Chapter 2

Huntley pulled his hand away from Quinn's waist. After asking the crowd to leave first, he started to walk toward me, only to stop halfway.

"I'll take everyone home first," he said. "I'll explain everything once I get back later."

One by one, the guests shook their heads and sighed, looking at me as if I were the unreasonable one who kept pushing.

As the crowd dispersed, Quinn walked over to me with a bright smile. "I told you a long time ago—the daughter of a mistress doesn't deserve happiness. From now on, whenever you're in front of me, the legal wife, make sure you keep your head down."

Mom went deathly pale. She steadied herself before shouting furiously at Quinn, "Your father was the one who tried to assault me back then! He failed, and that's why he made up those rumors! I'm not the mistress, and there's no way my daughter will ever be one!"

Quinn crossed her arms and let out a cold laugh.

"Rumors? Is a detail as specific as the mole on your waist just a rumor, too? Do you dare take your clothes off right now in front of everyone and prove your innocence? Do you dare say you don't have a mole on your waist?"

Mom's face flushed crimson. She choked on her words, and blood suddenly seeped from her tightly pressed lips.

Panicking, I hurriedly patted her back. "Mom! Mom… Are you okay?"

Quinn continued to calmly pour fuel on the fire. "It'd be great if she got so furious that she just dropped dead right now. Then, she can go find my mother and apologize to her."

Unable to control myself any longer, I let go of Mom, rushed forward, and slapped Quinn across the face. But the next second, a burning pain exploded across my own cheek.

I cupped my face, staring at Huntley in disbelief. His hand was still in the air, not yet pulled back.

Just yesterday, he'd been on the phone with me, sweetly telling me, "Ains, once your mom gets here, I'll make sure to put my best foot forward so she won't worry about entrusting you to me."

But now, he had slapped me right in front of Mom for another woman.

Behind me, Mom's eyes widened. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Blood surged up her throat, and she spat a mouthful of blood before her body went limp and crashed heavily to the floor.

I flew into a complete panic. Mom and I had taken a cab to the restaurant. It was rush hour right now, making it almost impossible to hail another one.

Swallowing my pride, I looked at Huntley through tear-filled eyes.

"Huntley, I'm begging you. Please take my mom to the hospital. I won't make a scene anymore, and I don't need an explanation either. I'll let go of you! I'll step aside, okay?"

Huntley stared at my grief-stricken, helpless expression.

He'd never seen me so completely at a loss before—not in high school, when Quinn had bullied and ostracized me, not in college, when the money I'd earned from my part-time job had been stolen, forcing me to walk nearly 20 miles back to campus, and not after I started working, when my boss had given me a hard time and made me work overtime for an entire month straight.

He crouched down and helped me lift Mom up.

"Don't panic, Ains," he said, his voice softening. "I'll take your mom to the hospital right now."

But before he could lift Mom into his arms, Quinn's disappointed voice rang out from behind us, "Huntley, my dad is still sitting at home waiting to see our marriage certificate and have a beer with his new son-in-law. You wouldn't disappoint my dad, would you?"

Huntley's hands froze. Then, as I watched in despair, he slowly set Mom back down on the ground.

"Your mom indirectly killed Quinn's mom. I can't leave her to face her father's expectations alone. I'll call an Uber for your mom right now. It should get here pretty quickly!"

As I watched him put his arm around Quinn and walk away with her without a second thought, it felt as though an invisible force had brutally torn my heart straight out of my chest.

The space it left behind was empty now. And it would never beat for him again.