3

“I’m sure the wedding dress you designed yourself will turn out beautifully,” Viona said enthusiastically.

Ever since the journey to the boutique where they would have the dress fitting, Viona had not stopped talking about Lyra’s various wedding preparations. From the dress and the event schedule to the little things that needed to be made sure of before the wedding day arrived. Seeing her enthusiasm made Lyra feel both sad and happy.

There was still someone else who cared about her.

If only Viona knew that none of these preparations meant anything to her anymore.

Right now, Lyra no longer had any desire to marry Damien. All she wanted was one thing—to let Damien and Ciara go so that the two of them could be together. She would not let everything happen the way it had in her previous life.

She would take Ciara’s place as Leonel’s bride. And a year after the wedding, she would die at the hands of Leonel’s business associate. It did not matter. She would simply consider the debt she owed Damien repaid that very day.

Ciara’s death in her previous life had been the beginning of Lyra’s downfall.

Not only because Ciara had died, but because her death became the culmination of all the anger and hatred that had been directed at Lyra. Sofi, Paul, even Damien blamed her. They all believed that Ciara’s death should never have happened.

If only Lyra had married Leonel back then, and Ciara had become Damien’s wife, perhaps Ciara would still be alive.

That was what they always thought.

No one ever asked how Lyra felt when everyone pointed at her as the cause of Ciara’s death. No one cared that Lyra had also lost the people she had considered her family for years.

Especially Damien. The man she loved most.

For seventeen years, Lyra had grown up in the Hart family home.

She was indeed only an adopted child, but throughout all those years, Sofi and Paul had loved her as if she were their biological daughter. Lyra had never felt the need to question her place in that family. She tried to be a good daughter, cared about her parents’ feelings, and did everything she could to make them proud.

She thought that as long as she was good enough, their love would never change.

Until three years ago, when Ciara returned. The girl came bearing valid proof that she was the Hart family’s biological daughter who had disappeared all those years ago.

Not Lyra.

From that day on, the place she had considered home for seventeen years slowly became a place that made her feel like a stranger. And what hurt the most was not the fact that Ciara was their biological daughter.

It was the fact that after learning that, Lyra seemed to no longer have the same place in their hearts.

“We’ve arrived, Miss Lyra,” John, the Hart family’s driver, informed her.

Lyra nodded slowly and let Viona get out first and open the door for her.

Two boutique employees immediately approached Lyra as soon as she arrived in the lobby. One of them quickly retrieved Lyra’s ordered dress.

The dress was her own design. She had envisioned it long ago, carefully choosing every detail so that the dress would match what she had always dreamed of.

Its cut was simple yet elegant, with soft white fabric that fell along the shape of her body and small details around the waist that made her look even more graceful.

Lyra stood in front of the mirror after putting it on. For a moment, she simply stared at her own reflection. Back then, seeing herself in a wedding dress had made her very happy. She could not wait to stand at the altar beside Damien and exchange their wedding vows.

A happy life together with Damien.

But now, that feeling was no longer there.

The fitting room door opened again.

Ciara entered with Damien and Sofi. The moment she saw Lyra standing in front of the mirror, Ciara’s eyes immediately focused on the dress she was wearing.

“Lyra, your dress is so beautiful.” Ciara approached and examined the dress up close. Her fingers carefully touched the skirt, while her eyes were filled with admiration.

“You designed this yourself, right?”

Lyra nodded.

Damien, who was standing beside Ciara, inadvertently looked at Lyra in her dress. And without realizing it, he said, “Beautiful.”

Of course, Ciara heard the compliment, and she did not like it.

She cleared her throat briefly and said, “Lyra, may I try it on?”

Lyra looked at her. “This dress was made specifically for me. Haven’t you already chosen your dress?”

“I know.” Ciara quickly smiled. “I just want to try it for a moment. I don’t know why, but your dress looks so beautiful.”

Then she turned to Damien. “What do you think, Damien?”

Damien looked at the dress for a moment before casually replying, “If you like it, try it on.”

Ciara looked hesitant. “But this is Lyra’s dress.”

