They’ll be on Their Knees at the Engagement Party

After twenty years of marriage, my life suddenly collapsed into a living hell.

As it turned out, the twins I had poured my heart and soul into raising weren’t mine at all. They were the boy and girl my husband had with my best friend. Even our marriage certificate had been forged!

Everything unraveled when our son, still in high school, was kidnapped. I risked my life to save him, and when I rushed to donate blood, the doctors told me we weren’t a match.

That’s when Sharice Truitt, my best friend, arrived in a panic and stepped in to donate her blood instead. I was so desperate to save my son I didn’t have time to question anything. I stayed by his bedside for two sleepless days and nights until exhaustion dragged me into a deep sleep.

Then, somewhere between waking and dreaming, I heard voices outside the hospital room door—voices that shattered my world completely.

“Lucky she’s stupid. Nearly twenty years and she never figured it out. Both of you are type A, and the kids are type B. She didn’t even realize your marriage certificate was forged.”

“Exactly. If she hadn’t been dumb enough to raise our kids and take care of the house all these years, how would I have had the time to focus on making money and taking you on trips around the world?”

It was them—Sharice and Rufus Ralston, my husband. Their voices sliced through the air like poisoned blades, destroying every last illusion I had clung to for two decades.

What I thought was happiness turned out to be a carefully constructed lie. My sacrifices were nothing more than stepping stones for their perfect little family of four!

Of course I confronted them in a rage. But instead of remorse, they had the nerve to demand I leave the house with nothing!

And when I looked into the eyes of the husband I had loved and the children I had raised, what stared back was the same brutal indifference. That was the moment I felt my heart die.

Eventually, I left behind the place that had devoured every ounce of my youth and love.

Years later, I adopted a pair of twins from an orphanage. I raised them with all the love I had left.

The boy grew up to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The girl blossomed into a beloved Hollywood star.

But just when I thought the past was behind me, out of nowhere, my socalled son appeared.

Radnor found me sweeping the garden of an estate, and he stared at me with scorn etched across his face.

“If my fiancée hadn’t insisted on inviting you to our engagement party, I wouldn’t have come to get you,” he sneered. “You’re an embarrassment to the Ralstons!”

Then, lifting his chin with pride, he continued, “After you left, Aunt Sharice—no, my mother—officially married Dad. Now I’ve inherited the Raltrex Prime, and my sister’s a top influencer with millions of fans.”

“Look at you,” he drawled, his gaze flicking dismissively to the broom in my hands. “Since leaving Dad, all you’ve amounted to is a lowly maid. You must regret everything now, don’t you?”

I didn’t get mad. I just smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll be there.”

Little did he know—just days later, the entire Ralstons would be on their knees, begging me to come back!

1.

Over a decade had passed. My onceblonde hair had faded into gray.

Radnor, now a grown man in a tailored designer suit, stood before me. He had shed his youthful features, and with a face eerily similar to his father’s, he looked down on me like a king expecting my remorse.

Instead, I simply looked at him and nodded.

“Raltrex Prime’s done reasonably well over the years,” I remarked lightly. After all, they were now a partner under the company of my adopted son Zion.

Still, not everyone could be a prodigy like Zion.

Perhaps it was my indifference—my lack of humiliation or sorrow—that unsettled Radnor. I noticed a flicker of displeasure cross his face.

Yet the moment passed, and his gaze shifted to the villa behind me, then to my plain, dustcolored blouse. The corners of his mouth curled with contempt.

“My fiancée’s parents have seats in Congress,” he said smugly. “Don’t embarrass me at the engagement party next weekend. Try not to dress so… poorly.”

He clearly thought I was the maid. My blouse, though expensive, was understated—easily mistaken by someone who never looked past the surface.

As if to help, he casually tossed an old dress at my feet.

“This belonged to Mommy Sharice. It’s such a nice dress. Secondhand, sure—but more than enough for someone like you.”

As he flung it forward, his fingers brushed my neck, catching on my necklace—an authentic string of pearls worth millions.

The black pearls scattered across the floor, bouncing and rolling away like fallen memories.

