Chapter 1

It was the day of the engagement party.

"Louise Rowley, I'll ask you one last time. Are you really going to marry him?" Noah Clark's drunken voice sounded on the other end of the phone. He tried to hold it together, but I could still hear the tremor.

I looked up at the figures tangled together backstage at the party, then said softly, "I'm not marrying him. Noah, you once said you'd only ever marry me in this lifetime. Do you still mean it?"

There was a brief pause. The haze of drunkenness seemed to clear instantly, and he blurted out, "Of course."

He answered quickly. But I lowered my gaze, my voice barely audible. "What if I'm already pregnant?"

The line went silent for two seconds. I didn't rush him or try to explain. I just waited quietly.

A moment later, Noah spoke again, his tone more serious than I had ever heard before. "Louise, I never go back on my word."

Hearing that, my eyes stung. I forced my emotions down and smiled. "Okay. We'll get married in three days."

"Three days?"

A low male voice suddenly came from behind me. I hung up immediately.

Sean Benson had appeared at some point, his collar slightly open, traces of lingering desire still evident in his expression. He looked at me, brows slightly furrowed. "Wasn't our wedding set for a week from now? You changed the date?"

I gave a small nod, my expression calm. "The venue got booked by someone else. We had to move it up."

Sean's frown deepened.

Just then, Selena White stepped out from behind him. In a sarcastic tone, she said, "Louise, no one in the entire city of Astonville would dare take a venue from the Benson family. If you want to marry Sean sooner, just say so. Why lie?"

The way Sean looked at me shifted slightly, but all he said was, "Send out new invitations. Take care of the wedding arrangements."

Then, he turned to leave. Before going, he casually draped his coat over Selena's shoulders. "It's cold out. Don't catch a chill."

I stood there as the cold wind seeped through my thin blouse, making my lower belly ache. Only after they were completely gone did the tears I'd been holding back all night finally fall.

Sean hadn't always been like this.

When we were 18 years old, he had trapped me by the window, his eyes red as he said, "I don't want you as a sister. I want you to be my wife, my one and only lover."

I believed him.

For a period of time, he gave me an endless amount of passion and happiness. All the embraces, kisses, surprises, and gifts made me certain that he truly loved me.

But in the past few months, he had grown colder and colder. He was the one who proposed, yet he now acted like an outsider, indifferent to everything.

I kept telling myself he was just busy and tired. Until not long ago, I saw him with my own eyes, outside a jewelry store, putting a ring on another woman's finger.

I hid on a street corner, watching them take shelter from the rain under the eaves. They were kissing in the rain, professing their love.

He said, "Don't worry. Once I marry her and secure the inheritance, I'll find some excuse to divorce her. Selena, leaving you back then when I loved you most was my mistake. I'll spend my life making it up to you."

That day, I walked home drenched in rain. I crouched by the roadside, retching until I could barely breathe. Even now, just recalling it made my chest ache unbearably.

Seeing my pale face, a passing server couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Rowley, are you alright?"

I forced a shake of my head and made my way back into the banquet hall. Sean was raising a glass, socializing. Not far away, Selena, wearing his coat, was exchanging flirtatious glances with him.

I kept my head down as I walked in. As I passed by Selena, she suddenly let out a scream.

Red wine splashed across her face, staining it like blood, making her look utterly disheveled.

"Selena!"