Chapter 4

That night, I spent a full three hours just examining that dress.

I snapped high-res pics of every single stitch, every sparkling gem, and even the zipper. Then I uploaded everything to my encrypted cloud drive.

I'd seen this kind of plot way too many times.

Either the dress was so shoddy that it would rip open at the worst possible moment and totally embarrass me, or maybe there was some shady story behind this dress.

I ran the photos through image recognition software and scoured every major fashion site and auction house online. Sure enough, I found it.

This dress wasn't some custom-made foreign masterpiece at all. It popped up at a charity auction three months ago. Then it was snagged by a wealthy businessman who'd just lost his wife. He gave it to his new lover.

That businessman's late wife was Grace Lewis, a well-known philanthropist and a regular in Linda's circle of socialites.

Grace had jumped to her death a month ago, after struggling with depression.

As I stared at the photo of the businessman and his new lover, wrapped up in each other while wearing that dress, a slow, satisfied smile spread across my face.

Edith, you really did give me the perfect gift.

On the night of the gala, I showed up in that dress, arm in arm with Richard.

The moment I walked in, every eye in the room was on me.

Edith was trailing behind Linda in a conservative white gown, and when she saw me, a smug glint flashed in her eyes.

She sauntered over and slipped her arm through mine, acting all sweet. "Wow, Serena, you look absolutely stunning tonight. This dress was made for you."

I flashed her a bashful smile. "You're giving me too much credit, Edith. It's all thanks to your killer taste in fashion."

A noblewoman walked over with a wine glass, and her gaze fixed on me. Her face instantly soured.

It was Tasha Lewis, Grace's older sister.

"Mrs. Moore, so this is the daughter you just brought back? What a fine upbringing," Tasha sneered.

Linda's face fell. "Mrs. Lewis, what's that supposed to mean?"

Tasha scoffed, pointing straight at my dress. "What do I mean? Your daughter's wearing that mistress's dress, the same filthy thing that bitch wore, the one who ruined my sister's life! Are you guys just here to stab me in the heart?"

As soon as she said that, everyone's eyes were like daggers, stabbing right at me.

Linda's face went ghostly pale, her eyes filled with fury and disgust as she looked at me.

Richard's brows knitted together, and his grip on my arm tightened unconsciously.

I was completely shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events, just standing frozen in place. My face was drained of color, and my lips were trembling.

Edith immediately stepped forward, putting on a show of heartbreak as she looked at me.

She said, "Serena, how could you wear this dress? This isn't the one I picked out for you. Did you go out of your way to find something like this just to upset me and gross everyone out?"

She washed her hands of it completely, and now all eyes were on me in a bad way.

I glanced around at all the angry, disgusted faces, and then caught Linda's death stare. She looked like she could murder me right then and there.

Finally, I met Edith's eyes, and the undisguised glee in her gaze was impossible to miss. My body went limp. I toppled right toward Richard.

"Dad... I'm sorry..." I whispered.

I was barely hanging on, and in that last moment before I "blacked out", I forced out a few words with all my strength. "Edith, why did you set me up..."

When I came to, I was in the hotel suite.

Richard was sitting by the bed, his suit jacket off, just in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

When he saw I was awake, he handed me a glass of water.

"Serena, how are you feeling?" he asked.

I didn't take the water. Instead, I struggled to sit up, clung to his arm, and tears streamed down my face.

I said, "Dad, you have to believe me! I swear I didn't know anything. Edith saw I didn't have anything to wear, so she handed me that dress.

"I thought it looked pretty, so I wore it. I swear, I had no idea about anything else!

"I always treated her like my real sister. I trusted her so much. Why would she hurt me like this?"

Richard watched me quietly, not saying a word, not pulling away.

The room was so quiet, and the only sound was my stifled sobs.

After what felt like forever, he finally spoke, "I know."

I stopped crying and just stared at him, dazed.

Richard said, "After you fainted, I had the shop checked out. The security footage showed Edith's assistant took your original dress and swapped it out for this one."