Chapter 2

"Dad!" My pupils constricted. I threw myself forward to catch him. "Call an ambulance!"

The ambulance raced through the city to the hospital, and Dad was rushed straight into the emergency room.

Completely drained of strength, I leaned against the cold wall, exhausted in both body and soul.

After a long time, I took out my phone and slowly typed: "Dylan, we're don—"

Suddenly, an incoming call from him lit up the screen.

"Luna, I'm so sorry." His voice sounded panicked. "Did my condition flare up again? I'm so terrible, I deserve to die."

"You know I can't control it when it hits. I found a new doctor this time, and we're upping the dosage. Can we please hold the wedding one more time?"

I rubbed my throbbing temples, knowing full well that Taryn had just rejected his advances again, which was why he was crawling back to me.

I shook my head. "No."

Dylan froze, his tone growing frantic. "You can't put all the blame on me. That's just how the illness works."

"Cut the crap, Dylan," I cut him off. "I know everything."

He went dead silent. After a long pause, he said slowly, "Luna, let me explain."

"When Taryn and I broke up back then, we promised each other three chances to walk back before getting married. I was just keeping a promise from our past."

"Those three chances are used up now, Luna. I swear I'll never do it again."

Hearing those words, I felt a sick urge to laugh.

He had dragged my dignity and my family's honor through the dirt just to keep a damn promise to another woman.

I closed my eyes and whispered tiredly, "I don't want to hear it. Do you have any idea my dad is in the ICU right now because of this?"

With that, I hung up on him.

A second later, a breaking notification popped up on my screen.

"Vance Family Heiress Slaps Innocent Woman at Wedding, Suspected Mental Breakdown."

I tapped in. The video clip was maliciously edited to show only me slapping Dylan and Taryn.

"Just because the Vance family has money, they think they can do whatever they want? Slapping people without reason now?"

"Why does she get to act so entitled? Someone needs to do a deep dive into her family and investigate them thoroughly."

"I've known about her for a while. She traded her body for business deals."

A horde of trolls jumped on the bandwagon, filling the comments with vile, disgusting slurs.

I shivered all over, my heart aching and freezing cold.

I scrolled down and caught a few comments trying to clarify that Taryn had provoked me first.

Before I could read further, the ICU doors swung open.

The doctor shook his head grimly. "Mr. Vance suffered a severe heart attack. Resuscitation was unsuccessful. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

A loud ringing filled my ears. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor.

After a long while, I forced myself to stand and handle my father's final arrangements.

My mother had cried until she passed out, and relatives had to escort her home.

All on my own, I signed the death certificate, contacted the funeral home, and picked out a burial plot.

Right then, Dylan called again.

Numbly, I answered. His furious voice barked through the speaker, "Luna, what is up with the video online? Why are people attacking Taryn? Did you hire a smear campaign against her?"

I didn't say a word, but he kept ranting. "You've gone way too far! What did Taryn even do wrong? She was just being nice and trying to talk sense into you. Slapping her wasn't enough, so now you're organizing a cyberbullying mob?"

"Do you know she's hiding at home too terrified to step outside? Do you know she's been crying all night?"

Faint sobs filtered through from the other end. "So many people are telling me to die... It hurts so much, Dylan, I don't want to live anymore..."

Dylan's voice instantly softened into pure panic. "Don't be scared, baby. I'll get PR on it right away."

Holding the phone, my body grew colder by the second.

My father had just passed away. I was broken and drowning in despair.

Yet from beginning to end, he hadn't asked once if I was okay. He hadn't asked a single word about my dad.

Instead, he was convinced I was running a vicious vendetta.

Dylan's voice snapped through the receiver again. "Luna, when did you turn so wicked? If you have any shred of conscience left, post a video clearing her name right now. Tell everyone Taryn has nothing to do with this."

Clutching the phone, my heart went completely cold and still.

I spoke softly, "Dylan, my dad is dead."

Dylan suddenly fell dead silent.

"If you honestly believe that while handling my father's death, I have the time or energy to hire trolls to bully Taryn, then I have nothing left to say to you."