For a brief second, surprise flashed in his eyes—perhaps he recognized the real value—but it quickly gave way to mockery.

“Seriously? You thought you could pass off some cheap imitation as real pearls? What a pathetic act.”

He stepped back with mock generosity. “But don’t worry. Since you raised me and Shawna for fifteen years, when you’re old, we’ll make sure to pay you some kind of support.”

Then his voice turned cold. “But let’s be clear: in our eyes, we have only one mom. And that’s Sharice.”

I studied the young man before me. The contempt in his expression was exactly the same as it had been all those years ago.

I remembered that moment vividly—when he was fifteen, lying in a hospital bed, just waking from a coma.

He had grabbed my hand, his grip like iron, and shoved me off the chair beside him.

“I won’t let you ruin Dad and Aunt Sharice’s happiness!” he’d said, glaring. “They were meant to be together. If you hadn’t drugged him and stolen him away, we wouldn’t have had to sneak around like this for all these years!”

The commotion had drawn Sharice into the room. There was unmistakable triumph in her eyes.

From Radnor’s push, I hit the floor headfirst. Blood began to drip steadily from my scalp, staining the floor in vivid red.

And yet, no one cared. Without question, they tore off their masks, sided with Sharice, and turned on me.

Then, Radnor burst into tears. “When I was kidnapped,” he said bitterly, “I heard the kidnappers themselves say… It was my real mother who planned it!”

I stared at him in horror. “You’re lying…”

But he clenched his fists, grief and rage written all over his face. “I’m not lying! You’re the liar! You just wanted to frame Aunt Sharice!”

Sharice wrapped her arms around him, dabbing at his tears with practiced tenderness.

“Avalon, you can slander me all you want—but to kidnap your own son just to win Rufus’s sympathy? How could you be so cruel to a child?”

Rufus stood nearby, his face dark with rage. I could see the rage boiling just beneath the surface.

“Avalon,” he said through gritted teeth, “are you even human?! You raised Radnor yourself! How could you do something so wicked?”

I looked at the man defending Sharice and felt nothing but despair.

Yes, I had raised their children. But they were never truly mine. As for my own biological children… I didn’t even know where they were.

When Shawna heard the news, she rushed into the room. Her eyes were red, her voice shrill with fury.

“Get out of our house! We don’t have a mother like you! Sharice is our only mom!”

The two children I had once held so dearly—protected like glass, cherished like sugar on my tongue—had become the very sharp blades in someone else’s grip, stabbing into my heart and leaving it bleeding.

Looking into their eyes, I no longer saw anything that resembled a parentchild bond. All I felt was utter disillusionment.

I stood up from the floor, wiped the blood from my brow, and smiled coldly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you what you want,” I said coldly. “I’ll pack my things and leave right away.”

As Radnor climbed into the car and drove off without looking back, I casually tossed the socalled “gift” he’d left behind—that handmedown dress from Sharice—straight into the trash bin.

Then, I made two phone calls.

“Do you have time next week? Come with Mom to an engagement party.”

The twins agreed without hesitation. My heart softened with warmth. Zion and Zeniah were smart, thoughtful, and driven—so filial to me. Ever since I adopted them, my life had been full and content.

A few days later, as promised, I attended the grand engagement party.

The moment I stepped into the lavish lobby of the fivestar hotel, I spotted the Ralston twins—Radnor and Shawna—alongside their father’s beloved woman: my exbest friend Sharice.

She was now over sixty, yet still wore her blonde hair elegantly styled. Dressed in a champagnecolored evening gown with a silk shawl draped gracefully over her shoulders, she stood at the entrance, beaming warmly as she welcomed the guests.

When she saw me, her lips curled into a smug smile as she walked over.

“Avalon, after all these years, you finally decided to come see Rufus and the children again,” she said sweetly, linking her arm with mine. Then she deliberately raised her voice, just enough to catch the attention of those nearby. “I heard from Radnor that you’re working as a maid in someone else’s home? Oh dear. If you ever need money, you could’ve just come to us.”

