All it took was a single sentence from Bianca to destroy everything I had.
That lie ripped my world apart without mercy. In one breath, I lost my parents’ trust, their affection, their pride in calling me their daughter. From that day on, I stopped being Isabelle Sterling in their eyes. I became the cause of Bianca’s suffering—the stain on our family name. My mother looked at me with open revulsion, as if my very presence offended her. My father said nothing at all, but his silence cut deeper than shouting ever could. The love they once gave me vanished overnight, replaced by cold, unyielding gazes that never softened, not even as the years passed.
So when I stepped into the grand hall during Bianca’s birthday banquet, it felt less like an invitation and more like walking straight into a snare.
She noticed Victor and me the moment we appeared. Draped in gold, she glided toward us beneath the chandeliers, her gown shimmering as though the light itself favored her. Her smile was radiant, practiced—like she had always belonged at the center of every room.
“Isabelle! Victor! You finally made it!” she said brightly, reaching for my hand with exaggerated warmth. Then she paused, eyes widening as if struck by sudden concern. “Oh dear… I almost forgot. You can’t hear me, can you?” She let out a soft laugh. “I really should’ve learned sign language, but I never got around to it. You don’t mind, do you?”
Her tone was sweet enough to fool anyone else. Her eyes were not.
My mother stepped forward before I could react, her voice sharp and merciless. “Why would she blame you? Don’t be ridiculous, Bianca. If it weren’t for Isabelle, you would never have been kidnapped at all. She’s the embarrassment of this family. Deaf and completely useless.”
I lowered my head instinctively. I had heard those words too many times to count. They never grew dull—but they never hurt any less either.
Before I could sign a response, Victor intervened. He placed a reassuring hand on Bianca’s shoulder and smiled. “Isabelle doesn’t hold grudges,” he said gently. “There’s no need to worry. She understands.”
Then, as if to seal the moment, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box. He offered it to Bianca with a reverence that made my chest tighten. “Happy birthday. I hope you like it.”
Her face lit up instantly. “Victor… you always know exactly how to make me happy.”
As she lifted her wrist, the ballroom lights caught on the jewelry she wore. My breath stalled.
The bracelet.
The Durant Crown Holdings heirloom.
The same one Victor once told me had gone missing. The same one I had quietly hoped he would give me after we married. I remembered asking him about it back then, hesitant, almost embarrassed. His smile had faltered for just a second before he kissed my hand and said, It’s just an old piece. What matters is that my heart belongs to you.
Now the truth gleamed cruelly beneath the chandeliers.
The bracelet was never lost.
It was never meant for me.
It had always belonged to her.
Pain spread through my chest, sharp and hollow at once. My fingers trembled, but I forced myself to steady them. I refused to let anyone witness my breaking point.
“I… I need some air,” I murmured, slipping away before the tears could betray me. The music and laughter faded as I pushed through the crowd, desperate for the night’s cold to numb what was tearing me apart inside.
---
The garden was bathed in soft golden lights, their reflections stretching across the lake like fragile threads. The cool air brushed my skin, but inside I felt trapped—burning, suffocating.
I wasn’t surprised when she followed.
Bianca never missed an opportunity to hurt me.
When she stepped outside, the sweetness vanished from her face. The polite smile she wore indoors disappeared completely. What stood before me now was her true self—sharp-edged, smug, merciless.
“I really don’t understand you,” she said quietly, her voice cutting. “How do you still have the nerve to show your face here? No one wants you, yet you keep pretending you belong. It’s almost amusing how shameless you are.”
Her words sliced through me, but I kept my gaze fixed on the dark water. If I looked at her, I knew the tears would fall—and I refused to give her that satisfaction.
She moved closer, her perfume filling the air, sweet and suffocating. “Do you even know why Victor married you?” she continued softly. “Poor Isabelle. He never loved you. He only married you so you wouldn’t stand in the way between me and Julian. He told me everything—on your wedding night, of all days. He said I was the one he truly wanted. He’s obsessed with me. You were just convenient. He married you to stay close to me. Never for you.”
The world tilted, but I forced myself to breathe through it.
She laughed under her breath, the sound brittle and cruel. “Look at you. Truly pitiful. A deaf wife who couldn’t even keep her husband’s heart. If I were you, I wouldn’t even bother living anymore.”
Her words drove so deep I could barely inhale. My silence must have pleased her—because without warning, she suddenly moved.
Before I could react, Bianca hurled herself into the lake.
Water erupted violently around her, the splash tearing through the night.
“Help me!” she screamed, flailing as if drowning. “Someone help me! Isabelle—she pushed me! Please—help!”
