Vanessa 's gaze fell on Clara 's neck. It was a platinum diamond necklace with a pendant of a miniature ballet shoe, the toe of which was set with small diamonds, and the heel engraved with tiny " C & L "—it was a wedding anniversary gift that Liam had given her seven years ago. He had knelt down on one knee and placed the necklace around her neck, his voice fervent: "This is for my ballet princess, and only you deserve it."
“ Clara , your necklace is so beautiful.” Vanessa ’s voice was full of undisguised amazement, even a hint of greed. She subconsciously reached out, her fingertips almost touching the ballet shoe pendant. “The cutting of these diamonds looks incredibly valuable…”
"Don't touch it!" Clara almost instinctively raised her hand to block, her palm slamming against Vanessa 's wrist, her tone as cold as ice. This was the only thing she had left that connected her to the beautiful past, her only spiritual sustenance after giving up the stage, and she would never allow anyone to tarnish it.
Vanessa 's hand froze as her hand was blocked, a flash of resentment crossing her eyes, only to be instantly replaced by aggrievedness. Just then, Lila's clear voice called from afar, " Teacher Vanessa , where are you? Daddy bought a strawberry cake, and I want to eat it with Teacher Vanessa !"
Upon hearing Lila 's voice, Vanessa seemed to suddenly lose her balance, her body jerking forward with a sharp scream: "Ah!" Her hand precisely gripped Clara 's wrist, using the force to pull Clara towards her—the two collided heavily, Clara 's back slamming unprepared against the edge of a marble statue beside the pavilion, the sharp stone tearing through her fabric and piercing her flesh.
"Ugh!" Clara gasped in pain, the warm blood instantly soaking through her pajamas, trickling down her waistline and sticking to her skin, both cold and painful. She tried to push herself up, but the excruciating pain in her back made her tremble all over, even her fingertips twitching.
Vanessa simply fell lightly onto the soft grass, scraping her elbow and drawing a tiny bit of blood. Her eyes were already red, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, her voice choked with emotion: "Thank you, Lila , it doesn't hurt... I just lost my balance."