All at once, curious guests turned their heads to look. Their gazes were layered with mockery and thinly veiled disdain.

Rufus had always kept up appearances and never publicly admitted that Radnor and Shawna were actually Sharice’s children. To those attending the event, I was nothing more than a woman who had once kidnapped her own son and, for years, completely neglected the children.

I knew Sharice was trying to humiliate me, so I kept my mouth shut.

Just then, Radnor, who had been standing nearby, noticed I wasn’t wearing the used dress he’d given me. His face darkened in displeasure. He strode over to Sharice and theatrically pulled out a pearl necklace.

“Mom, I picked this out for you during my business trip. Look—aren’t the pearls beautiful?”

Sharice looked delighted. “Oh, honey, you’re so thoughtful! This necklace is gorgeous. It must’ve cost a fortune?”

With a showy smile, she turned and let Radnor clasp it around her neck, deliberately showing off in front of me. Her smugness practically overflowed from her eyes.

“Well, the family company is doing well. You’ve sacrificed so much for us all these years. Now it’s my turn to repay you,” Radnor replied dutifully.

Watching this picture of motherly love and filial devotion unfold before me, I gave a cold, silent smile. He certainly was a devoted son—just not to me.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the entrance, “Avalon, how have you been these years? You’ve lost so much weight.”

It was an elderly man in his late eighties—Bowden, Rufus’s father, my former fatherinlaw.

His eyes held a flicker of guilt as he looked at me. And he should feel guilty. When I met Rufus, their family business was on the verge of collapse.

It was me who poured every last cent of my savings into rescuing the Raltrex Prime.

It was me who endured humiliation and sat through endless drinking sessions with clients—until my stomach bled and I was hospitalized—just to secure the deal that saved their business.

Once the company stabilized, I quietly withdrew from the spotlight and took on the role of the dutiful housewife, managing everything behind the scenes.

But what did all that sacrifice amount to?

They lived comfortably off my labor and money—money that was used to send Sharice to study at an Ivy League school.

Sharice, poised and cultured, looked every bit the refined lady of the house. And me? I was just a rough, unfashionable woman who wasn’t presentable enough.

Even when Rufus attended social functions, he always brought her along.

The truth was, I was the one who helped resurrect the Raltrex Prime, the one who raised the children, the one who gave everything.

And yet I didn’t know: on the night of our wedding, my husband had already crawled into my best friend’s bed.

The day the affair was exposed, even Bowden—who had always treated me the kindest—stood on her side.

“Avalon,” he said, his voice full of shallow justification, “Sharice is the mother of the children. She’s family. She’s educated, gracious—she’d make a wonderful matriarch for the Ralstons.”

Radnor stood there, sizing me up with cold detachment.

“Exactly, Mom. In families like ours, appearances are everything.”

Shawna nodded in agreement. “Besides, you’re not our real mom anyway. Dad supported you for twenty years. What more do you want?”

It was only then that I realized, ‘The whole family has known about Rufus and Sharice for years. I’m the only one kept in the dark.’

Rufus didn’t bother pretending anymore. He draped his arm around Sharice’s waist with intimate ease.

“Sharice has worked so hard to earn a name for herself in the entertainment industry,” he said. “You can’t ruin her future just because you’re selfish, right?”

The way the two of them leaned into each other, so cozy and blatant, made my eyes burn with unshed tears.

Bowden looked away, his tone evasive. “Just let Sharice take your place as Rufus’s wife.”

Each word, each phrase, struck like a knife straight to the heart.

In the end, without a legal proof of marriage to protect me, I was cast out of that home with nothing to my name.

Rufus once told me that he had given our biological children to a wealthy older couple. He said they were doing well now, and he didn’t want me disturbing their lives.

I searched for a long time but never found a trace of them.

None of his family ever knew that, before my parents passed, they left me more than just money. I also inherited real estate worth tens of millions.

I sold the properties, built a small house in the countryside, and spent my days tending to flowers and vegetables, living a very leisurely life.

The twins believed I had kidnapped Radnor just to maintain being the matriarch of the Ralstons. From that moment on, they refused to acknowledge me as their mother, branding me as a cruel and manipulative woman.

