Chapter 003:

Alicia's POV

Two Days Later

“Get dressed quickly; we wouldn’t want to be late for the charity gala! And don’t forget the necklace!” Andrew’s deep, cold voice commanded abruptly the moment he was done preparing.

In his black suit, he dashed out of the room without looking at me. I tried my best to be quick, but just as I reached for the necklace, the loud ringing of my phone caught my attention.

Picking it up, I placed it to my ear. “Hello, who is…” I began, but a tense voice echoed from the other side of the line.

“Luna Alicia, you have to hurry! Your mother has just been hospitalized. You need to get here right away!”

“What?” I gasped, my eyes widening in shock. “My mother?” I repeated, desperate to make sense of the news.

“Hurry!” The call ended abruptly, leaving me with a rush of panic and uncertainty.

It was the day of the charity gala, an event I was supposed to attend with Andrew. But now, my mother was in the hospital, and I was torn. What was I supposed to do?

Before I could gather my thoughts, Andrew stormed into the room, his eyes blazing with irritation. “What’s taking you so long?” he snapped, his impatience clear.

“Andrew, please, you have to understand. My mother has just been hospitalized, and I need to go to her,” I pleaded softly, my voice quivering with anxiety and worry.

Andrew’s face hardened as he listened, his eyes narrowing with disdain. “Of all the days for her to get hospitalized, it had to be today?” he said, his voice dripping with cold contempt.

“You can’t say these cruel words to an old lady, especially when she is your mother-in-law,” I denied Andrew. Whatever harsh words he said to me were okay, but not toward my mother.

His face twisted for a moment; apparently, a word in my speech had offended him.

"Choose between me and your mom," he asked—a ridiculous question.

"You are losing your mind," I turned unhesitatingly.

The lack of empathy and respect he showed for my family’s crisis made me feel utterly sad and... enraged.

I would have argued about his nonchalance toward my mother’s illness, but I didn’t have much time. I swiftly dashed out of the house, found a taxi, and left for the hospital.

I tried my best to arrive on time. I couldn’t lose my mother now. The moment I arrived at the hospital, I saw the doctor rushing toward the emergency room.

“Doctor Albert!” I called out in a panicked tone as I ran toward him.

“Luna Alicia!” He bowed at my sight.

“Please, I’m here because of my mother. Is she going to be okay?” I asked with a racing heart.

“I can’t answer that yet, Luna. I promise to give you a response once we are done!” Without waiting for me to say more, he ran into the emergency room, shutting the door behind him.

I couldn’t shake the thought of losing my mother. It scared me to the core. I kept pacing around the hallway in fear.

My heart raced with a relentless pounding, each beat echoing my anxiety. I was consumed with worry for my mother when I suddenly stopped in my tracks, transfixed by the sight on the TV screen before me.

“Isn’t that Andrew?” I murmured, squinting in disbelief as I tried to make sense of the image.

The live broadcast was from the charity gala—the very event I was supposed to attend with Andrew. There he was, but not with me.

He was with someone else, and not just anyone, but Veronica, his stepsister who disliked me so much.

My breath caught in my throat as I noticed something even more crushing: the necklace Andrew had given me was now draped around Veronica’s neck.

They were posing together like the perfect couple, her arm lovingly entwined with his, both of them smiling radiantly at the cameras.

The realization hit me like a wave. Veronica was taking my place at the gala, and the image shattered me completely. Tears welled up in my eyes at this moment.

He easily let another woman take my place, ignoring all the work I had put into my position and career.

“What is he doing with her?” The question escaped my lips in a whisper of anguish.