her cheek, stunned, not expecting me to actually strike her.

The next second—

Damien's hand came down hard on my face.

Burning pain. The air froze.

"You'd hurt Daisy over a broken necklace? How could this thing be more important than her and my child!"

My child.

Not my brother's child.

My eardrums rang.

He'd admitted it.

That child wasn't his brother's—it was his.

I looked at this stranger in front of me, my heart pounding violently.

Five years of marriage, completely collapsed in this moment.

I bent down and picked up the fragments from the floor, piece by piece.

"Perfect, Damien. Everything is over now."