Chapter 2

"Her scandalous video spread all over the internet five years ago. Who would ever marry a woman like her?" Fiona taunted.

Cory's expression darkened as he coldly snapped, "Enough. Whoever brings that up again will face consequences."

Hearing him defend me, Alicia seemed somewhat resentful.

Cory looked at me with a sense of superiority. "Abby, I know you've loved me all these years, but you're only a fake heiress. Our backgrounds were never a match, so I couldn't marry you.

"After all these years, you should've moved on by now. I hope you're not here to ruin my relationship with Alicia."

His tone carried a warning. "The men invited to this business dinner are all wealthy and influential. Someone like you, with your current status, shouldn't even think about getting close to them.

"But for the sake of what we had, you can marry my assistant, William White. At least he can provide you with a stable life. I'll give you his number."

I watched Cory, who was clearly imagining things, then slowly raised my left hand and wiggled my ring finger. "That won't be necessary. I've been married for a long time."

"What? You're married?" Cory blurted out in disbelief, losing his composure.

Seeing how shocked he was, I laughed mockingly. "It's been five years. You didn't seriously think I was waiting for you this whole time, did you?"

The sarcasm in my voice rendered his face red. Embarrassment turned into anger. "If your brother hadn't asked me to look after you, I wouldn't even have bothered asking about you!"

Alicia looked at me and spoke in a misleading tone. "Abby, why would you come here and flirt with other men if you're already married? That's pretty unfair to your husband, don't you think?"

Cory's confidence returned as he looked like he had finally found something he could use against me. He stared at me with contempt. "That man must be miserable, marrying a vain and unfaithful woman like you."

His unkind eyes swept over me, his sense of superiority obnoxious. "I know you're unwilling to accept that you married a loser, but I'll do you a favor today and help you get out of that marriage.

"Maverick has been looking for you all this time. He still sees you as his little sister."

The sound of that name sent a shiver down my whole body. My breathing grew shaky.

Maverick Grant had once been the person who loved and protected me the most, my older brother. But after Alicia was brought home and the original storyline unfolded, he abandoned me.

Back then, I was the eldest daughter of the Grant family, Abigail Grant.

When I was ten years old, I was in a car accident. During the surgery, the Grants discovered that I wasn't their biological daughter.

Still, they firmly told me that I would always be the daughter they loved the most, even after they found their biological child. Naive as I was, I believed them.

When I turned 20, Alicia came back. At the time, she was thin, fragile, and timid. I felt guilty and sorry for her, so I took care of her with all my heart. I personally guided her, helping her fit into our social circle.

Little by little, she became bright, beautiful, and confident. At the same time, all my friends began to be drawn to her. They cursed me, saying I was nothing but a vicious imposter who refused to leave even after the real heiress had returned.

I was at a loss. They had known about my identity from the beginning, hadn't they?

As time went on, Alicia gradually revealed her true colors. She had never seen me as her older sister. In fact, from the first time we met, she had already wished I would die.

After teaming up with my friends to isolate me, she repeatedly set me up. She deliberately had people terrorize her, then ran to our parents in tears and accused me of orchestrating the bullying.

Under the influence of the storyline, no one listened to my explanations.

That very day, our parents announced they were kicking me out of the family. Maverick went even further. To vent Alicia's anger, he called the police and had me detained for ten days.

After he secretly gave instructions, the inmates inside ganged up on me. They broke three of my ribs, and my face was scarred so deeply that the wound almost reached the bone.

In the end, it was my then-fiance, Cory, who bailed me out. He took me back to his villa to recover. Furious, he cursed at everyone, saying they had all been deceived by Alicia and had failed to see through her facade.

"Abby, I'll always stand by your side. Once you recover, we'll get married," he had said to me with deep affection.

I believed his words. Full of hope, I waited, anticipating marrying him and building a new family together.