Chapter 2 I Die Before My Wedding

His usual restraint and polished elegance vanished for a moment as he smiled and nodded. "We will."

The crowd erupted into even louder cheers, showering us with blessings.

I didn't react.

I merely looked down, concealing the broken sorrow in my eyes. That was because only I knew the truth—there would be no wedding.

...

There were four days left until our wedding day.

Adrian collected more than a thousand wedding gowns for me, each handmade by famous designers, incredibly detailed and stunningly costly.

He acted like a child showing off his hoard of treasure, smiling as he said, "Willow, pick whichever one you love. We'll wear that on our wedding day."

I changed quietly, standing before the mirror, but my gaze was on Adrian's reflection rather than the dresses.

He wasn't paying attention to me. Instead, he was focused on his phone.

A hot, hungry look flickered in his eyes—the same intense stare I had seen in Evelyn Lane's photos.

Adrian noticed my gaze, so he quickly put his phone away and approached with a hint of apology. "Willow, I'm sorry. Something urgent came up at the office."

He leaned in and naturally kissed my forehead, as though nothing in the world were wrong. "I'll have the driver take you home after this, okay?"

Then, he turned and left.

His assistant stepped forward at once. "Ms. Lane, which gown would you like to try next?"

I watched Adrian's figure disappear into the distance for a moment before replying softly, "None of them."

It didn't matter what dress I chose; there would only be one bride at that wedding—the one who was dead.

...

As soon as I got home, I checked my phone. There was one unread message from Evelyn, the fake heiress.

She had sent me a screenshot.

In it, Evelyn wore a fitted nurse costume, a stethoscope dangling from her neck. She was kneeling on the floor, looking up at the camera with a deliberately vulnerable, seductive expression. "Master, if you get here within 30 minutes, your naughty little nurse will give you a shot."

Below it was Adrian's reply—"On my way."

I kept reading those words repeatedly. It was just a few short lines, yet I spent a whole hour looking at them before finally shutting my screen.

The moment I closed my eyes, my tears slipped free. That was when the pain came.

Adrian and I met in high school, shortly after I was welcomed back into the Lane family.

Everyone else saw me as just a rough country girl with no sophistication. I was an embarrassment. They mocked, bullied, and looked down on me.

Only Adrian was there to protect me.

"You can all look down on her if you want. I won't. She's my friend." His voice remained steady, then grew colder. "And if you bully her, you're bullying me."

That was the day I began to see him in a new light. Adrian treated me with even more kindness from then on.

He was so attentive that he remembered each of my menstrual cycles for 13 years.

His social media was full of photos of me.

Those around us often joked that he was hopelessly obsessed with me.

Occasionally, he would watch emotional movies, pull me into his arms, cry, and plead with me never to leave him.

When he proposed, he held my hand and promised, "Willow, I'll make sure you stay happy for the rest of your life."

I had cried so hard that day.

…

After the wedding date was finalized, Evelyn finally grew impatient.

She started sending me photos. She started with dozens before spamming me with hundreds. These spanned three entire years. Most of them were personal pictures of her with Adrian.

I initially thought they were AI fakes and not worth believing.

After all, Evelyn wasn't just the impostor daughter who took my spot in the family. She was also the monster who repeatedly set me up, including the staged car crash that almost cost me my life.

Besides, Adrian loved me. Even if he cheated, surely he wouldn't choose the one person who had hurt me most.

Then, his birthday came.

I brought a cake to his office, planning to surprise him.

However, I ended up overhearing his conversation in the stairwell.

Someone chuckled. "Mr. Ashford, you're truly living the dream. It must be exciting to have both sisters at your beck and call."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, entirely composed. "The appeal is the dynamic."

Then, he drawled, "Besides, Evelyn's fun in bed."