Chapter 5

Tessa's eyes widened in disbelief. In the next second, a bodyguard approached her and clamped her cheeks in his rough grip until a crack sounded. A blinding pain tore through her head. She nearly blacked out from the pain. She couldn't even scream, only a guttural wheeze escaping her throat. Stanley didn't spare her a glance. He simply wrapped an arm around the still-weeping Clarissa and led her back to their room. For the next two days, Tessa could neither eat nor speak. She was also forced to watch as Stanley and Clarissa flaunted their intimacy before her eyes. The pain in her body and the humiliation in her soul made dying seem far more bearable than life. Only when Clarissa's birthday drew near did Stanley finally order someone to set her jaw back in place. He ordered, "You will plan Claire's birthday party. If anything goes wrong, you know what will happen." Without a word, Tessa carried out the order as if she were nothing more than an empty husk. On the day of the party, the villa's garden was transformed into a fairytale wonderland. Stanley clasped the hundred-million-dollar Sea of Stars bracelet onto Clarissa's wrist, cut the towering nine-tier cake with her, and took her into his arms for the first dance under the envious gazes of the crowd. Hidden in the darkest corner, Tessa watched in silence. Her heart was numb now. She was too numb to even cry. She recalled the past birthdays when Stanley and Alexis would surprise her. The three of them would laugh together, promising they'd be together forever. Clarissa unexpectedly approached, wine glass in hand, her smile sugar-sweet but edged with malice. "Where's my birthday present, Ms. Hill?" Tessa lowered her gaze. "I didn't prepare one." Clarissa's eyes fell on the thin silver chain around Tessa's neck, its pendant a tiny moonstone. "That necklace looks lovely. I like it. Give it to me as your gift." Clutching it tight, Tessa stepped back. "No! This is the only keepsake my mother left me!" "Is that so?" Clarissa instantly became teary-eyed. Stanley was at her side in a heartbeat, frowning at her pitiful look. "What's wrong?" "Stanley… I only admired her necklace and asked if I could have it for my birthday, but she wouldn't…" Clarissa trailed off, tears threatening to fall. Stanley's gaze hardened as he turned to his bodyguards. "Take it off her." "No! Stanley, you can't do this!" Tessa's voice broke as she struggled like a cornered, desperate creature. This was all that was left of her mother. He knew that better than anyone. Back then, he had held her after her mother died, saying, "Don't be afraid, Tess. You'll always have me." But now that he didn't love her anymore, was he really going to take away the last memory she had of her mother? One of the bodyguards yanked the necklace off her neck and handed it to Stanley. Stanley didn't even look at it before putting it around Clarissa's neck. "It looks good," he murmured, taking Clarissa's hand and leading her back into the bustling crowd. Tessa dropped to the ground, the void in her chest leaving her trembling from head to toe. She staggered to leave, but Clarissa's friends blocked her path and dragged her to a secluded corner. "How dare you show Clarissa attitude when you're just an unwanted woman?" "Exactly! Don't you know your place?" "Mr. Frey's sick of you! You'd better disappear on your own!" Their fists, kicks, and insults rained down on her. Tessa curled up, too broken to fight back. The assault lasted until she could take no more, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. The women froze, startled, their faces blanching at the sight of the blood on the floor. "What are you all doing?" Stanley's icy voice cut through the air. He must have come looking for Tessa after realizing she hadn't returned.