The Principessa’s Return

I remembered that detail.

In this betrayal, no one was innocent.

The yacht was covered in red rose petals.

I had always hated roses, as they reminded me of the Lucas family cemetery. Beside every family member’s tombstone, a bundle of red roses was planted.

Theo knew this. However, Isabella liked them, so he chose roses anyway.

“Sophie, do you remember?”

He held me at the bow of the yacht. “Three years ago, Don Lucas handed you to me right here and said I was the luckiest man in the world.”

The sea breeze brushed against my face, and I closed my eyes.

Of course, I remembered.

That day, Father had said to Theo and me, “Sophie is my most beloved daughter. She chose you, and I choose to respect her. But that doesn’t mean I approve of you.”

Father turned his back on us.

“From today onward, Sophie Lucas is no longer my daughter. And you will never enjoy the honor that comes with her identity.”

Don Lucas’ voice had trembled slightly. “Publicly, I will say my youngest daughter has gone missing. Go. I don’t want to see either of you again.”

Back then, Theo had kneeled reverently before Don Lucas and sworn, “I swear on my honor, my entire life, that I will love her and respect her forever. I will never hurt her or betray her!”

For that oath, I kneeled outside Father’s study for an entire night. Only then did he agree to promote Theo.

Now, Theo stood in the custom suit I paid for, wearing the gold insignia badge symbolizing the boss’ authority. Yet he held a maid in his arms and lit fireworks for her at my birthday celebration.

“One! Two! Three!” Isabella counted excitedly, and the night sky exploded with waves of golden sparks.

Every firework bloomed into bright words: To Bella, my goddess.

I stood on the deck watching the spectacle coldly.

Theo wrapped his arm around Isabella’s waist and kissed the top of her head. They looked just like newlyweds.

Since they thought I was blind, they didn’t even bother pretending in front of me.

“Sophie, I need to take care of something for work,” Theo finally remembered me. “Be good and stay here to watch the fireworks. I’ll be right back.”

He kissed my forehead, then hurried off the yacht with Isabella.

I took off my sunglasses and pulled a miniature camera from my bag.

It was the birthday gift Silas gave me three years ago. He had taught me that while eyes could lie, the lens never does.

I recorded the direction they left, the layout of the cabin, and even took note of the name of the yacht.

The Bella—Theo had actually named the yacht after her.

Half an hour later, I said I wasn’t feeling well and asked the driver to take me back to the manor, back to the house filled with the stench of betrayal.

I went straight into the study and opened the safe that Theo never allowed me to touch.

The password was my birthday. Ironically, he had never thought to change it.

Inside, aside from the family ledgers, was a USB drive.

It contained all of Isabella’s information, including the report documenting her expulsion from the family a year ago, and the record of her forging a new identity to get close to Theo as a maid.

Theo had known who she was from the very beginning.

He knew everything.

I calmly copied all the files, then made a call. “Silas, I’m ready.”

Silas’ steady voice sounded on the other end. “Principessa, your room is prepared. Don Lucas says, ‘Welcome home.’”

I hung up and began clearing every trace of myself from this house.

I burned it all with my own hands.

Clothes, jewelry, and photos, even the wedding portrait hanging on the wall.

In Theo’s garden, I used the lighter he once gifted me to light the fire and watched our three years together turn into ash.