But they didn’t know—after that, I adopted a pair of orphaned twins.

Back then, the girl was gravely ill and couldn’t afford treatment. Her brother had been working on a construction site to earn money for her but fell and broke his leg.

When they were at their lowest, clinging to life in a slum, I happened to pass by. I couldn’t bear to walk away. I rushed them to the hospital and paid for the best treatment.

When I saw the faint light return to their dull, lifeless eyes, it felt as if I were seeing my own children—those I had never met.

My heart softened on the spot. I completed the adoption papers and gave them names: Zion and Zeniah.

Over the years, I watched them grow up, and they stayed by my side as I grew old.

“Why don’t you just stay this time?” Bowden said gently, snapping me out of my thoughts. There was a trace of tenderness in his eyes. “Quit that maid job of yours. You don’t have to keep struggling outside anymore.”

“She was the one who had me kidnapped back then!” Radnor snapped from the side, scoffing with clear disapproval.

“Dad said it clearly,” he went on, voice cold. “As long as she admitted her mistake, he’d let the past go and let her stay. But she wouldn’t even say a single ‘sorry.’ Now she’s suffering out there, and suddenly she regrets everything?”

I had already explained it all—again and again. I didn’t do anything. In fact, I had nearly fallen off a cliff trying to rush over and save him. If a passing local hadn’t pulled me up, I would’ve died down there.

But it wasn’t just Radnor who didn’t believe me. Rufus and Shawna had also lashed out in anger, accusing me of being a monster.

In their eyes, I was toxic and cruel. Only Sharice—sweet, softspoken, and ohsoperfect—could ever connect with them. She was their confidante, their ideal of the kind and graceful mother.

I looked at Radnor standing before me and thought of everything I’d once done for him. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

When he was little, he was always sick. I stayed by his bedside day and night, nursing him back to health, cleaning up after him, feeding him—raising him and his sister with my own two hands.

But the older he got, the colder he became. He only had eyes for Sharice, who spoiled him without limits.

Back then, I thought he simply didn’t like being disciplined. What I didn’t realize was that he had already known the truth all along—that Sharice was their biological mother.

And me? In their hearts, I was just a nanny—one they could call or dismiss at will.

Before I could respond, the hotel manager suddenly walked over and announced that tonight’s engagement party had been upgraded to VIP service—it’s on the house.

“This is a premium, VIPlevel treatment. The Ralstons really must have some powerful connections!”

Gasps and whispers filled the room as the guests looked around in awe.

Tucker Thornton, the manager, gave the overjoyed Radnor a look—polite but indifferent.

“The owner made it clear—tonight’s upgrade is all in honor of the groom’s mother. It’s a special gesture. We hope you all have a wonderful evening.”

Instantly, all eyes turned to Sharice, especially Radnor, who looked at her with nothing but admiration.

“Mom, your connections are amazing! When did you get to know the hotel’s owner?” he asked in awe.

Sharice quickly wiped the confusion from her face and gave a modest smile, pressing her lips together and signaling him to keep it lowkey.

I watched Radnor shower her with adoration, and all I could do was laugh to myself.

Tucker gave me an awkward glance and looked like he wanted to explain something. I subtly signaled for him to let it be.

The hotel had been a birthday gift from Zion and Zeniah—a present for my sixtieth birthday last year. I hardly ever visited, leaving the entire place in the manager’s care.

Just then, Shawna walked in, arminarm with Rufus. The father and daughter were chatting and laughing as they entered.

Shawna had grown into a stunning beauty. As for Rufus, even in his sixties, he remained tall and elegant, every inch the charming gentleman.

The moment he saw me, he froze for a second.

“Grandpa! Mom!” Shawna called out sweetly as she flung herself into Bowden’s arms. But the moment her gaze landed on me, her smile stiffened. Then, disgust flashed across her face.

“What is that bitch doing here?!”

Before I could say a word, Bowden sighed heavily, his voice falling like a hammer.

