Chapter 3
Amber was laughing as she fastened the silver locket around a dog’s neck
“What do you think you’re doing?” Evelyn’s voice shook with fury as she rushed forward.
Amber started, then her surprise melted into a smirk of pure malice. “Oh, you caught me? I just thought this necklace
was too plain for me, but it looks perfect on a dog.”
“Give it back!” Evelyn’s voice trembled with suppressed rage as she reached out to snatch it.
Amber dodged deliberately, refusing to hand it over. In the scuffle, she suddenly slipped.
With a sharp cry, she fell backward–right through the open balcony door.
“Ah! The crash and the scream drew everyone’s attention downstairs.
Dominic was the first to react. He sprinted upstairs and arrived just in time to catch Amber as she fell.
“Amber! What happened?” Dominic’s face was pale with alarm as he checked her over.
Evelyn ran out to the balcony, desperate to explain, but Amber was quicker.
Amber clung to Dominic’s arm, her eyes welling with perfectly timed tears. “Dominic, don’t blame Evelyn. She didn’t mean it. She was just upset about the necklace… I think she accidentally pushed me.”
“I didn’t push her!” Evelyn’s voice broke with disbelief.
Dominic’s expression turned icy. “I told you both to get along. You agreed, Evelyn. And now this? It’s just a necklace.”
“I know it was your grandmother’s keepsake, but it’s only a thing. If Amber likes it, what’s the harm in giving it to her? Can’t you be more generous?”
His words hit her like a physical blow.
So he knew it was her grandmother’s locket, and still tore it away from her, just to please another woman.
It felt as if a long–healed wound in her heart had been torn open, leaving it raw and bleeding anew.
“I told you, I didn’t push her!”
“Enough!” Dominic’s tone snapped like a whip. “You made a mistake, you pay for it. Go stand by the main entrance and polish the shoes of every guest as they leave tonight. You’ll stop when Amber forgives you.”
Evelyn’s head shot up in disbelief. “Dominic! How could you humiliate me like this?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You refuse? Then maybe I should pay your parents…”
“No! Don’t touch them! I’ll do it!”
The memory of her parents‘ brutal deaths in her past life made her blood run cold.
Chapter 3
She clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. For her parents‘ sake, she would endure anything
She stood by the entrance of the Vance Estate, head bowed, and wiped the shoes of each guest who passed by-
mechanical, silent, unresisting.
Their gazes–pitying, mocking, curious–pricked at her skin like needles.
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
When she finished polishing the stilettos of a woman in a red gown, the woman didn’t move away. Evelyn glanced up
instinctively and froze.
“Well, well. Isn’t this the proud Mrs. Vance? Didn’t think I’d live to see this day.”
Evelyn recognized her instantly, she was Vanessa Lowell, daughter of the Lowell Group.
Back when Dominic’s obsession with Evelyn was at its peak, he paraded her at every event, stoking the jealousy of
Vanessa, who had harbored feelings for him for years.
Once, while Dominic was away, Vanessa had slapped Evelyn in a fit of rage.
When Dominic found out, he had her right hand crippled and ruined the Lowell family’s fortunes overnight.
From then on, no one dared show Evelyn the slightest disrespect.
But now that Dominic’s love had vanished, the vultures were circling again.
Evelyn’s heart sank.
Vanessa sneered, savoring the sight of her humiliation, then slowly raised her foot. The stiletto heel came down hard-
right onto Evelyn’s hand.
“Ah!” Evelyn gasped as searing pain shot through her fingers.
Vanessa’s laugh was sharp and cruel. She twisted her heel, grinding down one finger after another, as if determined to
crush every bone in her hand.
“Does it hurt, Evelyn? You used to strut around, acting like the world revolved around you because Dominic loved you. Did
you ever imagine you’d end up like this? He doesn’t want you anymore! You’re just a stray dog now!”
Agony washed over her in waves, a torrent of pain and despair that made her whole body tremble uncontrollably. Her
face drained of color; cold sweat drenched her back.
Through a haze of pain, Evelyn’s gaze drifted upward to the second–floor balcony.
Dominic stood there, a glass of wine in hand, watching her. His brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of displeasure passing
across his face. For a moment, it seemed he might step in.
But then Amber leaned softly into his chest, tilting her face up to whisper something.
Dominic hesitated. Then he looked down at her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and when his gaze returned to the
scene below, his eyes were cold and expressionless.
Evelyn clearly saw the faint, triumphant curve of Amber’s lips. And though the distance muffled his voice, she could read
his lips perfectly.
…leave her be… let her learn her lesson… she’ll behave after this… won’t dare bully you again…”
The last thread of hope inside her snapped.
A devastating blend of physical agony, searing humiliation, and utter despair swallowed her whole.
So this was what it meant when love died, he could watch her be trampled into the dirt, and feel nothing at all.
The throbbing in her mangled hand merged with the hollow ache in her chest. Then the darkness at the edges of her
vision swelled, swallowing her whole, and the world went black.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
