Chapter 3

I redid her updo and pinned the veil into place.

Ten minutes left until the ceremony.

A bridesmaid walked over and handed Heather an exquisite red velvet jewelry box.

"Heather, time to put on the necklace."

Heather took the box, her face lighting up with smug anticipation.

She deliberately turned toward me, snapping the box open with a flourish right under my nose.

"Open your eyes wide. Take a good look at what real jewelry is."

Inside lay a sapphire and diamond necklace, resting on the velvet.

The light caught it and threw off a blinding glare.

I'd only meant to glance over.

But in the next instant, my gaze locked onto that necklace and wouldn't let go.

The rage in my chest detonated like gasoline meeting flame.

I knew that necklace. I knew it better than anything.

It was the heirloom my grandmother had passed to my mother—the one my mother had fastened around my own neck with her dying hands.

Last month, Carl had suddenly remarked that the necklace looked a little dull. He'd offered to take it to his friend's high-end jeweler for cleaning.

At the time, I'd actually been touched by his thoughtfulness.

I never imagined he would take my heirloom and pass it off as a gift to his new lover.

I fixed my eyes on that necklace, my voice cold as ice.

"What a beautiful necklace."

Heather thought she'd stunned me into silence. She laughed scornfully.

"Naturally. Carl had someone bid on it for me at an auction in London."

"The starting bid alone was three million."

She lifted the necklace and held it against her throat.

"A peasant like you couldn't afford a single chip off this stone if you worked your whole life."

I whipped my head around to look at Carl.

The moment his eyes met mine, he stumbled back half a step and slammed into the door frame.

His face was paper-white, his lips trembling. He couldn't get out a single word.

"A London auction?"

I advanced on Heather one step at a time, my gaze nailed to that necklace.

"Which auction? What's the name of the auction house?"

Heather flinched at my sudden intensity, then exploded with rage.

"Are you insane? What business is it of yours where my husband bought it?"

She shoved me away.

"Who do you think you are, interrogating me?"

The bridesmaids closed in around me at once.

"What are you doing? Trying to snatch it?"

"I noticed her staring earlier—I knew she was up to no good!"

Then one of the bridesmaids suddenly screamed.

"Heather! Your Cartier diamond ring—the one you set on the table just now—where did it go?"

The room erupted.

Heather looked down. The table was indeed bare.

She spun on me, jabbing a finger viciously at my face.

"You thief! No wonder you kept eyeing my jewelry—you were casing it the whole time!"

"Hand over my ring!"

I watched their performance coldly.

"I didn't take anything of yours."

"Still trying to lie!" A bridesmaid grabbed at my clothes. "There's no one in this room but us and you. Who else could it have been?"

"She was the closest to the table!"

Heather's arrogance hit its peak. She pointed straight at my makeup case.

"Search her case! If we find it, I'll have your hide!"

The bridesmaids lunged at my makeup case like a pack of rabid dogs.