“It’s fine. You don’t mind, right?” Damien looked at Lyra. “If Ciara likes it, just let her have it. You can choose another dress.”

Lyra fell silent.

In her previous life, it had happened exactly as she remembered. Ciara had begged to try on the dress Lyra had chosen. Then, somehow, Ciara had ruined Lyra’s dress, but once again, Lyra was the one who got blamed.

Before Lyra could say anything, Ciara spoke again. Shaking her head as she linked her arm with Damien’s, she said, “No, Damien. This is Lyra’s dress.”

However, her tone did not sound like she was truly refusing. “Besides, how could I take her wedding dress?”

Damien shrugged. “If you like it, just take it. Lyra still has time to choose another one.”

Ciara looked at Lyra hesitantly. “Really?”

“Besides, I don’t really care what kind of dress my bride wears,” Damien added in a flat voice. He only glanced at Lyra briefly, as if emphasizing his words.

“Don’t be like that,” Ciara replied as she linked her arm with Damien’s. She tilted her head up slightly so she could look at Damien. “I heard Lyra designed this dress several months ago. At least, you should appreciate it.”

Damien scoffed sarcastically. “What for?” But then, he gently rubbed the top of Ciara’s head. “To me, all dresses look the same.”

Ciara smiled faintly. “That means you don’t mind if I try on the dress Lyra made?”

“No.” Damien looked at Lyra impassively. “Take it off, and let Ciara try it on. I think it suits her better. You can choose another design. This boutique has plenty of them, right?”

Lyra looked at the two of them. She almost laughed bitterly. She should have realized from the beginning that, in Damien’s eyes, there was only Ciara. Everything about Ciara mattered to Damien. There was no Lyra. Not at all.

Lyra looked at the two of them. She almost laughed bitterly. She should have realized from the beginning that in Damien’s eyes, there was only Ciara. There was no Lyra. Not at all.

“If you like it, wear it.” Lyra asked someone to help her take off the dress she was still wearing.

Ciara’s eyes immediately lit up. “Thank you, Lyra.”

She hugged Lyra briefly before turning her attention back to the dress.

A few moments later, Ciara came out of the fitting room wearing the dress. Sofi, who had just entered the room with several boutique staff members, immediately smiled when she saw her daughter.

“You look so beautiful.”

Ciara stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself with a small smile. “Really?” she asked once again, seeking confirmation from her mother.

“Yes, you’re so beautiful, my darling.” Sofi approached and straightened the hem of the dress Ciara was wearing.

“What do you think, Damien?” Ciara asked as she showed off the dress in front of Damien again.

The man was silent for a moment. “Beautiful.”

Ciara smiled shyly. “If I wear this dress at my wedding later, do you think it will look good?”

“Of course.” Damien did not hesitate at all.

Lyra stood not far from them, silently watching everything. In the past, perhaps her chest would have felt tight hearing a conversation like that. Now, there was no longer any such feeling. Everything was ... flat.

Ciara was still looking at herself in the mirror when her hand suddenly moved to the skirt. “Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Damien asked.

“It seems this part is caught.” Ciara tried to pull the fabric free. But instead of releasing the snagged fabric, her hand only pulled it harder.

Riiip!

The sound of the tearing fabric rang out so clearly that the entire room immediately fell silent.

Lyra stared at her dress without blinking. Even though she had seen this happen in her previous life, there was still an indescribable tightness in her heart. That dress ... she had designed it herself with all her heart so she could wear it on her happiest day.

But now, it had ended up with a long tear around the waist.

Ciara froze. Her hand was still resting on the torn fabric, while her face slowly turned panicked.

“I...” Her voice trembled. “I didn’t mean to.” She immediately looked at Lyra with eyes that were beginning to well up with tears. “Lyra, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to ruin it.”

Tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes. Ciara lowered her head, touching the torn part of the dress with trembling fingers, as though she herself were the one most devastated by the damage.

“I just wanted to try it because I really liked it.”

Lyra remained silent.

Ciara took a deep breath, then said in an increasingly quiet voice, “I know I shouldn’t have asked you for this dress. I just...” She paused for a moment, as though trying to hold back her tears. “I just wanted to do something that could make my heart feel a little better.”

