Chapter 1

My reply caught Ryland Croft completely off guard. He stared at me, stunned, until the tips of his ears flushed red.

"If you're not against it, it's settled. We'll get married three days from now, and I'm warning you—you're dead meat if you escape!"

He took off in a rush, stumbling into people and knocking over decorations, as if I might actually eat him alive.

My fingers slid over the piano keys as I lifted a brow in amusement.

Moments after he left, Holden Lane appeared. I glanced at him before coldly turning away, and he rushed toward me, pale-faced. "Serena, you're upset, aren't you? I can explain. Eve is timid, and if she marries that womanizer, Ryland, her life will be ruined. I can't just stand by and watch her walk into that trap."

So, he broke his promise and went ahead to marry Eve Hodgson.

But the truth was, even if he hadn't, this was the ninth time he had abandoned me for her. We were officially over.

"Just leave. You're married now. I don't have to deal with breaking off our engagement, do I?" I said evenly.

Holden frowned and desperately tried to explain, "It's just a fake marriage to help her out of trouble, Serena. I swear I see her as a sister. I'll never lay my hands on her. We've agreed that six months from now, we'll get a divorce, and she'll leave for abroad. But for now, you'll just have to bear with it and keep things quiet between us.

"Don't worry—I promise that I'll marry you. Just don't make things tough for her and treat her kindly."

I could understand his devotion to Eve, but how could he have the nerve to demand I step down from being his fiancee to being his mistress and unconditionally wait for him for half a year? Even if I agreed, my parents would never stand by and watch me throw my future away.

I calmly said, "I'm the daughter of the Barretts, and I'll never marry a divorced man."

Holden's expression darkened. "Divorced man? You know I'd never betray you, so why would you say something so harsh? She's just my wife on paper; my heart belongs to you. Everyone will still see you as my wife even as we keep things low-profile, so why can't you understand? Will you only relent if she suffers?"

His words made my gaze waver.

Holden had always claimed his heart was mine, yet he had left me for Eve nine times.

When she complained about not having an appetite, he skipped my birthday party to book a restaurant and feed her. When she whined about having a headache, he left me in the pouring rain to fetch her medicine.

Time after time, he chose her. And each time, it tore another piece out of my heart.

Yesterday, when she said she wouldn't marry a spoiled heir, he went ahead and married her. And that turned me into the laughingstock of the elite circle.

Now, he wanted to stay married to her while keeping me as his secret lover… How was that any different from making me a mistress?

As if public ridicule weren't enough, did he need to watch my name and dignity burn too?