Chapter 5

He paused in the hallway, staring at the half-empty living room. The space looked gutted, hollow—like something had been removed from its core.

“Nora, why does the place feel so empty?” he asked, puzzled. “Hadley was just here to visit. Are you upset because of that?”

Nora calmly brushed past him, her face unreadable. “A lot of the old things needed replacing. The packages are already on the way. Just sign for them when they arrive.”

She had packed all her belongings and sent them elsewhere—his gifts, carefully chosen, were on the way too. He’d receive them soon enough.

Damien tilted his head, watching her. “I’ve told you so many times, you don’t need to be so frugal. And now, suddenly, you’re spending? What changed?”

He hesitated, then asked more cautiously, “Are you mad about the pool? About me not jumping in?”

He smiled, as if trying to make light of it. “Nora, I believed in you. That you could overcome your fear. And look—you did.”

Fear?

She nearly died! The suffocating panic, the freezing grip of the water on her lungs, the helplessness… it was still inside her. Still choking her.

She stared at Damien, who stood there justifying himself like it was nothing. Her chest clenched. She felt sick.

“Right,” she said flatly. “All thanks to you.”

Nora had never been the kind to dwell on emotion. She focused on her career. Always had. She tolerated a lot—blindly supporting Damien through every obstacle.

So she said nothing more.

Damien, satisfied that he’d smoothed things over, pulled out a velvet box. Inside lay a pearl necklace—glossy, milky, faintly shimmering.

“I got this for you,” he said, eyes glowing. “Try it on.”

His eyes—those soft, charming eyes—used to disarm her. Every time they argued, she’d meet his gaze and forget what they were fighting about.

But now? She looked into those same eyes and felt only nausea.

She forced a smile. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”

She fastened the necklace around her throat. The pearls gleamed in the mirror… though a few had faint blemishes if you looked closely.

She didn’t think much of it—maybe it was part of the design.

Until that night.

***

At the city’s grand Fireworks Gala, the centerpiece of the season, the crowd buzzed with luxury and envy.

A circle of women had gathered around Hadley, gasping and fawning.

“Oh my God, Hadley, that necklace is flawless. It’s just… breathtaking.”

“No wonder. That’s Manshaar’s masterpiece, right? I read he failed ten thousand times before crafting that one perfect strand of pearls.”

“I heard the defective ones were all sold off dirt-cheap. But this? This is the one-in-a-million.”

Another woman glanced toward Nora and sneered.

“Imagine wearing one of those rejects and thinking it’s the same. Honestly, some people are just shameless.”

“She’s not even close to Hadley in class or taste. Just look at her. That dress, that necklace... you’d think she was Hadley’s assistant, not her sister.”

Nora’s hands trembled at her sides. She dug her nails into her dress hem, willing herself to stay calm. The necklace around her neck suddenly felt like it was burning her skin.

She wanted to rip it off.

Just then, Damien arrived—surrounded by his staff and cameras.

One of the reporters leaned in, mic in hand. “Mr. Penn, may we ask—who will be your dance partner tonight?”

Nora held her breath.

This was the question.

The Fireworks Gala only happened once every three years. The woman who danced beside Damien tonight would stand in the spotlight, recognized as his equal, his partner, his vision of the future.

What they didn’t know—what most people didn’t care to ask—was that the one who fought for the Gala’s venue license, who spent months negotiating and nearly lost her life in a landslide during the site inspection, was Nora.

She’d been buried under rocks and mud, clinging to consciousness, just to secure the contract.

For Damien.

For their company.

For this moment.

And now, it was here.

She looked at him, eyes shining, silently begging—say my name. Just once. Let them see who I am.

Damien smiled at the crowd.

“Of course, the only woman who deserves the first dance tonight is the one as perfect as these pearls—Hadley Bishop.”

The room broke into applause.

Someone nearby chuckled. “What, did anyone actually think he’d choose his tacky, knock-off-wearing wife over Hadley?”

The words sliced through her like glass.

Nora didn’t move. Didn’t cry. She just stood there—frozen—staring at Damien as he turned away from her.

He knew.

He knew what this meant to her.

And he still chose Hadley.

He offered Hadley his hand. “My lady, would you grant me the honor of a dance?”

Hadley giggled, eyes sparkling. “Gladly.”