The words almost made Lyra laugh bitterly.

How easy.

Ciara never needed to say that Lyra was at fault. She never needed to accuse her or force her will on anyone. She only needed to show a little sadness, a little guilt, and then let the people around her come to their own conclusion that she was the one who had been hurt the most.

And as usual, Ciara did it very well.

She lifted her face and looked at Lyra with eyes filled with sadness.

“You’re so lucky, Lyra. You’re going to marry Damien, have a beautiful dress, and a wedding that has been carefully prepared.” Ciara smiled bitterly. “I just wanted to feel a little of that happiness, but now I’ve only ruined it.”

Lyra looked at her in silence. In the past, she would have been furious and defended herself with all her might. But now, exhaustion had overcome everything. There was no point in speaking.

Before Lyra could even walk away, Damien had already approached Ciara. The man took off his jacket and draped it over Ciara’s shoulders to cover the torn part of the dress.

“Don’t cry. It’s not your fault. You didn’t mean to,” Damien said gently. He then turned to look at Lyra. “Lyra, choose a new dress for yourself. There’s no need to make an issue out of this damaged dress.”

Really, Lyra cursed herself. How foolish she had been in the past.

“No need,” she replied flatly.

Damien frowned. “You? Why not? I’ll buy you a new one. There’s no need to be that angry with Ciara. She didn’t do it on purpose.”

Of course Lyra was sad. She had designed the dress herself, pouring all her dreams for her future with Damien into it. But what was the use of a beautiful dress if the man standing beside her at the altar later would never love her?

“I really don’t care that much.”

Lyra’s flat answer only made Damien stiffen. Her cold attitude felt strange, but Sofi, who had been holding back her anger as she watched Ciara’s tears, finally lost her patience.

Smack!

A hard slap landed on Lyra’s cheek. Her head jerked to the side, leaving a burning sensation that quickly spread. A fairly long scratch was clearly visible on Lyra’s cheek.

Miss Viona cried out in shock, but no one else cared. Damien even remained standing beside Ciara, busy rubbing the girl’s shoulder.

“You stupid girl! Why are you being so stubborn?” Sofi scolded. “Hurry up and choose your dress! Don’t waste Damien’s time over something trivial!”

Lyra should have realized it from the beginning. Ever since Ciara returned to the Hart family, there was no longer any place for her. Her mother believed Ciara’s tears more, and Damien had never truly seen her existence.

“If that dress was so important to you, you could have stopped Ciara from touching it!” Sofi shouted. “How selfish!”

Lyra slowly touched her throbbing cheek. There was a fairly long scratch on her cheek. The sting was real, but for some reason, her heart felt much calmer than it had in her previous life.

Be patient, Lyra. She only needed to endure for seven more days. After that, everything would be over.

Lyra lifted her face. A faint smile touched her lips as she looked at Sofi, then shifted her gaze to Damien.

“Yes, I am selfish.”

The two of them fell silent.

Lyra’s voice was so calm that it felt even more cutting. “I should have stopped Ciara from touching my dress from the beginning. Now that the dress is ruined, there’s no need to make an issue out of it anymore.”

She lowered her head and looked at the dress that had already been torn, still worn by Ciara.

“Besides, what’s the point of fixing something that no longer means anything to me?”

Damien frowned at Lyra’s words just now, but to him, all of Lyra’s complaints meant nothing. “Enough. Don’t make the situation uncomfortable just because of a dress.”

Lyra smiled very faintly. “Yes—”

“My concern is already clear, Lyra. Since Ciara asked to try on your dress, you can choose another design at this boutique. I’ll pay for it.”

“No need,” Lyra replied softly.

“Don’t argue so much. I don’t want to be seen as someone who doesn’t care about his future bride.”

But Lyra chose to ignore him. She continued, “You don’t need to worry about me, Damien. Just stay with Ciara.”

They looked at each other in silence.

“As for my wedding dress, just choose another one. Whatever you choose, I’ll wear it.”

Lyra smiled faintly.

“Isn’t the most important thing to you always making sure that Ciara is happy?”