Chapter 2

My chest tightened as I instinctively pulled away from his embrace.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

The handsome face before me should have been so familiar, yet now it felt completely foreign.

"Why?" I forced myself through the suffocating pain to ask. "Why are you suddenly confessing this to me? On our way to the courthouse to get married?"

He reached out with practiced ease to wipe my tears away, as gentle as he'd been countless times before when comforting me.

"Winnie, you're too innocent. I'm afraid of hurting you."

"Even after we get married, I won't go back to having only you like before."

"Can you accept that?"

I broke down sobbing, unable to answer his question.

Adrian's eyes reddened too.

"Winnie, from age five to twenty-five, I only had you. But I'm twenty-five now. I don't want to waste the best years of my life anymore!"

"I want to truly experience what this world has to offer."

"Besides, we're about to leave the ivory tower of university. I need to go back and take over the family business."

"You grew up in high society too. In our circle, what man doesn't play around on the side?"

My whole body shook uncontrollably, my face a mess of tears and snot.

What he said was true, but I'd always thought he was different.

Maybe every man in the world would betray their partner, but not my Adrian.

When he was five, in front of both our parents, he said he would marry me one day and love only me for his entire life!

Everyone had laughed at his innocent but sincere words.

But now my world was crumbling. I sobbed so hard I couldn't breathe.

That's when my parents' video call came through.

I hastily wiped my face before answering.

"Winnie," they asked with expectant faces.

"How did it go? Are you married?"

The next second, Adrian's parents crowded into frame too, looking at me with affection.

"Winnie, welcome to officially becoming part of the family."

My heart clenched painfully as I instinctively looked at Adrian.

Adrian lazily raised an eyebrow and mouthed at me.

"Say whatever you want."

I turned back to face the four smiling faces.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say we couldn't get the license, that Adrian and I were done.

But my throat felt stuffed with water-soaked cotton. I couldn't make a sound.

I could only take a breath and try to keep my voice steady.

"We already registered the marriage."

At that, Adrian chuckled quietly and leaned closer to the camera, his expression perfectly composed.

"I'm taking Winnie to pick out wedding gifts now!"

The four parents' faces immediately lit up with relief, the sight piercing my chest with pain.

I turned my face away, unable to look at them anymore.

That's when I noticed a pair of torn stockings in the corner of the back seat.

With dried stains of unknown fluids on them.

In an instant, my scalp prickled and I burst into tears.