Chapter 2

A female goblin in a flowing white dress stepped inside. Her complexion was much lighter than Cole's, and her hand gently caressed her slightly rounded belly. There was a soft, gentle smile on her face.

It was Shia.

The moment Cole saw her, his eyes widened. He immediately let go of my hand and rushed to her side.

He had flung me aside so forcefully that my lower back slammed into the sharp corner of a table. The pain was so intense that I couldn't speak for a while.

Leena gasped and rushed over to support me. "Lilian, are you alright?"

Cole, however, acted like I didn't exist. He walked up to Shia and asked gently, "Shia, why are you here? Is the baby making you feel uncomfortable?"

Shia's eyes casually flicked past me. There was a trace of smugness in her gaze before she leaned weakly into Cole's arms. "The morning sickness has been awful lately, and my feet are so swollen that I can barely walk. I missed you, so I came to see you."

At this, Cole's face was filled with concern. He immediately scooped her up in his arms and walked out.

Leena looked at the blood soaking through the back of my clothes and couldn't hold back any longer. She shouted at Cole's retreating figure, "Cole, Lilian is your fiancee! How could you treat her like this for some outsider?"

Cole stopped in his tracks, and Shia, in his arms, clenched her teeth. There was a flicker of viciousness in her eyes as she said, "It's all my fault for following you without any status or name. It's brought you nothing but trouble…"

Cole gently laid Shia down on the couch, then suddenly turned around and stormed toward me. Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

The sharp slap echoed through the room. My mind went blank as my ears rang from the impact.

Cole shook his wrist as he said coldly, "I thought you were a quiet, obedient woman. I didn't expect you to just be another vicious woman. Lilian, I'm warning you. If you so much as try to influence Leena again, I'll keep slapping you until you learn your lesson!"

He looked down at me like I was nothing but an insect. "8:00 pm the night after tomorrow. Central Magic Tower. Don't be late!"

With that, he didn't spare me another glance. He picked up Shia and walked out without looking back.

Leena's face was streaked with tears. She carefully helped me up, avoiding the wound on my back. Her voice trembled, "Lilian, I'm so sorry…"

Leaning on the couch, I tried to process what had just happened. I smiled weakly at her. "It's not your fault, Leena."

Leena helped me onto the couch, fuming as she stomped her foot. "That bastard goblin! No wonder you remembered everyone but him! Serves him right! Lilian, marry that half-elf! You have my support! Make Cole regret it forever!"

I laughed bitterly. The burn from the wound on my back caused me to grit my teeth in pain.

But inside, I felt unusually calm.

Though I was still technically his fiancee and had to play along for now, it was time I started making plans for myself.

Just seven more days.

In seven days, I would embark on a journey that was entirely mine.

…

On the last four days, I spent the past few days clearing out my place when I wasn't tending to my injuries.

I stared at the pile of things in the living room and silently tossed them into the dimensional pouch by the door. It was meant for destruction.

Included were the 999 magical letters I wrote for him, the 365 kinds of healing potions I developed for him, the defensive runes I prepared, the 108 teleportation stones aimed at his castle, and the scroll of safety from climbing 9999 steps at the ruined place of worship to pray for his safety.

Just as I turned, my heart skipped a beat.

Cole was standing at the door. I had no idea when he had arrived, but his amber-colored eyes stared right at me, and at the pile of "trash" on the floor.

His voice was hoarse with disbelief. "Why are you throwing those away?"

I replied indifferently, "Trash should be thrown away."

As I said that, a wave of unprecedented relief washed over me.