Chapter 8

Chester had booked the wedding at a remote chapel. Even through the thick doors, I could feel the lively excitement inside.

"Miss, you may enter now."

The bells rang, and I lifted my skirt, ready to step inside.

The moment the doors opened, every guest turned to look at me in shock.

At the front, Chester was half-kneeling, placing a ring on Giselle's finger with a look of pure adoration. Beside him stood Felix, looking just like him.

Seeing my stunned expression, Chester raised Giselle's hand as if to stake his claim. "Today is my wedding with Giselle. I don't know why this lady has to appear here in a wedding dress."

I remained expressionless. "Isn't today my wedding?"

The guests frowned, staring at me as if I were insane.

Giselle let out a light laugh and flung a wedding invitation at my face. "Look carefully! Mr. Miller's bride is me!"

The sharp paper scraped against my temple, but I felt nothing. I knew exactly why—I had been living through days worse than death.

As I remained silent, Giselle assumed I was overcome with sorrow, and her eyes gleamed with even more triumph. She stepped closer and said, "Miranda, do you really think someone as lowly as you could ever earn true love?

"I'll tell you. If it weren't for helping me get revenge, you would never even get near Mr. Miller in your whole life."

She nudged Chester's arm. "Am I right, darling?"

Chester slid his arm around her waist and cast a cold glance at me. "Exactly. I only approached you to take revenge for Giselle. Who would have thought someone as vile as you would have the nerve to ruin her artwork! Every second I spent with you made me feel sick, but…"

He shifted his gaze to Felix. "Fortunately, my brother shared the burden. I didn't have to touch your filthy, cheap body, or I wouldn't have lasted this long."

Felix stood in the shadows, unable to look at me.

I cast him a glance and let out a quiet, almost amused laugh. "Is that so?"

Giselle frowned at my composure.

"Why are you staring at Felix? Don't fool yourself—he would never take your side!" she snapped, "Do you really think a filthy, treacherous woman like you could ever become the future Mrs. Miller? Keep dreaming."

All eyes in the chapel were on me.

Giselle beamed with satisfaction and shouted, "Today, everyone will see what kind of woman you really are!"

She turned to the large screen behind her. "Play it!"

Felix lunged forward, grabbing Giselle's hand. "Are you really going to play it? You said it was just a joke!"

Before he could finish, Chester grabbed his collar. "How dare you lay a hand on Giselle! Felix, I suggest you think carefully about the consequences."

He shot me a glance. "Do you want this lowly woman, or do you want the position of the Miller family's second son?"

With a tight frown, Felix's features revealed the battle raging within him.

Finally, he clenched his teeth and muttered, "I was wrong."

Chester released him abruptly and turned to the staff. "Play the video."

The guests all looked up curiously at the screen, and Giselle slowly turned with a smug smile to watch.

The screen flickered, and a brief static crackle sounded, but nothing played.

Giselle lifted her skirt and strode forward, impatiently brushing the staff aside. "Hurry up! If this drags on, you'll kill everyone's excitement!"

She slammed the button. The static vanished instantly, and the chapel speakers carried a woman's voice.

"Let me make this clear—being Mrs. Miller isn't that easy. Someone as lowly as you will never rise above your station. When we were kids, I could take your paintings and your inheritance. Now that we're adults, I can take your husband just as easily."

Giselle's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at me.

Chester froze as his eyes landed on Giselle, who stormed at me and slapped me hard. "No wonder you looked so calm earlier—you've been scheming the whole time! How dare you fake an audio to frame me!"

She put on a pitiful expression and turned to Chester. "Chester, can't you see how ruthless she is? She ruined my career, and now she's trying to ruin our wedding too!"

Despite the blatant holes in her story, Chester believed her without a second thought and clamped his hand around my neck.

"Miranda, how dare you twist the truth and spew such nonsense?" he snarled. "You picked the wrong person to cross. I could pretend to love you for years for Giselle's sake, and I can just as easily destroy you for her now."

My face burned as his grip on my neck tightened. "Grandma…"

I cast a quick glance toward the chapel doors not far away. Chester's frown deepened as he followed my gaze.

Suddenly, a razor-sharp knife spun through the air like a streak of silver and slammed into his wrist. A piercing scream tore through the chapel, freezing everyone in place.