Chapter 4

Chandler had probably come straight from the wedding venue, given that he was still wearing his black suit.

He walked up to me, and his expression shifted when he noticed the bandage on my forehead.

"Brina did this?"

I didn't answer.

He reached for me, but I stepped back before he could touch me.

His hand froze in midair. Then, he lowered his voice and made me a promise I had little faith in. "I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she never lays a hand on you again."

I looked at him, amused by how absurd he sounded.

"Again?" I sneered.

Chandler pressed his lips into a thin line. "The wedding is tomorrow. Just put up with it for now. Once it's over, I'll make it up to you."

As those words landed, the last lingering feelings I had for him shattered.

He could see I'd been badly beaten and knew exactly who was responsible, yet all he could tell me was to endure it.

I grabbed the paper cup off the bedside table and hurled it at his feet.

"Get out!" My voice cracked. "Chandler, get the hell out!"

He stood there for a long moment without moving.

I turned my face away, refusing to give him another glance.

Once he was gone, I pulled the old pendant from my bag, backed up the security footage, and finally pulled up the audio recording.

Good. Every piece of evidence I needed was right here.

This time, I wasn't going to take any of it.

…

I was discharged from the hospital on the exact day of their wedding.

My apartment was still a wreck when I got back.

I'd barely stepped inside when my phone buzzed with a notification—a termination notice from my company. The stated reason was that my personal conduct had damaged the firm's image.

I skimmed the message and closed it.

Only Sabrina would go to such lengths. She didn't just want to hurt me. She wanted to make sure there was no place left for me in this city.

I'd never intended for any of this to go so far. I'd never wanted to fight for a spot in a wealthy family, nor had I ever planned to claim my way into a better life. All I'd ever wanted was to live a quiet life.

They were the ones who wouldn't leave me alone. So, they had no right to blame me for what came next.

I was changing clothes when Sabrina sent me a photo.

It showed a rumpled bed with two bodies pressed tightly together, the camera angle deliberately chosen to make it look as suggestive as possible.

Beneath it was a single line of text. "Take a good look at whose bed he's in tonight."

I looked at it for just a few seconds and deleted it without a second thought.

I pressed a hand to the bandage on my forehead, picked up the envelope, and walked out.

…

The wedding venue was even more crowded and bustling than I'd expected.

Everyone present wore the eager look of spectators awaiting a show. They had gathered to celebrate the union of the Payne and Shaw families—a merger of pure power and prestige.

What none of them realized was that the wrong woman had been standing in that spotlight all along.

I walked straight to the bridal suite and pushed the door open. Every head in the room turned toward me.

Sabrina stood before the mirror in her wedding gown. Chandler was there too. The moment he saw me, the color drained from his face.

I stood in the doorway with a bandage taped across my forehead, dressed in plain clothes that looked completely out of place amid the luxury.

Still, I held my head high.

I met Sabrina's eyes, my voice unwavering. "I had no intention of coming to your wedding. But you kept pushing until you forgot who you really are."

The smile froze on her face.

Chandler stared at me, his frown tightening with every passing second.

I didn't look back at him. I simply took the pendant out of the envelope and held it up for everyone to see.

"You've been standing in my place all these years. Today seems like a good day for you to give back what's mine."

Hushed whispers broke out near the doorway. My biological parents, the Shaws, came hurrying in from the hall. The moment Victoria Shaw's eyes landed on the pendant, her face turned ash-white.

Watching her reaction, Chandler finally put it together. He looked at me, and for the first time, there was panic in his eyes.

But it was already too late.