The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Chapter 8

Violet casually pulled Gwyneth into her embrace. Gwyneth stared at Victoria, her eyes filled with a cold, unfamiliar disgust that cut deeper than words.

"Mommy, I'm with Violet and Daddy now, and the three of us are so happy together. Why do you always have to bother Violet and bully her? I really wish Violet were my real mommy-she's so much kinder and sweeter than you are."

Standing beside Violet, McNeil caught a glimpse of the wedding dress, and for a moment-just a fleeting moment-he felt a pang of guilt and pity for Victoria.

But when he glanced up and saw the stubborn, unyielding look on Victoria's face, his own expression hardened.

In his memory, Victoria had always been gentle and gracious. All these years of marriage, he'd never once heard her raise her voice or lose her composure with anyone.

And Violet only had a year to live. Why did Victoria have to be so harsh?

"Apologize."

The word hung in the air, stunning even Yasmine into silence.

Was he

reached out just in

but she forced herself to speak. "She wore my mother's necklace without asking, put on my wedding dress, and

printed right there on the marriage certificate. How absurd, she thought, to

too far today," McNeil said, his tone clipped. "Violet didn't take your mother's necklace, and

gently lifted

moved, Violet stumbled, and the next instant, the dress-a masterpiece worth

brilliance stabbed at Victoria's eyes,

brimmed with tears, wide and frantic, like a frightened fawn. She looked at Victoria but clung to McNeil, desperate for

take you upstairs," McNeil murmured to Violet, drawing her close. His gaze flicked over the diamonds littering the floor, cold and dark. "It's

words thundered

stood ramrod straight, her body burning from the central heating, yet her

work, tens of thousands of diamonds hand-sewn by master artisans-all for the moment she'd imagined: wearing that dress, capturing a memory with McNeil