Chapter 2

As I pushed open the door, the cheerful music inside instantly died. All eyes snapped to me.

The moment she saw me, Eleanor's hand, holding a wedding ring, froze. But she quickly composed herself.

"It's a beautiful day, darling. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. Look at you, all dirty. Don't ruin our guests' mood!"

I couldn't believe my ears. Shouldn't she be explaining what the hell was going on?

Why was she standing there in a wedding gown, happily exchanging rings with her childhood sweetheart?

And why was Jolene, the head kidnapper who'd abused me, attending *their* wedding?

Eleanor's mom's shrill voice jolted me back to reality:

"Where in the world have you been, you good-for-nothing?! Eleanor was so good to you, and you go and cheat with a kidnapper, gone for a whole year before you bothered to come back! You might be shameless, but our Vance family still has a reputation to uphold!"

Cheating?

It was laughable. So this was how Eleanor was covering up her betrayal.

Just then, Jolene, holding a champagne glass, draped an arm around me, squeezing my arm with a vicious, chilling fake smile.

"Still keeping our little secret, are we? You're a naughty one."

Her voice was laced with blatant threat and warning.

My body froze, my eyes wide and vacant.

Seeing the scene unfold, the guests started buzzing:

"No wonder Ms. Vance is marrying Mr. Gray. It turns out this scumbag cheated first. Poor things."

"Cheated for a whole year and didn't even go home once? I've never seen such blatant nerve. The King family might be struggling and a disappointment, but *he's* even worse!"

"Hmph, Ms. Vance's mom was bending over backward for Ms. Vance and Mr. Gray's wedding. And here her daughter is, playing a little servant at the wedding. What a family, right?"

Hearing the room erupt into chaos, Eleanor finally hurried over to me, her voice low and impatient.

"Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow to come back? It's just a wedding for Spencer! I've been working so hard planning this for a year, and it's the last step. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass us?"

Just a wedding…

But what about me?

This past year, I'd been beaten relentlessly, old wounds layering new ones. When I was hungry, I had to lick stale food off the ground like a dog.

So all my suffering, all the torture, even the shame of being branded a cheater, was just to pave the way for their lavish wedding.

I despairingly closed my eyes, then reached out to grab my daughter, Lily.

"Come on, Lily, let's go."

But Lily recoiled as if shocked, then suddenly fell to her knees in panic, bowing her head and muttering:

"No, no, no, Lily can't leave! I have to stay and serve Ms. Vance and Mr. Gray well! I want to be their most obedient little dog!"