Chapter 2

Daniel's eyes never left Sienna's trembling shoulders.

He didn't notice the blood pouring from the web of my thumb, split open by the bullet.

My voice sounded terrifyingly cold as I said, "Don't bother. Nobody's forcing you to play the husband sneaking around with his sister-in-law. Daniel, we're done."

Daniel froze, silently turning those two words over in his mind for a long moment.

After all, when we nearly died together in a kidnapper's van years ago, I never once abandoned him.

Just as he hesitated and reached out to touch my face, Sienna burst into laughter. "You want to break up with Daniel? Who are you kidding, Charlotte? You've got nowhere else to go. You're just playing hard to get and using that old life-saving favor to keep Daniel chained to you!"

Daniel's gaze instantly turned to ice. He hated being threatened more than anything.

"Everyone says the only thing we sisters share is our dimples," Sienna purred. "Why don't we carve yours out? That way, Daniel will never confuse us again."

When Daniel hesitated, Sienna immediately clutched her stomach. "It hurts so much. I've never been attacked like this in my life. And we didn't use protection earlier. What if she hurt our baby?"

Daniel gave her a helpless look and finally nodded.

The bodyguards pinned my arms behind my back. My eyes widened in pure disbelief.

Before I could speak, Daniel cut me off with an airy dismissal. "Charlotte, you always hated those dimples anyway. Lowe Cosmetic's technology is top-notch. Don't worry. It won't scar."

The blade pressed against both sides of my cheeks, and unbearable pain exploded at once.

The guards belonged to Sienna. They maliciously twisted the blades in my flesh.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

I used to despise every feature I shared with Sienna.

On my 18th birthday, I had waited anxiously for Daniel to celebrate my coming of age, but my call to his phone never went through.

When I stumbled back to our cramped hideout, heartbroken, I saw two bodies tangled on that narrow bed.

At that moment, a deafening ringing filled my ears. My hands shook as I leaned against the wall and threw up until nothing was left.

Daniel had knelt before me, grabbing my hands and swearing he was drunk and that he'd mistaken Sienna for me.

I sobbed uncontrollably, repeatedly demanding an explanation. Just why?

When I was 13, bruised and battered, Daniel had kicked away the thug following me without a second thought.

When I was 15, he was on the run and couldn't even afford decent clothes, yet he had skipped meals to save up for the necklace I'd glanced at in a shop window.

On my 17th birthday, hiding under the covers, I had asked into the phone, "Are you crying? I said I have feelings for you, and you're crying?"

His voice crackled back, choked with emotion. "I haven't even gotten you flowers or told you how I feel properly. How could I let you say it first?"

I told him he'd given me plenty of flowers.

He refused, saying that the confession bouquet was special. It meant something different.

But then came the second mistake, the third…

By the tenth time, Sienna yanked off the blanket and held her chest high as she mocked, "How could you mistake me every single time? Even if you got it wrong, couldn't you feel the difference? Charlotte's built like a stick. Deep down, you want me!"

And Daniel just stood there in silence, not offering a single word of denial.

With two bloody holes carved into my face, I was dumped on the floor like a ruined rag doll as the crowd dispersed.

The engagement party I had anticipated for six months was completely destroyed.