Chapter 2

I used to care deeply about Sarah. As long as she asked, I was willing to give her anything, do anything for her, but now, she had personally given me a reality check.

Thinking back carefully, ever since Tim returned to the country, everything she did had been for him. She had forgotten that I was the one she was supposed to spend her life with.

My response clearly angered her.

“What do you mean by that?” she snapped. “You don’t want to? Get this straight—Tim is my best friend. You’d better make him happy, or I won’t marry you!”

With that, she slammed the door and left.

Feeling stifled and restless, I went downstairs to the park for a run. I had barely finished one lap when Summer called. Thinking of her cold, aloof face—the kind that looked like she was tired of the world—I hesitated for two seconds before answering.

The moment the call connected, she hit me with a verbal ambush.

“Once you’re on my boat, you’re mine. If you dare run, I’ll break your legs.”

I fell silent, not saying a word.

She continued calmly, “Send me your ID. I’ll get the paperwork done. I don’t want you backing out.”

Something was definitely off with Summer. In my mind, I had imagined ten thousand scenarios where she would use marriage as a convenient way to torture me.

In the end, all I could manage was, “See you at the wedding, Miss Flores.”

The moment I said that, a voice sounded behind me.

“You’re inviting Summer to our wedding? I won’t allow it!”

Sarah stared at me as if she were facing a great enemy.

“Henry, didn’t I tell you to cut all contact with Summer? Her intentions toward you aren’t as pure as they seem. If you insist on inviting her to our wedding, don’t blame me then for turning against you!”

I hadn’t even said a single word yet, and she had issued her ultimatum.

Sarah had always disliked Summer for reasons unknown. She harbored a strange hostility toward her. When we first got together, she had even gotten jealous because Summer and I used to exchange sarcastic messages online. After that, I gradually cut off contact with Summer. Yet now she was saying… Summer had ulterior motives toward me?

Just as I was about to question her, Tim suddenly leaned weakly against Sarah’s neck.

“Sarah, you’re hurting me…”

Only then did I notice that the two of them were walking hand in hand, fingers tightly intertwined.

Sarah coughed awkwardly but made no move to pull her hand away. Tim looked at her with deep affection before he turned to me with a helpless expression and apologized.

“Henry, I’m sorry. Sarah and I were just rehearsing the wedding. Please don’t misunderstand. As for the incident where you had someone beat me up and damage my mother’s grave, I won’t tell anyone about it. But please don’t hurt Sarah. Don’t put her feelings to the test.”

I had no interest in watching their act. I turned to leave.

“If you’re looking forward to it that much, I’ll have someone beat you up tonight and dig up your mother’s grave while I’m at it.”

Suddenly, Sarah struck me hard across the face.

“Henry, how can you be so vicious?” Her face darkened, her chest rising and falling with anger.

Me? Vicious? She believed someone else’s lies without question, yet five years of history between us couldn’t earn her trust.

A surge of anger flared in my chest. Just as I was about to confront her, Tim stepped in front of her.

“Henry, I’m begging you. Once the wedding is over, I’ll give Sarah back to you. Please, show mercy. Don’t hurt the people around me, and don’t hurt Sarah anymore.”

As he spoke, he moved as if to kneel. Sarah quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, stopping him, and glared at me furiously.

“Henry, stop using your rich-kid privilege to be a bully! You know how much I hate it. If you still want to marry me, stop putting up a fuss!”

She then warned me sternly not to appear in front of them again before the wedding, so I didn’t expect her to contact me the very next day.

She immediately launched into furious accusations. “Henry, I can’t believe you actually went and dug up Mrs. Ziegler’s grave. I never thought you were this kind of person!”

Full of confusion, I immediately called my assistant and told him to investigate the matter. What he uncovered shocked me to the core.

Tim’s mother wasn’t dead at all.