Chapter 3

"He's not wrong to call you a mistress."

Derek walked up to me, leaned down slightly, and said in a voice only we could hear: "After all, the one who isn't loved is the real mistress."

Then he turned around, took Vivian's hand, and raised it high.

"This is my wife, Vivian Kingsley. I will never betray her in this lifetime."

The crowd erupted in cheers, all praising Derek as a responsible, good man.

I found this scene utterly ridiculous. When we graduated from college, Derek had said the same thing to me.

He said: Serena, you're the only one I'll ever marry. Besides you, I'll never love another woman.

In the years from our courtship to our marriage, I had believed those words completely, because he truly did respond to everything.

He cared for me and our child immensely. But Vivian's appearance shattered it all.

But if he could fall in love with Vivian during our marriage, how could he guarantee he wouldn't fall for someone else during Vivian's marriage?

A look of pity flashed across my face. Derek froze slightly, thinking his words had hurt me.

He whispered in my ear again: "I know you must be struggling since you got out of prison. How about this—I'll give you a place to stay. Every weekend, I'll come visit you. If you behave well, I might even stay a few extra days."

"Get lost!"

I didn't want any further entanglement with Derek. Brandon would be back any minute.

I just wanted to surprise my husband.

But after I'd only taken a few steps, as I passed Vivian, she suddenly stuck out her leg and tripped me.

"Thud!"

I fell hard, and the box in my pocket fell out.

I tried to get up, but the pain in my knee was impossible to ignore.

In a daze, I heard the people around me whispering again.

"That box looks so exquisite. How would a servant have something like that? She must have stolen it from the Harrisons, right?"

Derek looked at the box thoughtfully. Clearly, he also believed what those people were saying—that I might have stolen the box from somewhere.

The next second, he walked over, picked it up, and opened the beautiful box in front of everyone.

Inside lay the Ocean Heart.

"Isn't that the Ocean Heart, the Harrison family heirloom that's been passed down for hundreds of years?"

Vivian screamed when she saw it.

The fact that the Ocean Heart was a Harrison family heirloom wasn't a secret in New York.

Many people also knew that over a hundred years ago, this treasure had been stolen from the Harrison family.

I had searched for a long time to find out where the Ocean Heart was.

All so I could surprise Brandon today.

But now the treasure I'd bought at such a high price was in someone else's hands.

I forced myself to stand despite the intense pain, trying to take back what was mine. But Derek gripped the Ocean Heart tightly, his face full of disbelief.

The people around also recognized the item, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Vivian immediately jumped out to mock me:

"So you showed up at the Harrison house for this Ocean Heart?"

"It's not enough that you like stealing other people's men—apparently you also like stealing their family heirlooms!"

I ignored the pain and lunged forward to grab it, but Derek caught my arm and held me in place.

"This isn't the Ocean Heart. It's obviously fake. She's just trying to use this thing to scam money from the Harrisons."