Antonio''s voice from the recording was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Honestly, I bought some top-


    notch knockoffs for Eloise. Never imagined she''d be so eager to spend money on me.


    "Not everything was fake, though. I yed it smart, mixing in some real stuff to avoid getting caught. Once she''d shown them off, I''d swap the real ones for fakes and sell them. Never lost a dime."


    I figured Eloise would recognize that voice.


    She started eyeing the Hermes bag. Just as she walked


    over, her Ph.D. advisor''s wife said, "The one in your hand is fake. The new collection isn''t even out yet. How could he have bought it?"


    Her gaze then shifted to Eloise''s face.


    While the others stood dumbfounded, she pped Eloise hard across the face.


    She then switched the video, showing Eloise making out with the Ph.D. advisor. Eloise was utterly devastated, and so was Antonio.


    Antonio kept saying


    that everything he had bought Eloise was real. I stepped in, followed by the top-


    tier appraiser, well-known among thedies who had purchased luxury items.


    I snatched the bag from Eloise and handed it to the appraiser. After examining it, he dered, "Just a nice knockoff."


    Antonio shot back, "The store clerk tricked me. I was just a victim."


    I smiled and nodded, then grabbed Eloise''s hand and showed the bracelet.


    I scratched it hard, and the color came off.


    Another blow to Eloise.


    As she cried and asked why, the police arrived.


    I stood by, watching. She was in a daze, seemingly unaware that using me for experiments without my permission was illegal.


    Antonio backed down and hid, thinking it had nothing to do with him.


    When he saw the handcuffs on his wrists, he screamed. Iughed and said, "You''re an aplice. Did you think you could get away with it?" Antonio nearly roared at me, trying to hit me, but Jarvis, standing beside me, pushed him away.


    The police took Antonio and Eloise away.


    Thanks to my solid evidence, both were sentenced.


    What a wonderful party! After this, I took Jarvis out for a good meal..


    As we left the restaurant, Jarvis looked at me and asked, "If I tried to win you over again, would you say yes?" I teased, "I''m not sure. Try and we''ll find out." Jarvis smiled and said he''d try his best.


    Over the next few years, I did well at thew firm. On my 30th birthday. Antonio was released from prison. He showed up, a shadow of his former self, hoping to patch things up. But it was toote. Jarvis and I had been married for a year.


    Antonio ended up with nothing. I had filedwsuits to investigate all his assets, which were now frozen. Desperate, he could only turn to Eloise.


    Ironically, the first case I took as awyer was apensation im after their tragic double suicide. It didn''t bring


    me joy, but rather a somber satisfaction knowing they got what they deserved.


    When Antonio''s mother came


    begging me, I sent her away with a


    Fife


    firm, "Business is business." My! got better after leaving that jerk behind. This was the ultimate self-redemption.


    Grace Parrish''s son and her husband were both smitten with the same.


    woman.


    Grace stepped into the study after her shower, still stuck in this realization, bathed in light.


    Antonio Kaufman, her husband, was buried in paperwork. He nced up, a frown on his face. "What''s up?"


    Grace paused, standing still a few paces away, and gently asked. "Tomorrow is Omar''s birthday. Will you be here for him?"


    "I''ve invited Ms. Jermyn, and she wille," Grace said without waiting for an answer.


    That was the only time Antonio''s head snapped up, at the mention of Kendra Jermyn.


    Grace caught his reaction, and it struck her heart, leaving a dull ache.


    She forced a smile, trying to sound casual. "I''ve got three surgeries lined up tomorrow, so I won''t make it back. You guys have a great time...." Omar, their son, adored Kendra, even calling her ''mommy''.


    "What do you mean?" Antonio asked with a frown.


    Grace simply wanted to make her son and her husband happy.


    She''d alreadynded a prestigious overseas exchange at the hospital, ready to hand over her role as wife and mother to Kendra.


    Antonio would finally have his dream wife, and Omar would have the mother he''d always wanted.


    She didn''t have a chance to exin


    when a little voice called out from behind "Mommy, are you noting back tomorrow? What about my birthday gift?"  fo


    Grace turned around and saw Omar there.


    The five-year-


    old Omar couldn''t hide his excitement. It was written all over his face.


    Grace smiled, her heart no longer heavy with sorrow over the situation.


    Grace gently ruffled Omar''s hair, her voice steady. "I''ll give you some money so you can get whatever you want."


    For Omar''s birthdayst year, Grace bought him a Lego set he was crazy about.


    He painstakingly put it together, only to give it to Kendra, trying to make her happy.


    This year, Grace opted for a different approach. She would just give him money.


    With that, she decided to leave, not lingering on Omar''s disappointed expression. Instead, she looked at Antonio and forced a smile. "Goodnight."


    She turned and retreated to her room.


    Grace''s heart had been tied to


    Antonio for years. Six years ago et


    had only been a fling, but that little romance bloomed into something else that led them to have Omar.


    Antonio married her because of Omar, but his heart? It had always been