Chapter 4

“Aaron, don’t say things like that,” Lilian said as she reached for Aaron’s clenched fist and gently stroked it. Slowly, she coaxed his fingers open before reverently pressing a kiss to his palm.

“You know how stubborn Irina is. What if she actually calls off your wedding?” she asked, her face filled with deliberately feigned guilt.

Aaron scoffed. “She would never call off our wedding. She loves me too much. There’s no way she’d be willing to let me go.”

“Yes, you’re right. She loves you very much, and she has power and influence too. That’s why your mother would rather have Irina as her daughter-in-law than me, a mere orphan,” Lilian replied, her voice trembling with feigned dejection.

“Don’t say that, Lilly,” Aaron coaxed gently. “My mother just hasn’t realized yet that she threw away a diamond for a cheap imitation like Irina. Sooner or later, when she sees you in the Wellington main residence, she’ll realize that her precious daughter-in-law is nothing compared to you.”

“Even so, by the time your mother realizes that, it’ll already be too late. I’ll already be your brother’s wife and… I might even be rotting in a grave by then,” Lilian replied softly.

Her eyes began to glisten with tears, her expression radiating unmistakable despair.

“I’ll protect you, Lilly! I won’t let Elijah hurt you, let alone kill you!” Aaron snarled furiously.

Lilian immediately tightened her arms around Aaron’s waist, and he made no attempt to pull away.

“If only… I had been the one to meet you first, maybe our story would have been very different,” Lilian whispered, making Aaron’s chest tighten with emotion.

Would things really have been different if we had met first? Aaron wondered.

Aaron watched as Lilian walked back toward the fitting room.

Instead of sitting down to wait for her, he chose to stand beside the glass window and gaze out at the street beyond the boutique.

That was when he saw Irina calmly walking toward her sports car.

She looked so elegant and carefree—so different from the short-tempered Irina he had come to know in recent days.

Yet, Aaron suddenly found himself wondering: Had I ever truly known Irina?

They had grown up together and attended the same schools. They knew almost everything about each other, including the strained relationship between Aaron and Elijah.

What Aaron remembered about their past was that Irina had always been attentive, strong-willed, and soft-hearted.

But lately, Aaron had begun to wonder if perhaps those memories had been nothing more than an illusion.

Ever since Lilian had entered their lives, the Irina he had known seemed to have vanished without a trace.

“Aaron…”

Aaron’s eyes widened slightly when Lilian suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back.

His body tensed instantly, especially when Lilian’s fingers began stroking his chest, slowly trailing downward toward his stomach as she tried to slip her hand beneath his clothes.

“Lilly, don’t…” Aaron whispered tensely.

“Aaron, can we spend some time together again?” Lilian moved around to his side and looked into his eyes pleadingly. “At least before Elijah and I officially get married, I want to spend one more night with you… just like that night.”

“Lilly, you know this is wrong.”

Lilian lowered her head deeply.

“I just…” She took a few steps backward. “After I marry Elijah, I don’t know how he’ll treat me. But with you… I know you’ve always treated me so gently.”

Lilian’s voice sounded utterly heartbroken.

She turned and walked out of the boutique first, deliberately leaving Aaron behind.

Overwhelmed by a deep sense of guilt, Aaron hurried after her and gently caught her by the arm.