Chapter 589
Chapter 461
Isabella handed Maggie the gift from Franklin, but just as
Maggie was about to take it, the girl quickly pulled it back
and clung to her mother’s hand. “Mom, open mine first.”
Maggie paused for a moment. “…All right.”
She followed Isabella’s request and opened the box.
Inside was an oil painting in a delicate frame. The subject
of the painting was her.
In the lower right corner, a neat line of words read: To my
mom, happy birthday.
Something seemed to strike Maggie in the chest. The hand
holding the frame stopped midair.
Isabella swung her mother’s hand gently. “I finished it
half a month ago. Do you like it, Mom?”
Maggie came back to herself and looked down at the girl’s
expectant face. Her heart felt heavy and warm all at once.
“I love it,” she said honestly. “You’re getting better and
better at painting, Isabella.”
Hearing that, Isabella’s face lit up. “If Mom likes it, I’ll
paint you another one next time.”
“Okay,” Maggie said softly.
Only then did Isabella hand over Franklin’s gift. “Mom, I
have to go to school now, or I’ll be late. I’ll come back
tonight and have dinner with you and Great-Grandma,
~All right.”
At some point, Old Mrs. Miller and Helen had come out to
the doorway as well.
Seeing the time, Isabella waved to them. “Bye,
Great-Grandma, bye Aunt Helen!”
Then she slung her backpack over her shoulder, got into
the car, and left for school.
After Isabella was gone, Maggie turned back toward the
Just because Franklin had sent a gift didn’t mean he
wouldn’t show up later to finalize the divorce.
The Miller family knew that too, so no one said anything.
Helen spoke gently. “Breakfast is ready, Maggie. Eat first.”
“Okay.”
Maggie went back inside, setting both gifts—the one from
Isabella and the one from Franklin—on the side table.
Old Mrs. Miller picked up Isabella’s painting and
examined it carefully, her eyes softening with affection.
“She really did put effort into this. It’s lovely.”
Hugo, on the other hand, had nothing but disdain for
He glanced at the unopened box Franklin had sent and
curled his lip. He wanted to toss it straight into the trash.
But since Maggie herself hadn’t done that, he didn’t dare
act on his impulse.
He turned to the dining room, where Maggie was quietly
eating. “Cousin, can I open that box and see what he gave
Maggie didn’t really care what Franklin had sent. She had
no desire to open it.
In her mind, the only reason he’d sent a gift was to keep
up appearances for Isabella’s sake—to avoid making the
child suspicious.
Anything beyond that didn’t matter to her.
“Go ahead,” she said calmly.
Just from the quality of the box alone, Hugo could tell the
gift wasn’t cheap.
When he picked it up, it felt even heavier than expected.
He opened it carefully.
Old Mrs. Miller stood beside him. The moment she saw
what was inside, she froze.
Hugo, who didn’t know much about jewelry, stared for a
second. “Is this… a red diamond?”
Helen did know gemstones. She stepped closer for a look,
and her face also went rigid.
Inside the box lay a red diamond—large, flawless,
brilliant. It had to weigh at least a hundred carats.
Ared diamond of that size and purity was unimaginably
rare—and unimaginably expensive.
Hugo knew about the time Maggie had auctioned off a
diamond to pay for Sally’s medical treatment, though he
hadn’t understood much about it.
But seeing his mother and grandmother’s stunned
expressions, and the dazzling light coming from the gem,
he quickly realized this was no ordinary stone.
Catching his confusion, Helen took a breath and said,
“This red diamond is even purer and rarer than the one
Maggie bought before. It’s nearly twice the size. A
conservative estimate of its value would be… about two