Chapter 4

When my relationship with Gavin was first made public, his parents were overjoyed. They were determined to see me as the Holt family's daughter-in-law.

So when "Gavin" died, "Sebastian" insisted I remain in the Holt household with the child I carried, and his parents supported the decision.

But now that the child was gone, I had no more ties to them and no reason to keep up the charade.

The next morning, I woke to the sharp pounding of fists on my door.

"Emily, what is this nonsense? Just because I didn't go to your doctor's appointment with you, you let my brother's photo get into this state?" "Sebastian" yelled.

I glanced toward the memorial set up in the living room. The flowers had long since wilted and rotted, and the photo on the mantel was coated in a thick layer of dust.

There was a time when I would replace them with fresh bouquets every few days, carefully dusting so not a single speck of dirt would ever touch his photograph.

But now, I no longer had the heart.

"I forgot. Tell Cordelia to take care of it," I said flatly.

Suspicion flickered across his face. "You always handled it yourself. Gavin's only been gone a short while. How can you already be so careless?"

So he did notice my devotion and the torment I endured. Yet even knowing that, he still dared deceive me with his false death.

"I'll clean it myself when I'm feeling better," I lied, brushing off his doubt. He assumed it was pregnancy fatigue and pressed no further.

"Emily, Sebastian and I are going to pick out wedding dresses. You have experience. Come and help us choose."

Charlotte's words dripped with mockery. Before I could refuse, she had already dragged me into the car.

Of course, she only meant to provoke me.

Gavin never saw me in a wedding gown, yet now he was about to personally help Charlotte put one on.

Inside the boutique fitting room, I was zipping up the back of her dress when she suddenly leaned close and whispered.

"Emily, you really are pathetic. Even with Gavin's child in your belly, you couldn't keep your place as Mrs. Holt. Laughable, isn't it? You had a wedding all alone."

Her lips curled with malice. "Oh, and you don't even know, do you? Gavin already said—your child would be calling me 'mommy'. And you? You're nothing but a discarded woman, condemned to a lifetime of humiliation."

Before I could answer, she tore her own gown with a sharp rip and flung herself from the platform with a scream.

"Charlotte! Are you alright?"

"Sebastian" stormed in, rushing to embrace her. Seeing her ankle reddened and swollen, his face twisted with fury.

"Emily, I know you're bitter that you never had a proper wedding with Gavin, but how could you destroy Charlotte's dress and even try to hurt her?"

Tears welled in Charlotte's eyes as she displayed her swollen ankle. "Emily, you've gone too far. I only wanted to share my joy with you. How could you be so jealous? You owe me an apology."

Though I had already given up on Gavin, bitterness still surged at the sight of him shielding Charlotte so tenderly.

"Why should I apologize? I never touched her. She ripped the dress herself—"

"Enough!" His roar cut me off. "I never thought you'd be so petty. Since you refuse to admit fault, then don't bother coming to the wedding next weekend."

With that, he led Charlotte out, leaving me standing alone in the fitting room.

That very night, he flew in a haute couture gown from overseas to replace the one "I" had ruined as Charlotte's compensation.

Meanwhile, every one of my wedding photos was stripped from the walls and burned to ash.

I stared at the wreckage, my heart utterly numb, thinking, 'Fine. Better this way. Saves me the trouble of clearing it out myself.'

On the wedding day, the hall glittered with guests—nobility, tycoons, high-ranking officials. They had all come to give their blessings. Gavin's parents stood at the entrance, poised to receive them.

Draped in her couture gown, Charlotte walked proudly up the red carpet. On stage, she called out softly, "Dad. Mom."

But Gavin's parents remained silent.

"Sebastian" frowned. "Dad, Mom, Charlotte's calling you."

Mr. Holt gave a low cough. "Our family has only one daughter-in-law. Even if Gavin is gone, I will never allow this woman into our home."

"Dad, I know you're still grieving Gavin, but recognizing Charlotte as a member of our family was his dying wish!" "Sebastian" said earnestly, utterly oblivious to me standing just below the stage.

"Act in a play long enough, and you begin to mistake it for reality. Isn't that right… Gavin?"