“Tonight is your brother’s moment. No matter what, Avalon was like half a mother to you all. She ought to be here.”

“What a curse!” Shawna snapped, turning her head away. Her voice was so sharp it scraped like nails on glass. “Why bring her here now and ruin everything?!”

Rufus’s gaze swept over me like a scanner, his eyes brushing across the deep navy dress I wore—elegant, understated but unmistakably expensive. His brows furrowed slightly, as if confirming something that displeased him.

“Avalon rarely comes back to visit. Shawna, don’t be so harsh,” Sharice cut in gently, looping her arm around Rufus’s tense one. Her smile was soft, serene—the perfect guest welcomer. Yet the way she looked at me brimmed with smug superiority.

Nearby, the guests whispered among themselves.

“Sharice really is something else—an Ivy League artist with such poise. She deserves being the matriarch of the family.”

“Exactly! Remember how Avalon tried to win affection back then? She even went so far as to kidnap one of the twins…”

“Now those two kids are incredible. The boy runs the Raltrex Prime, and the girl’s a famous influencer with millions of fans! Avalon was really a fool back then.”

Someone nearby tugged urgently at the speaker’s sleeve, eyes darting toward Rufus with visible panic.

His expression had darkened completely. He stepped up to me, his voice low and menacing.

“You’ve got the nerve to show your face? You ignored the kids for over a decade, and now that you’ve run out of options, you crawl back to us like we’re your golden ticket?”

Shawna folded her arms and sneered at my modest appearance. “Now you know how miserable it is to be on your own, don’t you? Too late! There’s no place for you in this family anymore!”

I met their gazes calmly and said clearly, “I have two children. They’re busy with work, but they’ll be arriving later.”

“What?!”

Rufus’s rage froze into stunned disbelief. A flicker of something complicated passed through his eyes.

“You remarried? When did that happen? And the kids are already working? Avalon, did you go and have illegitimate children behind my back?!”

“Enough! You disgraceful brat! Do you even know where you are?” Bowden’s face turned thunderous. He slammed his redwood cane against the polished marble floor with a thunderous crack.

Rufus flinched, clearly holding back more words. But before he could say anything else, a stir rippled through the entrance of the party hall.

Several young men in crisp black tailcoats entered, carrying a massive gift box.

The box was wrapped in thick, matte black velvet, luxurious to the eye. At the center, a subtle yet unmistakably commanding logo gleamed: a silver crown.

“Oh my God! That’s Crown! The legendary brand that only serves the world’s elite!”

“I heard only royalty and toptier financial giants can get on their client list. Even if you’re rich, it doesn’t mean you’ll ever get close!”

“Excuse me,” one of the men stepped forward. “Which of you is Sir Radnor’s mother? This is your child’s engagement gift. Please sign to receive it.”

Sharice’s smile bloomed like a flower. She clicked toward them in her stilettos, her shoulder ramming into mine with force as she pushed past.

I stumbled slightly, frowning as I regained my balance.

She had already stepped in front of the attendants, voice raised slightly with excitement. “That’s me!”

“Wow, Sharice, what a gift you have! Your child must be truly remarkable. What an honor!”

A wave of gasps and compliments swept through the room like a rising tide.

Just then, Elyse Quinlan—Radnor’s fiancée—arrived with her family.

Seeing the scene before them, her parents beamed with pride, basking in the spotlight.

Luodan threw her arms around Radnor, showering kisses on his cheek. “Baby, I can’t wait to see what it is!”

Sharice was practically floating with pride, her face flushed with delight. She grabbed the pen—its barrel encrusted with tiny diamonds—and eagerly signed the delivery slip.

But just as she finished, the lead attendant, his gloved hand poised and calm, stopped her from opening the box.

He looked at her with a complicated expression, then spoke clearly, his voice echoing across the hall.

“I’m sorry. The recipient on our list is Miss Avalon Delamar.”

“What? That has to be a mistake!”

Radnor shoved through the crowd, disbelief written all over his face as he rushed up to the man in the tuxedo and snatched the delivery slip from his hands.

His eyes scanned the sender section.

[AZZ & Co.]

