Chapter 2

I had loved Lucas for seven years, but he had never loved me back.

Lucas was swept away by floodwaters two years ago. I swam out to rescue him without hesitation, but a tree branch broke my leg during the rescue. Even though it was reattached later, as a rising star in the national swimming team, I could never compete again.

I leveraged this debt of gratitude by obtaining a marriage contract from Lucas' grandfather to force Lucas to marry me. Even so, Anna would always interfere in the nine times we tried to get hitched. Not to mention, Lucas was always fooled by her poor acting skills.

This repeated farce turned me into the biggest joke in Riverville, yet I never cared about that. It didn't matter to me what others said or how they criticized me. I only wanted to be with Lucas.

Now, however, I was truly getting tired. I had a fever all night and only recovered the next morning.

Even after I woke up, Lucas still hadn't returned home. I opened my phone and scrolled through my feed, coming across Anna's social media post.

"I'm so happy! A mosquito bit me, and my brother was so concerned that he spent the whole night catching mosquitoes. Now, he's making breakfast for me."

The caption accompanied a photo showing a man's back as he worked in the kitchen. I recognized Lucas immediately. The comments flooded in below.

"OMG! Can I have a brother like that, too? My brother only treats me like a workhorse!"

"That's so sweet! I'm so jealous."

Anna replied to the comment shortly after: "He often rides me like a horse, too, especially when he's drunk. It always leaves me in so much pain…"

No one understood the subtle meaning behind her words, but I did. My heart ached dully, and I found it difficult to breathe.

Lucas and Anna had no blood relation. They appeared to be siblings on the surface, but their relationship transcended that.

During my two-year relationship with Lucas, he would rush to Anna's side anytime she called. He would buy her feminine products, pills for cramps, blow-dry her hair, and sleep in the same bed holding her until she fell asleep.

I had foolishly believed they were just close siblings. But thinking about it carefully, what siblings would go to such lengths?

Lucas returned home at noon. Seeing me busy in the kitchen, he walked in and embraced me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Viv, are you feeling better? Why are you cooking?" he asked while reaching to touch my forehead. "You're still a bit warm."

As he spoke, his hands began to wander. He whispered with a smile, "Let me check if you're just as hot inside..."

A wave of nausea hit me. I pushed him away and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

Lucas frowned, clearly displeased. "Do you need to reject me so dramatically? I noticed it last night, too. Why do you feel sick every time I touch you?"

I avoided his gaze. After cleaning up, I skipped the meal and said quietly, "I need to go to work now."

Lucas was startled by the coldness in my eyes. He quickly grabbed my arm, his voice softening, "Viv, what's going on with you? Why have you been acting so strangely these past two days?

"It's not like this is our first failed wedding attempt. We can just have another one next time. It's just a ceremony! Is it really that important to you?"

"I'm seriously going to be late!" I pushed his hand away and fled from the suffocating house.

I had been working at Lucas' company after I left the national team, helping him manage it. I always worked diligently without ever asking for a promotion or raise.

Plus, Lucas had always been cold toward me. Even though the employees knew I was his fiancée, they never respected me.

"Did you hear? Vivian West got dumped by Mr. Yearwood at the altar again!"

"She's been dumped nine times already. Can this marriage even happen? If it were me, I wouldn't want to live anymore after being humiliated so many times."