Watching his fake concern, I couldn't suppress the bitter irony twisting inside me.

Just as I was about to drop the bomb about the divorce, Gabriel casually dropped his own little bombshell. "Olivia, you've been in a funk lately. Yvette's coming home today for her birthday, and there's a family dinner at the main house. How about we join? It might help get you out of your head."

He gave a pause, almost as if he was waiting for my reaction. "I know you've been avoiding her because of what happened with Mom, but it's been years. Yvette never meant for things to go down that way... We're family, after all. She's always been sensitive, and I'm worried she'd be upset if we don't show up…"

Ah, so that was the game. All that talk, just to see his precious Yvette. Classic.

I cut him off. "Fine. Whatever you want."

Gabriel grinned, clearly pleased. "I knew you'd understand, Olivia."

When we entered the main house, my eyes immediately landed on Yvette, dressed like a royal princess, clinging to Gabriel's mother like her lifeline.

And, of course, Gabriel's mother was practically feeding Yvette like she was some fragile little thing, indulging her every whim.

The moment Yvette saw me, she shot Gabriel's mother a smug, mocking smile. "Grandma~ You're going to make me fat! Oh look, Little Aunt's here. I'm not crazy about the rest of this fruit. Why don't you give it to her? She doesn't have a mother to spoil her."

Her words hit like a slap, but Gabriel's mother wasn't done. She took one look at me, scanning me from head to toe, and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Who let this sickly thing in? Are you trying to spread your bad luck and poverty to us?"

"Our family has a proud legacy in medicine, and look at you, dressed like a beggar. You've embarrassed my son enough. You've been married for years, and still, no children. You've clearly never learned your place. Did your dead mother forget to teach you manners?"

Gabriel wasn't even her biological son. He was her husband's child from another marriage, and she'd always been paranoid he wouldn't be valued enough. That's why she'd pushed him to marry someone from the right circle, someone who would help his career.

But after Yvette's father died in that car accident, Gabriel proved his worth. He worked his way up to being a "golden scalpel" surgeon, earning the family business and finally gaining his father-in-law's approval.

Only then did his mother begrudgingly agree to let him marry me, but she never got over the fact that I couldn't give him children.

In the past, Gabriel would have defended me a little. But now? Now, his gaze was all Yvette, full of longing that made me want to scream.

Yvette bounced over to him, slipping her arm through his with an intimate familiarity. "Uncle, did you bring me a gift?"

Gabriel smiled down at her, his voice warm and affectionate. "Of course."

And just like that, twenty-eight couture gowns were wheeled in, each paired with a matching set of over-the-top jewelry.

Twenty-eight. Yvette's age.

She practically squealed with excitement and kissed Gabriel on the cheek. "Wow, Uncle spoils me the most! These jewels are all limited editions! You're spending way too much though, what if someone gets upset?"

It was only then that Gabriel seemed to remember I was still standing there, feeling like a ghost in my plain clothes, completely out of place among all that luxury.

In all the years we'd been together, Gabriel had never once remembered my birthday, let alone gotten me anything even close to a designer dress or jewelry.

He shot me an awkward glance and reached for my hand, trying to smooth things over. "Olivia, don't read too much into this. I'm Yvette's uncle. I just, "

Before he could finish, Yvette suddenly clutched her chest, a pained expression flashing across her face. "Uncle, my chest feels tight. I don't know if my heart condition is acting up again…"

Gabriel instantly dropped my hand, his face flooding with concern. He rushed to scoop her up into his arms like she was the most delicate thing on Earth. "Why is your chest tight? Does it hurt? I need to check you right away."

Without sparing another glance at me, he whisked her upstairs, his eyes glued to her, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, completely invisible.