Chapter 2

After I returned home, Dad looked behind me, and his expression darkened.

"Weren't you traveling with Mark? Where is he?"

I forced a smile.

"I suddenly missed you, so I came back. He can travel on his own."

Dad's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained serious.

"Jason, Mark is still the son of our housekeeper.

"The reason the Gunther family supported him all the way through college was because we hoped he could become like family and protect you.

"If he can't do that, I don't mind cutting off his allowance!"

The smile disappeared from my face. My heart felt like it was being stabbed.

Mark was seven years old when Alice Jefferson brought him into the Gunther family.

I still remembered his scrawny figure when he stood there.

When I learned that his biological father abused him and that he sometimes couldn't even get a proper meal for days, as an only child, I treated him like my own brother.

He had been there throughout almost my entire life.

Although I knew Cindy's feelings toward me were slowly changing, up until then, I still couldn't believe he would betray me.

I avoided Dad's worried gaze and quickly put down my backpack to hide my expression.

"Alright, alright. I'm starving!"

Dad's voice came from behind me.

"Tomorrow, you'll meet the girl from the Spencer family.

"If everything goes well, we can start preparing for the wedding."

I froze for a moment. After a long silence, I answered, "Okay."

I arranged to meet Katie Spencer at a stylish cafe.

I scrolled through my phone while waiting absentmindedly.

Mark kept updating his social media posts.

They went to the Erendal Sea to feed seagulls as well as Chrisandor Cathedral to pray for good luck and make wishes. They were planning to visit Mount Canderria next.

It was the exact itinerary I had spent a month preparing.

I had looked forward to this trip, but in the end, I was the only one left behind.

While my heart sank, Mark suddenly called me on video.

He excitedly showed me the beautiful scenery in Dellaros and kept praising Cindy.

"Jason, I'm testing her for you. So far, she's pretty good.

"She knows to help me when I'm tired, hands me cold drinks whenever I frown, and even holds an umbrella for me so I don't get sunburned–"

The forced smile disappeared from my face. My gaze was fixed on his neck.

It hurt me to look at those faint red marks.

Maybe he noticed something was wrong with my expression. He awkwardly pulled up his collar.

"It's a little windy today!"

Before he could continue speaking, someone ran over and hugged him from behind.

"I told you not to sleep with the air conditioner blasting while you were naked last night. Of course you caught a cold.

"Tonight, you're not allowed to ask for that again–"

Mark immediately looked panicked. The video was cut off.

But I still recognized that voice.

It was Cindy's.

My mind went completely blank. My hand froze. I didn't know what to do.

I desperately called Cindy, but she didn't answer.

Only after my entire body was drenched in cold sweat did I slowly come back to my senses.

Cindy then called me back on video.

Her eyes were full of affection. She looked completely normal.

"I was focused on picking out your gift. My phone was in my pocket, so I didn't hear it.

"Did you miss me? We'll be back in a few days."

But through the video, I saw Mark hiding in the distance.

The scarf wrapped around his neck was the Valentine's Day gift I had personally picked out with him for Cindy.

It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. My face turned pale, and I struggled to breathe.

I hurriedly ended the video call.

A glass of warm water was placed in front of me.

It was Katie.

I forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

"It's just a marriage for business. There's nothing to talk about.

"If you don't mind, let's start preparing for the wedding."