Chapter 2

I didn't know how long I'd been walking. The sky had steadily turned dark, and when I finally stopped, I found myself standing outside the shopping mall in the city center.

The large LED billboard on the side of the shopping mall was plastered with a congratulatory message addressed to Andrew and me for our upcoming wedding.

Not only that, countless drones flew around in the sky, their lights shifting constantly as they formed scenes from memories that Andrew and I shared together.

There was one of him crouching down to tie my shoelaces, one of us watching the sunrise together after staying up all night, and even the romantic moment when he'd gotten down on one knee to propose to me.

Every single scene seemed to be a testament to how much he loved me and how happy we were together.

After displaying the various scenes, the last of the drone formations was a sentence.

"I love you, JS."

All of a sudden, someone covered my eyes.

I didn't even realize when Andrew had appeared behind me.

"Are you upset, Joanna?" he asked softly. "Weren't you the one who told me to think of Celine as a sister?

"Alright, alright. It's my fault you're upset, so please stop being upset, okay?"

The thought of how he'd held Celine with these very same arms not too long ago made my stomach churn.

Pointing at the drones in the sky, Andrew said, "I prepared all of this as a surprise for you. Do you like it?"

The passersby around us were cheering for us as they looked on enviously, but I knew the truth—the deception that was hidden behind this picture of bliss.

Even now, as I went along with it and leaned into Andrew's arms, absent-mindedly responding to him, I met Celine's gaze. She was standing not too far away from us.

Despite looking so perfectly harmless and innocent, she couldn't hide the jealousy and greed in her eyes.

I was just too much of a fool for having treated her like a sister all this while.

When the drone show ended and the crowd began to scatter, one of the drones abruptly malfunctioned and started plummeting straight down.

With the quickest of reflexes, Andrew immediately dashed away from me and hugged Celine, shielding her as they both fell to the ground. He'd been so frantic that he didn't even notice he'd knocked me off my feet as well.

He quickly checked Celine for injuries, saying, "It's alright, Celine. Don't be scared. Does it hurt anywhere?"

Celine cupped her knee and scrunched her face up in pain, but she said, "My knee hurts a bit, but it's fine, Andy. You should check on Joanna instead."

At last, Andrew thought me. He explained, "Celine is your sister, Joanna. It's my responsibility to help you take care of her.

"Don't worry. Just stay here. I'll send my driver over to pick you up later. I need to take Celine to the hospital first."

The moment he finished speaking, he scooped up Celine in his arms and left without any hesitation.

Just moments ago, the massive square outside the shopping mall had been crowded with people. Now, there was barely anyone in sight.

After massaging my swollen ankle, I slowly walked over to where Celine had been standing earlier and picked up an earring that had fallen onto the ground.

The irregularly shaped gemstone sparkled in the light. It was the work of a famous jeweler from a small town in Frenovia.

I was lucky enough to own a ring he made, and I adored it very much. A year ago, when Andrew went to Frenovia for work, I'd asked him to get me a pair of earrings from the same jeweler.

Well, now I knew that he hadn't forgotten to do that. He'd simply given it to Celine instead.

My fingers tightened around the earring. The sharp pin pierced into my skin, but I didn't even feel the pain.

…

I waited late into the night without ever seeing any sign of the driver Andrew was supposedly sending for me, so I went home alone.

At noon the next day, Andrew finally came looking for me. "Why did you come home alone yesterday, Joanna? My driver said he couldn't find you." He seemed to be in high spirits.

As I stared at the turtleneck sweater he was wearing, I asked, "Isn't it too hot to be wearing a turtleneck sweater in this weather? And by the way, what time did your driver show up at the shopping mall?"

Andrew tugged at his collar awkwardly, and I spotted the hickeys on his neck. "He arrived not long after Celine and I left, of course. Anyway, if you leave by yourself next time, let me know. Don't make me worry about you.

"As for this sweater, well, fashionable people like us don't let things like weather stop us from dressing well. I look good, right?"

After forcing a weak smile, I turned my head away. I was worried that I might start shedding tears if I kept looking at him.

I could no longer tell which of Andrew's words were true. Every single sentence out of his mouth and every look he gave me felt like a lie—an attempt to deceive me.

Andrew's phone buzzed several times, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the sender's profile picture. It was a photo of Celine.

Smiling, he tapped out a reply before looking at me. "I've got something to do at the office, Joanna, so I'll be off. I'll come and pick you up later for our pre-wedding party."

Once Andrew disappeared from view, I rubbed my teary eyes and checked the latest message I received on my phone. It was from W.

"I've found the drug you asked for, miss."