Chapter 3

Behind me, Emily completely snapped. I heard a primal scream, followed by the classic "table-clearing" sweep. The explosive sound of fine porcelain bowls and plates shattering against the hardwood floor echoed through the mansion.

See? Even your worst enemies can't handle the cold shoulder.

Once I was out, I made a beeline for the bank and deposited the check. When I stared at the beautiful, comforting string of numbers populating my account balance, a genuinely relaxed smile finally spread across my face.

I took a detour to a mid-range residential complex on the west side of the city. I owned a small, cozy apartment here that I had bought under my own name.

It was my space, a home that no one could ever kick me out of.

God, having money felt amazing.

After lounging around for most of the day, I finally headed back to the villa, immediately sensing a shift in the atmosphere the second I walked in.

The living room lights were blazing. Sean, who was supposed to be at the office, was sitting right in the middle of the sofa. He had his arms wrapped tightly around Emily, who had her face buried in his chest, sobbing softly while he whispered sweet nothings into her hair.

The sound of the front door opening startled them both.

Sean looked up at me. His lips parted, but whatever words he had prepared seemed to get lodged in his throat.

It wasn't until Emily tugged desperately at his sleeve, her sobs growing louder and more pitiful, that Sean finally hardened his resolve.

"Anna," he said. "The wedding... we need to cancel it."

I stood perfectly still, letting the words process for two seconds.

I didn't scream or throw anything. I just felt that sharp pain in my chest flare up, and the bridge of my nose started to burn.

My entire body felt as cold as it did when I was twelve years old. Back then, that old drunk had beaten me half to death and held my head underwater in the well.

No big deal. I had always been very good at enduring.

I sniffled, nodded my head, and said, "Okay."

Seeing how completely unbothered I was, Emily lifted her head from Sean's chest and stared at me.

Her eyes were red and wet, but the triumphant smirk on her face was unmistakable.

I knew exactly what she was gloating about.

A few fake tears were all it took for Sean to cancel our wedding. As his first love, she held all the cards.

I wasn't stupid. I was never going to actually try and compete with her.

To Sean, she was sacred, and I was disposable.

I glanced at Sean and realized that, honestly, making it this far was already a massive win.

Clinging to him at this point would just be embarrassing.

Without saying another word, I turned toward the stairs.

"Wait!" Sean called out.

My footsteps paused, but I didn't look back.

"Howard Jewelers just received a new shipment of raw gold," he said to my back. "I'll have my assistant send two solid gold bars to your room later."

My heart practically exploded with joy.

I instantly realized how pathetic my little internal emotional monologue from a minute ago really was.

I couldn't care less about love. Money is the best.

I spun around, effortlessly sliding back into the sweet smile Sean was so used to seeing.

"Thank you, Sean!" I chirped. "I'll head up to my room now. Make sure you get some rest too!"

As expected, before my footsteps even faded, Emily immediately started throwing a fit about me getting gold bars as compensation.

She buried her face back into his chest, her whiny cries echoing off the high ceilings.

Sean sounded completely exhausted by her reaction. He lowered his head to coax her, and I could faintly catch snippets of his voice. "Stop crying. She's not worth it. Just give it a little more time."

Without even looking up at me, he called out, "You don't need to wait up for me tonight.

"Emily's not doing well. I need to stay with her."

I gave a casual hum of acknowledgment, not missing a single step as I turned the corner and disappeared upstairs.

I literally didn't have the time to be sad. My brain was completely occupied by those two gold bars.

How long were they? How heavy? How many grams were they?

How much cash could I liquidate them for?

The second I got out of the shower, I grabbed my phone, desperate to search up the real-time market price for gold.

But before I could even tap the browser, a barrage of text messages from an unsaved number flooded my screen.

It was Emily.

Emily: [Anna, do you have absolutely no shame? Sean literally canceled your wedding, and you're still sitting here refusing to get out?]

Emily: [You are a complete and utter bitch! You should have taken those gold bars and run. Everything in the Howard family belongs to me. You are literally stealing my money!]

Emily: [I am done tolerating you. Just wait. I am going to make sure you are thrown out of this house permanently!]

I read the texts with a deadpan expression and simply swiped them away.

The first time I refused to leave, I got two million dollars.

The second time I refused to leave, I got two solid gold bars.

If staying made me shameless, then I would gladly be shameless. Dignity doesn't pay the bills, after all.

But less than a minute later, a piercing scream shattered the quiet, followed by the chaotic thumping of footsteps. A maid was shrieking in absolute terror down the hall.

"Help! Something terrible happened!

"Ms. Grant... she slit her wrists!"