Chapter 2

I returned to the home I shared with Howard. I had barely set my bag down and reached for the light switch when a figure suddenly leaped from the shadows and onto my back. "Howie, you're home!"

Fresh out of the hospital and still weak, I buckled under the weight and collapsed. I winced in pain and shoved the person off me. "Who the hell are you?"

Crystal scrambled to her feet and flicked on the lights. She covered her mouth in a show of shock. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were Howie… Oh, are you his girlfriend? He said you wouldn't be coming back…"

Howard and I were nothing alike in build. Anyone with half a vision could have told us apart.

Clutching my aching lower back, I stood up and took a proper look at her.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice thick with annoyance.

Her hair was damp, and she wore nothing but an oversized white shirt that barely covered her thighs, putting her long, bare legs on full display.

I recognized that shirt. I had given it to Howard when we first got together. The custom cufflinks even bore our initials.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She fidgeted anxiously before suddenly grabbing my hand and slapping herself across the face with it.

I froze, completely stunned. Before I could react, Howard burst through the door, shoved me aside, and pulled Crystal behind him. "Celine Morrison, what gives you the right to hit someone?" he snarled. "She just mistook you for me. Slapping her is uncalled for."

He turned from me to gently cup her reddening cheek, scolding her for not dodging quickly enough.

My hand went numb, and the pain in my waist flared. A sting pierced my nose. I felt like an outsider in my own home.

"Howard, aren't you going to explain why she's here?" I asked.

I had bought this house for him so he could focus on building his career without a worry in the world. And now, he had the audacity to bring another woman into our home.

For the first time, Howard looked a little guilty, but his expression quickly hardened into irritation. "Crystal was scammed by her landlord. After our business trip, she had nowhere to go. As her boss, I let her crash here for the night. Baby, our house is huge. It's not a big deal."

I took a step forward to see his hypocritical expression more clearly, but Crystal shrank back dramatically, waving her hands as if terrified I'd strike her again. "Howie, I'll leave. Don't be angry, Celine. I'll go sleep under a bridge or something. You don't have to worry about me."

Howard moved to shield her again, his voice dripping with contempt as he yelled at me, "When you do something wrong, you pay the price. Apologize to Crystal now!"

As if that weren't enough, he added, "Celine, not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth like you. You don't know what it's like to face hardship. Kids from poor families may have nothing, but we still have our dignity. You don't get to trample on it!"

With that, he wrapped a protective arm around Crystal and led her to the living room to tend to her injury.

He had a talent for twisting a simple question into a class war. All I had done was ask what she was doing in my house.

But it didn't matter anymore. Neither the house nor its owner had anything to do with me now.

My lower back throbbed. Leaning against the shoe cabinet, I tried to steady my breathing. That was when I noticed a takeout bag Howard had brought in. It was from Tabletop Kitchen, my favourite restaurant.

He had left Crystal alone here to personally pick up the food. Whenever I wanted to eat there, he either ordered delivery or sent his assistant. But for her, he was thoughtful enough to make the trip himself.

If I hadn't shown up, the two of them would have been enjoying a romantic dinner.

My phone rang. It was my mother, saying the Zimmerman family was thrilled I had agreed to the arranged marriage. They even suggested holding the wedding next month and mentioned they'd received my gift.

My parents became confused when the word "gift" came up, so they asked if I knew what the Zimmerman family meant.

I didn't really think about it. I simply looked up and said yes right away.

Wonderful—the sooner the wedding, the better.