Chapter 3

Zoe's face went deathly pale. "Kyla, let me explain..."

Without hesitation, Simon stepped protectively in front of her. "Didn't I tell you to stay home? Kyla, did you follow us here?"

I hadn't even confronted him yet, and he was already turning it around on me.

A bitter laugh escaped me as I stared at the man who suddenly felt like a stranger. "Simon, you're marrying my best friend. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

His brows knitted together. He was about to speak when Mom suddenly grabbed my hand. Her grip was so tight I sucked in a breath. "What are you doing here? Today's Simon and Caroline's big day. You came all this way just to cause trouble!"

Dad's voice was equally cold. "We didn't tell you because we were protecting you! But you just had to show up. If people start calling you the other woman in front of everyone, I won't be able to show my face!"

Zoe's eyes reddened anxiously. "Kyla, there's a reason for all of this! Please don't be angry!"

I stared at Simon in disbelief, my voice catching. "Simon, I'm pregnant!"

He stepped forward with an exasperated look, his voice impatient. "Pregnant? Kyla, I've never had the heart to tell you this, but you've been permanently infertile for five years.

"I was afraid you'd fall apart, so Caroline and I agreed that she'd carry a child for us. She's your best friend. She's someone we know and trust."

He paused, then cupped my face as though soothing a child. "Besides, you'd be upset if I had a baby with some other woman. It made more sense to choose someone you trusted. Once we get married and the baby's legally registered, I'll divorce her and marry you."

What an absurd lie.

If I hadn't discovered Zoe's plastic surgery, I might actually have believed his righteous-sounding explanation.

"Fine, Simon. Don't regret this." I turned and walked away.

I'd barely left the ballroom when Zoe hurried after me.

"Kyla!"

I stopped and looked coldly over her carefully done bridal makeup. "Drop the act, Zoe."

She blinked, then suddenly laughed. "You really are my sister; nothing gets past you. But so what? You stole the man I loved. I'm only taking back what was mine!"

Stole?

I almost laughed at the word. Growing up, whenever Zoe wanted the bigger bedroom, my dolls, or a job opportunity, I gave it to her.

If she'd simply told me back then that she wanted Simon, I would've given him up too. But she'd still chosen to see me as her enemy.

I stared at her, raised my hand, and slapped her across the face.

"How dare you hit me!" Zoe gritted her teeth. The next second, she spotted Simon and immediately swallowed her anger.

"Simon, I hit Kyla first!"

Simon rushed over and touched her cheek with concern. "Kyla, when are you going to stop? I've already explained everything. What else do you want? Are you really going to drive all of us to the breaking point over those three dead babies?"

My ears rang. My mind went blank, and all the warmth drained from my body.

During each pregnancy, I went through blood draw after blood draw, fetal heart monitoring, and amniocentesis. After each miscarriage, I endured injections and medication to recover. I lived through countless nights of despair and breakdowns.

And now he was saying I was the one driving him to the breaking point?

A broken laugh escaped me as pain pricked through my chest.

Back then, his family had pressured him to marry me because I was pregnant. Instead, he'd brought me before the family elders and faced them himself.

"I'm marrying Kyla. Whether she can have children or not, she's the only woman I'll ever marry!"

And when I'd suffered severe bleeding during a prenatal appointment, he'd been so terrified that he'd dropped to his knees outside the operating room and begged the doctor, "Please, doctor. Save her first! She's my whole life!"

What a shame.

He'd loved me so fiercely that now, when he no longer did, the difference couldn't have been more obvious.

I gave a quiet laugh and turned to leave.

My childhood friend and my parents hurried after me.

"Kyla, you're just overthinking things. Caroline's been so good to you. She's even having a baby for you. You should be grateful!"

Mom and Dad joined in.

"We spoiled you too much! When your father and I were in that car accident, it was Zoe who stayed up all night taking care of us. We knew you were busy with work, so we let it go."

"Then, when Simon had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant, Caroline was a match, while you ran off somewhere."

"Kyla, you can't expect anything in return when you've never given anything."

Every word sliced into my heart.

When I was eighteen, Mom and Dad were in a car accident. Zoe had gone on vacation. I'd been the one who stayed by their side.

When I was twenty-three, Simon got sick. I donated my bone marrow. I didn't want them to feel guilty, so afterward, I went alone to a quiet coastal town to recover.

Yet somehow, they all believed Zoe had done those things.

I stepped backward, caught between laughter and tears.

Simon's brows drew tightly together. "No one's trying to deceive you. We just know how sensitive you are and didn't want you spiraling."

I took a single step toward Zoe.

Everyone immediately tensed as though I were about to attack her. Simon reacted most strongly.

"Kyla, this is the last time I'm putting up with one of your scenes!"

I rubbed my swollen eyes, smiled, and slipped the ring from my finger. Then I placed it on Zoe's.

"Congratulations, bride-to-be."

'Congratulations on your marriage, Zoe. And congratulations to my future brother-in-law.'