Her mother, Eleanor, egged on every single insult.

“Poor trash always reaches for what it can’t afford,” Chloe said, advancing across the floor in her jeweled gown.

“I didn’t take your ring, Chloe,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.

“Then prove it.”

Before I could step away, she grabbed my sleeve.

Eleanor instantly seized the back of my dress, announcing to the crowd that thieves had no dignity left to protect.

Fabric ripped.

Guests gasped.

My silk under-lining held, but the outer layer tore clean from my shoulder down to my waist.

My skin burned with sudden humiliation.

For three long years, I’d swallowed their cruel jokes at holiday dinners, their deliberate exclusions, and Eleanor’s endless remarks about how far beneath himself Dominic had married.

I’d stayed quiet because Dominic kept promising he would set firm boundaries once the baby arrived.