Chapter 3

I scoffed before retorting, "I'm already 23 years old. I don't need your consent to go places or live my life. I own this wedding gown—and nobody is taking it from me."

"You insolent brat!" Dad roared, slapping me hard across the face.

Mom lunged forward, aggressively ripping at the gown. "It's Winnie's since she takes a fancy to it—take it off right now!"

I tried to resist, but Mason held both my hands firmly. I was only wearing a strapless bra and underwear under that wedding gown, leaving me completely exposed before him. I felt utterly humiliated, and just as I was about to cry, Mason released me and allowed me to change into my own clothes.

I saw Winnie wearing the wedding gown the moment I stepped out of the changing room, looking absolutely smug. "I told you that this wedding gown belongs to me!"

I was about to call the boutique manager over when Mom suddenly pulled me back. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? You ought to know that a wedding gown this beautiful only belongs to someone as beautiful as Winnie! You should stop being so delusional, Hannah!"

Dad snatched my phone away from me. "Go home and reflect on your behavior! You're on house arrest until Winnie's wedding is over, in two days from now!"

Mason instructed his men to shove me into the car, ignoring my furious cries.

He then leaned in close and whispered with a smug grin, "It seems you truly were playing hard to get that day, Hannah. You showed up here to attract my attention, didn't you? If you behave obediently, I'll spend the first half of the wedding night with Winnie and the second half with you."

He quietly placed a key in my hand after saying that.

I spat in his face and snarled, "Who do you think you are, you delusional piece of trash? Get lost! You're a total joke if you think you're in my league!"

Mason's expression hardened. "You'd better not push your luck, Hannah. Who else but me would ever want an ugly woman like you? You'd better think long and hard about it before coming to a decision!"

He had his men send me back home after saying that.

I was seething with rage as I was locked away in my own bedroom. I couldn't wait to see Mason reduced to a pathetic, ruined shell of a man in two more days. I was certain that when the time came, the Sherwood family would instantly direct all their anger toward Winnie, Mom, and Dad.

I had to find a way to legally sever ties with them before that day arrived.

I started trashing my room in the dead of the night, keeping everyone awake. Mom and Dad still refused to let me out, though, so I resorted to setting everything on fire.

That night, more than half of the Lowe family's estate went up in flames. Mom and Dad eventually reprimanded me as a harbinger of misfortune and officially kicked me out of the family.

I took advantage of the chaos to snatch my phone and call Draco, who sent someone over to pick me up without any hesitation and had them drop me off at one of his unoccupied estates. I spent the next two days catching up on sleep and gathering my strength, waiting for the wedding day to arrive.

Upon showing up on the first floor of the banquet hall in the custom wedding gown, Mom's, Dad's, and Winnie's expressions immediately shifted.

Mason looked secretly pleased for a split second before masking it with a furious glare. "Did you seriously show up in a wedding gown to crash the wedding? You're way too shameless, Hannah!"

I didn't expect to run into these two nightmares getting married here, of all places. I frowned and said, "You're overthinking it. I'm here to get married as well, so step aside—I'm going in!"

Winnie gathered up her wedding gown and marched over to me, unable to hide the sheer jealousy and hatred in her eyes. "Why have you always been taking things from me since childhood, Hannah? I can let you have the wedding gown, but I will never let you have Mason!"

That single sentence caused a collective gasp to echo through the crowd.

"What's going on here? Did the eldest daughter of the Lowe family actually steal the wedding gown, and now she's going after the groom as well?"

Mom and Dad pushed their way through the crowd and walked over to us.

"Have you lost your mind, Hannah? You literally tried to burn our whole house down just because we wouldn't let you steal Winnie's husband! How dare you crash their wedding dressed like this! Do you want us to call the police on you, Hannah?"