Waking Up from a Reverie

Ian started to panic when he saw me packing my luggage. I looked down and said nonchalantly. "I'm off for a business trip."

He was relieved. "You should leave the day after tomorrow. It's Lucy's birthday tomorrow, and you should be there as her future sister-in-law."

It was particularly lively at the Cabellos' villa the next day because every family had sent someone to attend Lucy's birthday. She had her arm around Ian while wearing her pink diamond necklace and was receiving well-wishes from the guests. I was forgotten at a corner with no one asking for me.

I was enjoying my freedom when Lucy walked over to me with a smile. She lowered her voice and said, "I heard that your sister is dead, Hailey, and that you didn't even manage to see her one last time." I jerked up my head to stare straight at her. She knew it all along and had stopped me from getting a loan intentionally.

Lucy's smile got wider when she saw my eyes turning red. She leaned in close to me to whisper tauntingly, "You're right. I did it on purpose. This is the price you should pay for seducing Ian."

I was enraged, but before I could do anything, Lucy suddenly fell backward, and she pushed the necklace on her neck into my hand before falling onto the ground. "Ah! Why did you do that, Hailey? My neck hurts!" Her voice attracted everyone's attention.

"Isn't that Signorino Ian's fiancée, Hailey Salvatore? Why did she snatch Lucy Carter's necklace?"

"I heard that she failed to put together the money for her marriage, and she even conned others to sign a business contract with her. Has she gone crazy over money?"

"Don Cabello was smart enough to test her before the wedding. Look at how quickly she's showing her true colors."

I turned to look at Ian. We had been together for seven years, and he knew my character well, but I was taken aback when I saw the disappointment on his face. "Are you doubting me as well?"

Ian helped Lucy up, and it pained him to see the bloody mark on her neck. Lucy fell crying into his arms. "I was just afraid Don Cabello would find out that Hailey tried to cheat, Ian. That's why I stopped her from loaning money from you, but I didn't expect her to hate me for it and try to snatch the necklace you gave me. She even went as far as to push me…"

He had initially given me the benefit of the doubt, but Lucy's words convinced him of my wrongdoing. Everyone around us started to whisper about this. "I can't believe she tried to cheat by loaning money and, when Signorina Lucy tried to stop her, she was petty enough to take revenge. How can she…"

"No, I didn't! She was the one…" I tried to explain frantically.

"That's enough!" Ian finally could not take it, and he berated me sternly, "How dare you still give excuses, Hailey? Do you think Lucy would frame you for something like this? I can't believe you would be petty enough to hold this against Lucy when you're supposed to be the mature sister-in-law, and even do something like this to hurt her! I was wrong about you.”

"With a character like yours, you wouldn't be good enough to be the Donna of the Cabellos even if you managed to put together fifty million."

How could he pronounce me guilty just like that? I bit my lip hard as tears started to well in my eyes. When his father suggested that I raise fifty million for the wedding, he fought for me by insisting that he wanted to be with me, even if it meant giving up his right as heir to the Cabellos. Now, I could no longer tell how true his feelings for me had been then.

"You know that's not who I am," I said with a sob.

"I used to think I knew who you were too," Ian interrupted me. "You would never have tried to cheat by asking for a loan, but that's exactly what you did. I have no idea who you really are now."

Ian was acting as if I had backstabbed him, and it only made me want to laugh. He had treated me as a person who would cross any line from the moment I asked him for a loan. He had no idea what I had been through, and he was not willing to believe anything I said. All he could see was Lucy's unhappiness, and her words were the only ones he trusted.

The guests started to look at me with disdain as they continued whispering. Even the domestic help looked at me condescendingly. "It's fine, Ian." Lucy wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "You should forgive Hailey on my account…" She started apologizing to the guests in a dignified manner. "I apologize on behalf of the Cabellos for what happened today. We thank you for your patience in this."

Ian looked at her proudly, and later turned to look angrily at me. "Lucy is asking for forgiveness on your behalf after suffering such humiliation. Look at you! You refuse to even give a simple apology!"

With that, he picked up the damaged necklace and said coldly to me, "This necklace that you broke cost thirty million. It's only right that you make compensation for the original price. Also, you need to pay for Lucy's medical bills since she's hurt."

Compensation? I bent over, laughing hard. "You can pay her using the forty million I saved up. The only thing is, I wonder where that money went?"

Ian choked back his words and turned away from me guiltily, but he quickly pulled it together and pointed at the necklace around my neck. "No need for that. This looks pretty valuable. How about auctioning it away right now? I'll use that money to buy Lucy a new necklace."