His kind loyalty:my kind of hell

Five years together, and it still feels like a dream," Daniel whispered, his breath tickling my ear as we danced in the middle of the crowd.

I smiled, feeling like the luckiest woman alive. “I know exactly what you mean”.

I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Happy anniversary emily” I turned around and saw my sister in law Claire holding a glass of wine and standing in front of me with her eyes filled with malice.

I stared at the drink for a while, filled with shock and fear. If I hadn't checked my beloved husband's phone last, would I ever have imagined that he planned on drugging me and getting my nude video leaked online just so he could run back to his old lover.

"Hey, babe, Claire's got your drink,”

Daniel said, his voice a gentle reminder. 

I turned to face him, my smile frozen in place. "Thanks," I said, forcing a lightness I didn't feel.

 As I took the glass from Claire, our fingers touched, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Enjoy your anniversary," Claire said, her voice dripping with venom as she walked away. 

"Thanks, Claire," I replied.

my eyes locked on daniel, who seemed oblivious to me, is he not going to tell me not to drink this?,is he not going to stop me?. I tried to search for the unseen truth in his eyes.

“ cheers to 5 years anniversary” he gulped down the remaining drink in his cup.

I raised the glass to my lips, my heart racing with anticipation. But just as I was about to take a sip, I felt a sudden jolt. The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor.

“Oh no emily”. Claire, who has been staring at us from afar Walked back to us.

“Are you alright… been this clumsy doesn't suit you”she said with a cold smile.

“It's okay, babe. Accidents happen,"Daniel said, pulling me closer to him and Signaled his guard standing by to clean the broken cup.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, trying to brush off the incident. But Claire's eyes seemed to gleam with amusement.

“You should be,” Claire said, her voice laced with hatred. 

I tried to pull away from Daniel, but he held me tight.

“Ummm… I need to get some fresh air,” I knew I needed to get away from him and that was the only way.

“Tskk such nuisance” Claire mumbled beside her brother with rage burning from her eyes.

I stood in front of the window,tears began down from my eye.

》》》》

“Five years," I mumbled, my fingers tightened around my body. "Five years you looked me in the eye, held me, whispered sweet nothings... and all along, it was a lie? A calculated performance? I wasn't your wife, was I? I was just... a target. A hurdle to overcome.My carefully constructed tears began to flow freely.

 And all that kindness, that gentleness... just a mask to hide the monster who was planning to ruin me. My God, daniel. How could you?”

The whole time... he never loved me. All he was thinking about was how to drug me, how to throw me away like I was nothing. 

The tears wouldn't stop, a relentless flood mirroring the overwhelming wave of hurt crashing over me.

'If he never loved me… then I won’t love him either,' i declared inwardly and ready to fight back.

A light tap on my shoulder jolted me, dragging me from the suffocating darkness of my thoughts. I flinched, whirling around to see Claire standing beside me.

"Emily, you wouldn't want to miss the family pictures or do you?," Claire said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"You wouldn't want to ruin the perfect anniversary moment for Daniel."

 Her eyes seemed to gleam with malice, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. 

"You look lovely, by the way," she added, her tone laced with insincerity. 

I raised my eyebrow, feeling something was wrong. But before I could speak, Claire moved suddenly. The red wine in her glass spilled right onto my white dress. A red mark spread quickly.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Claire shouted, her voice loud. Everyone went quiet, their gaze was on us. Her eyes looked wide like she was shocked, but I saw a happy look in them. 

"Emily, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!”

 I felt so embarrassed. My beautiful white dress, ruined in front of everyone. My face flushed hot.

Daniel rushed over, his face full of concern. "Emily what happened? Are you alright?" He reached for my arm, his touch gentle.

I stayed silent, my lips pressed into a tight, trembling line.

 If I hadn't found out about their little plan– if I didn't know that wine had likely been laced with something sinister – I might have almost believed the feigned concern etched on Daniel's face as he rushed over. 

 But the truth was a bitter taste in my mouth, a constant reminder of his deceit. 

His worried questions felt like another layer of his cruel performance, and Claire's overly dramatic apology now seemed like a poorly acted scene in their twisted play. 

The red stain spreading across my dress wasn't just wine; it was a symbol of their betrayal, a brand marking me as their intended victim.

But before I could answer, a gasp rippled through the small crowd. Everyone's eyes widened, fixed on the entrance of the hall. Standing there, looking as stunning as ever, was Laura.

The moment Daniel saw her, his face changed. The worry he showed me vanished, replaced by a look of shock, maybe even... longing? He quickly dropped my arm, his attention completely diverted