Married My Ex's Mafia Dad

Chapter 5

Brittany's POV

I lowered my head, feeling the weight of my embarrassment. My thin, frail body seemed to shrink even more under the scrutiny of the room.

Every part of me wanted to run, but the wealthy woman held my arm tightly. She gave me a smug smile. "Oh, it really is you! For a moment, I thought you were just some maid's daughter."

Her words drew more guests around us, all eager to witness my humiliation.

I wished I could vanish to escape from these awful people and their judgmental eyes.

Pushing through the crowd, I made a beeline for the kitchen.

Three years in prison had left me with severe anxiety, and I needed something to calm me down.

I spotted some cupcakes on the counter. The sweet, sugary frosting was exactly what I needed. I devoured them quickly.

With each bite, my shaking began to ease, and the tightness in my chest slowly faded away.

I knew I had to take better care of myself. This anxiety wouldn't beat me - not after watching my cellmate lose her battle with it. Her death showed me just how dangerous these dark thoughts could be, and I was determined to fight harder for my own life.

Just as I reached for another cupcake, someone grabbed my wrist. Before I could react, more people rushed into the kitchen, staring at me as if I were a criminal on display.

I quickly swallowed what was left in my mouth and tried to wipe the frosting from my lips. "Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan!" someone yelled. "We found the thief who took Kayla's ring!"

They pulled me into the main hall before I could even speak. Under the bright lights, I saw Kayla standing with her friends, her face tear-stained and eyes swollen from crying.

"I found her hiding in the kitchen!" the maid announced proudly, shoving me forward. "She took the ring from the cake and was trying to eat everything to hide what she did!"

"What? No!" I cried, my heart pounding. "I didn't steal anything!"

I hadn't even seen a birthday cake - I'd only eaten some cupcakes and other small desserts. There definitely wasn't any cake in the kitchen when I went in!

My voice shook as I tried to explain, but looking at their faces, I wasn't sure if anyone would believe me.

My parents' expressions turned cold instantly. They looked at me as if I were a stranger, not their daughter.

"Brittany," Mom said, "I know you're upset about Grandma's ring going to Kayla, but ruining her party out of jealousy? Really?"

"Did you steal your sister's gift just to cause problems?" Dad demanded, jabbing his finger at me.

The way they glared at me hurt worse than any punishment. Their own daughter, and they were looking at me as if I were something disgusting they'd found on the bottom of their shoes.

My panic suddenly faded into a heavy numbness as I realized which ring they meant. The Celestial Tear - Grandma's wedding ring. She'd made me promise to wear it on my wedding day, holding my hand on her deathbed and saying it would be her blessing for my future.

But after she died, Yohan and Sharon gave everything to Kayla, including the ring. "You should be grateful," Sharon had told me. "If Kayla hadn't convinced us to take you in, you'd still be stuck in the countryside. Stop being greedy."

I'd tried explaining that I didn't want anything else - not the house, gold, or stocks. I just wanted to keep my promise to Grandma by having her ring.

Sharon slapped me across the face, insisting that something so valuable should be saved for a real family emergency, not just given to me for my wedding.

Now here it was at Kayla's party, stuffed in a cake like some cheap surprise.

"Tell me," I said, meeting their eyes, "why would I steal what was already meant to be mine?"