Chapter 5

When Amelia opened her eyes again, she found herself in the hospital. Sierra sat by the bed, casually peeling an apple. Seeing that Amelia was awake, Sierra quickly set the apple down and plastered on a look of concern mixed with guilt. "Ms. Caldwell, you're awake? How are you feeling? It's all my fault… Everything was so chaotic back then, and Matt was just trying to protect me, so he overlooked you. Please don't blame him." Amelia closed her eyes. "It's just the two of us here, so why bother acting? If I'm not mistaken, you deliberately smashed my grandma's keepsake and staged the donut bites incident yourself. Even the fire at the gallery… You had someone start it, didn't you?" The room fell into utter silence. A few seconds later, Sierra's pitiful mask melted away, replaced by a cold, cutting mockery and contempt that came after being exposed. She gave a soft laugh. "So you're not that stupid after all. Yes, I did it all. I did all of that because I wanted you to see—you mean nothing to Matt. "Right now, his eyes and his heart are full of me. You know he loathes you, and yet you still shamelessly cling to the title of 'Mrs. Sterling'? Don't you think that's pathetic? Just get a divorce. That'll be better for everyone." Amelia opened her eyes and stared calmly at the ceiling, her voice flat. "I understand." What she meant was that she was leaving soon, and the divorce papers were already being processed. But Sierra clearly misunderstood her, assuming Amelia was just brushing her off and refusing to let Matthew go. Sierra's expression darkened instantly. She shot to her feet, her voice hardening. "I tried being polite, but since you insist on making this difficult, don't blame me for what comes next!" With a cold scoff, she grabbed her bag and strutted out of the hospital room, arrogantly and with her heels clicking loudly against the floor. Amelia didn't have the strength to chase after her, nor did she have the desire to explain herself. She merely closed her eyes again. Her departure date was fast approaching, so it didn't matter what tricks Sierra pulled. For the next few days, neither Matthew nor Sierra appeared at the hospital again. Amelia welcomed the peace and focused on recuperating. On the day of her discharge, there happened to be an important charity gala that required Matthew to attend with his wife. As unwilling as she was, Amelia knew this would be the last time she had to fulfill her role as "Mrs. Sterling". She changed into an elegant evening gown and applied light makeup to hide the pallor of her complexion. When she reached the car, she found Sierra already sitting in the back seat, nestled intimately against Matthew's shoulder, giggling and chatting away. Seeing Amelia, Sierra immediately straightened up and explained, "Ms. Caldwell, don't get the wrong idea. Matthew said the gala would be boring, so he invited me to tag along so I could unwind." Matthew didn't even look at Amelia. His voice was cold and dismissive. "Why bother explaining to her? As if I need her permission to bring someone. Who does she think she is?" The words stabbed into Amelia's heart like an icicle. Though long numb, a faint ache still lingered. She silently opened the front passenger door and sat down, not saying a word throughout the whole ride. At the auction venue, glasses clinked, chandeliers glittered, and the air buzzed with laughter and luxury. Matthew stayed by Sierra's side the whole evening, fetching her drinks and introducing her to important guests, showering her with care and attention. As for Amelia, he didn't even glance once in her direction. Anyone not in the know would likely assume that Sierra was his actual wife. When the auction started, Matthew would lean close to Sierra after each item was presented and murmur, "Do you like it?" And each time she so much as nodded or glanced longer than a second, he would raise his paddle without hesitation, buying the items at staggering prices. Then, he'd turn to her and say, "For you." Jewelry, paintings, antiques—priceless items were delivered before her, piling up high. As an acquaintance of the Sterling family watched the spectacle unfold, he finally leaned toward Matthew and whispered, "Matt, you're being awfully generous to Ms. Jensen… Won't Amelia be upset?" Matthew swirled his wine, his eyes never meeting Amelia's. His tone was incredibly indifferent as he retorted, "What right does she have to be upset? It's my money. I can give it to whomever I please. She has no say." Hearing this, Sierra shot Amelia a triumphant look while tugging at Matthew's sleeve, pretending to be understanding and considerate. "Matt, these are too expensive. Maybe… I can share some with Ms. Caldwell?" Only then did Matthew spare Amelia a glance—one full of aloofness and warning—before turning back to Sierra, his voice softening again. "These are all yours. Don't worry. No one can take away what I give you." With his stance so blatant, whispers rippled through the crowd. "Goodness, they've been married for years, and I've never seen Mr. Sterling dote on his wife that way." "That's not all. Do you see how Mr. Sterling's behaving? I'd say Mrs. Sterling's days are numbered." "They were never from the same world anyway. Why force them together? It'll all just end up as one big joke." "After putting in so much effort for so many years, she still ends up with nothing. It's quite sad, really…"