My parents were killed in a car accident. Because of the close ties and marriage agreement between our families, Mr. Owens treated me like his own daughter, and Mrs. Salazar was compassionate toward me. But everything was upended because of Lachlan.
His faked death turned me from a cherished daughter-in-law into a despised debtor. If it weren't for Elijah, I might not have made it to this day.
As I was lost in thought, Elijah texted me saying he'd arrive in about 15 minutes. Today is his birthday, and I didn’t want to spoil the mood, so I chose to hide what had just transpired.
I replied, "I'll bring our daughter to meet you at the entrance." I then pulled myself together, treated my daughter's wounds, and headed to the entrance of the party with her.
There, I unexpectedly encountered Lachlan, who had his arm around Ayah's waist, kissing her cheek. Upon seeing me, he curled his lips into a mocking smile.
"Has reality finally kicked in?" he sneered. "Well, if you realize your mistake, you can kneel and apologize to Ayah now, and maybe I’ll cut you some slack."
The people around us chimed in:
"Yeah, hurry up and kneel. Let's get a show before Mr. Gonzalez and Mrs. Gonzalez arrive."
Ayah feigned innocence:
"Lachlan, let’s not do this. It's only going to make Hazel dislike me more. I can handle a little bit of hardship..."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the locket around my neck, and she gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief:
"Sister, this locket... Isn't it the one Mr. Gonzalez bought at the charity auction for his wife? How is it with you?"
The crowd was visibly stunned.
"Impossible. Did she really have the nerve to swipe something from Mrs. Gonzalez?"
"Besides the locket’s huge value, Mr. Gonzalez is absolutely smitten with his wife; he wouldn't let this pass."
Upon hearing this, Lachlan's face twisted with rage as he shouted at me:
"Hazel Gonzalez, how dare you steal Mrs. Gonzalez’s locket? Have you lost it?"
Lachlan rushed over and violently grabbed my throat:
"Don't think you can do whatever you want here. You can't afford to cross someone like Mr. Gonzalez!"
I fought free from his grip, gasped for air, and glared fiercely at him:
"I am Mrs. Gonzalez. How dare you question me wearing my own locket?"
The entire room erupted in disbelief.
Lachlan laughed hysterically:
"If you're Mrs. Gonzalez, then I’m the host of this party. Seriously, stop dreaming; we’re dying of laughter here!"
The crowd joined in the laughter:
"She has no shame. Imagine trying to climb the social ladder with such wild claims."
"She's really lost it, spewing these crazy lies."
My daughter bravely shoved Lachlan:
"You can't bully my mom!"
Ayah's two sons immediately reacted; one bit my arm fiercely while the other pushed my daughter down. She fell, further injuring her knees, and cried out:
"Just wait till my dad arrives; he won't let you get away with this!"
Right then, the entrance stirred, catching everyone's attention. Elijah appeared, dressed sharply in a suit, radiating authority.
My daughter shouted: "Dad, you've finally arrived! They were bullying me and Mom!"