[Paramount Productions]

Both were crucial partners of the Raltrex Prime, and the latter was where his sister Shawna currently worked.

Relief washed over his face. With a smug smirk, he flung the slip back toward the man.

“I knew it. You people definitely made a mistake! Tonight’s my engagement party. The Raltrex Prime is no longer what it used to be. Those two giants must have teamed up to show us some respect—that’s why they sent such an extravagant gift! They just didn’t get our family situation straight and wrote down ‘Avalon Delamar’—a totally irrelevant person.”

He looked so pleased with his supposed insight that I couldn’t help but shake my head silently.

Then, gesturing at Sharice, he arrogantly ordered the tuxedoed man, “Take a good look. This is my mom—Sharice Ralston!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the man replied with professional courtesy, though his tone was clearly strained. “The order explicitly states that only Miss Avalon may sign for the package.”

I stepped forward, smiling. “I’m Avalon.”

Then I picked up the pen and calmly signed my name.

A few waiters let out a quiet breath of relief. Carefully, almost reverently, they placed the lavish gift box before me and then slipped out without another word. They knew this delivery came from two industry titans—there was no room for error.

Just as I was about to open it, someone forcefully elbowed me aside.

Sharice shoved past and tore open the gift box herself. Her face lit up with a satisfied smile as she reached in and pulled out the contents.

At that moment, it was like the Milky Way had poured into the hall.

A wedding gown unlike anything words could describe spilled through her hands. The fabric shimmered with a deep, starlike luster. Intricate lacework and cascading layers of tulle glowed with the majesty of a cosmic nebula. Its sheer beauty stunned the entire party hall into silence—then came a surge of gasps and exclamations.

“Oh my god! Is that a Crown design? That’s not a gown—it’s art!”

“I’ve lived half my life and never seen anything this dreamlike. Ten million? Easily more!”

Radnor’s fiancée covered her mouth, tears sparkling in her eyes. Her voice trembled. “God, it’s so beautiful! I love it—I love it so much!”

But Radnor and Shawna just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Their eyes filled with confusion.

‘This came from Avalon? That woman who left the Ralstons and could barely make ends meet as a maid? How on earth could she afford something like this—let alone have the connections to pull it off?’

‘No. Absolutely not!’

Radnor and Shawna exchanged a quick glance, silently suppressing their doubt. And then, a silent agreement passed between them.

This had to be the CEO of AZZ & Co. and Paramount Productions’s doing. They must’ve sent the gift out of respect for the Ralstons—for Radnor and Shawna in particular.

‘Avalon? She just got lucky. Her name has been written there by mistake.’

With that settled in Radnor’s mind, he lifted the gown and handed it out carefully to his fiancée.

“Darling, wear this on our wedding day,” he said tenderly. “And you’ll be the most beautiful bride in the entire world!”

Under the spotlight and the admiring eyes of the crowd, the twins stepped forward to flank their parents with tears in their eyes.

“We’re just so lucky!” Shawna choked up. “To have such amazing parents, especially our Mommy Sharice—she’s sacrificed so much for us. Her love can’t even be measured in money.”

The guests nodded in agreement, their eyes drifting disdainfully toward me in the corner.

“See? Only Sharice has that kind of class. What a thoughtful, impressive gesture!”

“Avalon came here just to steal attention, clearly riding on someone else’s coattails.”

“Exactly! It’s her own son’s engagement, and she shows up emptyhanded? How selfish and coldhearted can you get?”

“Dang, the stepmother’s more of a mother than the real one…”

Bathed in praise, Sharice moved through the crowd like a queen. Gracefully, she stopped in front of me and spoke in a voice just loud enough for everyone around us to hear.

“Avalon, I know life’s been hard for you out there. I really do. But tonight is your son’s big night. As his mother, surely you should show some kind of gesture?”

Her eyes drifted to my wrist, to the watch I wore—simple at a glance but actually a oneofakind masterpiece crafted by a legendary artisan over several painstaking years.

She smiled sweetly, saying, “How about this—your watch is the only thing you’re wearing that looks halfway decent. Why not give it to the bridetobe as your gift? I’m sure she’d love it.”

