Chapter 3

My fingers curled tightly into fists. I should have known.

Now that his dream girl was back, there was no room left for a stand-in like me.

"Natalie's back, so Clara is completely out of the picture."

"She was only ever a temporary replacement anyway. If Natalie hadn't moved overseas, Clara would never have had a chance."

"No family background, no pedigree—just a gold digger. How did she even last five years?"

"Exactly. Just a plaything to keep him entertained when he was bored."

Listening to the venomous whispers around me, my heart remained surprisingly calm.

I glanced over at Austin. He merely frowned, then turned around to ask a waiter for a warm drink for Natalie.

"Please don't say that, everyone. Clara stayed by Austin's side for five years; she worked hard too," Natalie said, stepping forward with an angelic, gentle smile.

"It's just that Austin is a sentimental man, so he's always treated me a little differently."

Natalie cast a fleeting glance my way, her fingers lightly brushing against the diamond necklace at her throat.

"When I was living abroad, Austin had bespoke gifts delivered to my door every single week. And the moment I came back, he bought this necklace for me at an exclusive auction."

As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding guests turned toward me with mocking sneers.

"Isn't that the rare piece Mr. Hayes bid millions on without batting an eye? True love really is unmatched."

Suddenly, as if discovering something shocking, Natalie gasped and pointed at my neck.

"Oh dear, Clara... why are you wearing a replica? Aren't you intentionally trying to embarrass Austin in front of everyone?"

"Well, what do you expect? A gold digger only deserves knockoffs," someone in the crowd chimed in with a laugh.

I let out a cold laugh, reached up, unclasped the necklace, and threw it right at Austin's chest.

"Embarrassed? Wasn't this replica handpicked by you, Mr. Hayes?"

"Are you suddenly feeling ashamed now?"

Not bothering to look at the stunned faces around me, I turned and walked away.

I stepped out onto the breezy terrace to catch my breath.

The moment I reached the railing, a hand violently seized my wrist.

The grip was so tight it felt like my bones were about to shatter.

I glared up at Austin in fury.

"Clara Evans, you knew all along that every gift I gave you was fake, didn't you?"

Austin loomed over me, his dark eyes burning with disgust and repressed rage.

"Did you do that on purpose? Trying to humiliate me in public?"

"You played the obedient girl for five years just so you could pull off one massive score at the very end, didn't you?"

His words dripped with venom.

Facing his interrogation, a sharp, suffocating ache bloomed in my chest.

Looking at his cold, paranoid face, I realized how terribly wrong I had been all along.

When I first met Austin Hayes, rumors portrayed him as ruthless, paranoid, and cold-blooded.

I had never believed them—because he was the generous donor who supported the orphanage.

It was his funding that had allowed me to finish college.

Late one night, I had accidentally run into him sitting alone in an empty city square. He was holding a worn locket between his fingers, his eyes filled with a deep, crushing loneliness I had never seen before.

In that fleeting moment, he looked so vulnerable and broken that my heart broke for him.

I felt an overwhelming urge to comfort him.

So I abandoned my pride, stayed by his side, and willingly became his little caged bird.

I just never imagined that all my devotion would end up being completely worthless.

Right then, my phone buzzed in my clutch.

I glanced down at the screen. A message from an unsaved number read: "The paperwork is complete. Only the final transfer remains."

A wave of calm washed over me. I tapped back a quick reply.