Chapter 2

"Emily, are you serious?" Alex Walker called the moment he received my message.

When I gave him a firm answer, his voice trembled with barely contained joy.

"That's wonderful! But I'm still abroad for a few more days. Emily, can you wait for me? I'll come get you next week!"

I agreed without hesitation. Since Gavin would rather fake his death than give up Charlotte, there was no reason for me to hold on any longer.

The next day, the Holt family held a memorial for him. Dressed in mourning black, I prepared to attend… only to be stopped at the door by security.

"Miss Steele, you're not allowed inside."

My body stiffened, my voice dropping into an icy register. "I'm his wife. Why can't I attend?"

"Emily, I'm so sorry," a soft voice cut in. "But Gavin made it clear before he left—there can only be one woman at his memorial, and that woman is me."

Charlotte stood before me, a lily crown resting delicately on her hair, her words dripping with malice.

"You've already been cast aside by the Holts. You have no name, no place. Better to leave on your own, before you embarrass yourself further."

My chest heaved with fury. "This is the Holt family estate. What right do you have to drive me out?"

"What if Sebastian himself said so?" Her lips curled in a mocking smile, her eyes brimming with contempt.

A familiar figure passed the doorway. Then, with startling speed, Charlotte grabbed my hand, shoved it against herself, and tumbled hard onto the ground.

"Charlotte! Are you all right?"

Sebastian—no, Gavin—rushed over, lifting her with frantic care before turning to snarl at me.

"Emily, what nonsense is this? Charlotte tried to talk nicely to you, and you dare lay a hand on her?"

"Sebastian, it's my fault," Charlotte whispered tearfully, her eyes glistening with wounded innocence. "I only told her because I thought she knew about today's arrangements. I didn't expect her to take it so badly. If she doesn't want me at the memorial, then I'll just go."

She turned as if to leave, only for him to catch her wrist and hold her tightly.

"No, Charlotte. You've done nothing wrong. The one who should leave is her."

He pulled her into his arms with tenderness, but when his gaze cut back to me, it brimmed with disgust.

"Emily, my brother made it clear. Only Charlotte may attend. You have no right to be here. Save yourself the humiliation and leave on your own, before I have the guards throw you out."

I stared at the face I had loved for five years, now twisted by cruelty. My chest ached so sharply I could barely breathe.

Every year on my birthday, he would hold me close and whisper his vow, "May we share the same bed in life, and the same grave in death. Emily, we'll be together forever."

Yet the man who once swore eternal devotion wouldn't even let me attend his sham funeral.

"Sebastian, are you certain Gavin truly said that?" I looked at him one last time, clinging to a shred of hope.

But I knew the truth—he was Gavin. Coward that he was, he could only hide behind his brother's name to break me down.

His expression faltered for an instant, then hardened. "Absolutely. Emily, you've already been cast out of the Holt family. Don't ever appear at occasions like this again."

Without another glance, he left with Charlotte in tow.

Tears blurred my vision. My heart plunged into a darkness so deep it suffocated me. Five years of love, and I wasn't even granted the dignity of a proper farewell.

'If in your heart Charlotte is more deserving than me, then so be it. I'll cut every last tie and give you both my blessing,' I swore silently.

When I returned home, drained in both body and soul, I picked up the phone and dialed the hospital.

"Hi, yes, I'd like to schedule an abortion for tomorrow."