With a look only I could see, she silently taunted, ‘That “pathetic” little thing—do you even have the nerve to offer it? And if not, can you afford not to?

My gaze, cold and sharp as ice, locked onto Sharice as I countered, “Sharice, I was the one who signed for the wedding gown. What gives you the right to claim it was your gift?”

Without waiting for her response, I shoved her aside and walked straight up to Elyse. My voice was calm but firm.

“Elyse, this wedding gown is a congratulatory gift me and my children carefully prepared. It’s not from Sharice.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, the expressions on Radnor and Shawna’s faces shifted dramatically. Even Rufus’s face darkened.

Rage boiled in his chest, smoldering just beneath the surface. In a few quick strides, Rufus reached me, his voice thick with barely restrained fury.

“That’s enough, Avalon! Do you even know how much that wedding gown costs? You could work your entire life as a servant and still not afford a single button on it!”

Radnor snorted from the side and jumped in mockingly.

“Exactly. This generous gift came from my business partner—AZZ & Co.—and my sister’s boss, the diva of Paramount Productions herself. What, are you trying to take credit for it?”

Meanwhile, Shawna rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with disdain.

“Do you even hear yourself? You think people like that would stoop to associating with someone like you? At least rehearse your lies better next time.”

Tears welled up in Sharice’s eyes, brimming to the edge in an instant. Her voice quivered with hurt.

“Avalon, I let it go when you stole Rufus from me all those years ago. But now… you can’t even let me have a moment of sincerity? A forced relationship is never sweet. What’s not yours, no matter how much you fight, it’ll never be yours…”

Her voice broke as she collapsed into his arms, her shoulders shaking violently with sobs.

He tightened his hold around her protectively, and when he looked at me, his eyes were laced with malice.

His teeth clenched, then he spat, “What exactly are you trying to do, Avalon?! All these years, Sharice hasn’t had a single night of peace because of you! She wakes from nightmares, trembling! And now, on the night our son gets engaged, you’re still trying to stir up drama out of jealousy? Apologize right now to Sharice—and to every guest present!”

Dad then stepped forward, trying to diffuse the chaos. “That’s enough! This is a joyful night—what kind of behavior is this?”

But Rufus suddenly turned on him, his gaze sharp and accusing.

“You always defend her. But tonight is my son’s engagement! Have you even considered my feelings? Or how he must feel?”

Dad was momentarily stunned, choked by those words. His eyes fell on Radnor’s tense face. After a long sigh, he said nothing more and stepped back in silence.

“If you don’t apologize to Sharice right now,” Rufus growled, his eyes locked on me, each word spat through clenched teeth, “then don’t even dream of setting foot in the villa again!”

But I just stood there, unmoved, my chin held high. My silence only added fuel to the fire burning in his chest.

Thoughts must’ve surged within him—wild and uncontrollable.

‘If only she had been a little more obedient back then, I wouldn’t have had to throw her out and make the whole city know the family had replaced the lady of the house.’

‘And now, on a night like this—my son’s grand engagement—she couldn’t even grant me the smallest shred of face?’

He had never expected me to be this proud. In his mind, I was supposed to be the same docile woman from the past, soft and pliant in his hands, someone who would give and give without asking for anything back.

He had always assumed that after I left, I’d regret it. That one day I’d crawl back in tears, begging for forgiveness.

But all these years, not once had I returned. Not for him. Not for the children.

In fact… I could feel it—he saw it, too. I looked even more radiant than before—glowing, renewed, as if life without him had become all the more rich and comfortable.

‘That is absolutely unacceptable!’

In his eyes, I should live the rest of my life beneath him, always looking up!

A vicious glint flashed in his gaze. He shot a glance at the bodyguard behind him.

The man had worked for Rufus for years and instantly understood. One look at Sharice’s tearstreaked, trembling face, and he sprang into action.

He strode toward me, his hand like a steel clamp, reaching for me.

“Apologize to Ma’am Sharice! And to every esteemed guest here tonight!”