Chapter 2

Before the wedding, I insisted on seeing the woman and her child.

Dante agreed.

The car drove towards a heavily guarded mansion in the city's outskirts.

My heart sank with every passing mile.

The estate looked incredibly expensive.

Then, I saw the mistress. She was stunning.

"This is Chloe King." Dante's introduction was curt.

The woman greeted me: "Hello, Ms. King, I'm Anya!"

I looked behind her.

A thirteen-year-old boy stood in the shadows, his features eerily similar to Dante's, watching me with cold, disdainful eyes.

Dante waved him over: "Leo, come here."

The boy slowly walked closer, calling out without expression: "Dad."

Dante instructed the maid: "Bring Mrs. King's slippers."

The maid brought the slippers, but it was Dante who knelt and helped Anya put them on.

I froze. He just called her Mrs. King!

Less than three minutes into the meeting, I stood up and said: "I need to go."

Anya walked me to the door:

"I heard your father sent out invitations everywhere. How ridiculous. You're just a mistress, and your family has the nerve to brag."

Without hesitation, I slapped her.

Her face quickly swelled and reddened:

"You hit me?!"

I stepped closer, glaring at her, "Dare to mention my father one more time, and I'll tear your mouth off."

Dante rushed over at the sound.

Seeing Anya's swollen face, his brow furrowed: "Chloe, you promised not to cause trouble for her."

I met his gaze, "Ask her what she just said."

Anya's voice was thin and trembling, laced with tears: "Dante!"

But young Leo suddenly looked up, glaring at me and shouting: "How dare you hit my mom?!"

I looked coldly at the mother and son, not willing to indulge them, and stated directly:

"Dante, she just called my father a pimp, saying he sold me off to you as a mistress!"

Dante took a deep breath.

"Even if she said something inappropriate, you shouldn't have resorted to violence. When did you become so utterly unreasonable?"

Unreasonable?

I watched as he subtly shielded Anya and Leo behind him, and my anger turned to a dull ache of despair.

I lifted my head, forcing back the tears.

I used to crave a grand wedding so much.

Now, I just wanted it to be over.

On the wedding day, the sun shone brightly.

Everything went smoothly until the moment before we were to exchange rings.

The banquet hall doors burst open, and Anya rushed in.

"Dante… Leo's gone missing!"

Before she finished speaking, she collapsed to the floor.

My heart instantly clenched.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father's strained smile. I forcefully suppressed all the surging emotions within me.

I saw Dante instinctively about to rush off the stage.

I grabbed his hand tightly, pleading pathetically:

"Dante, the ceremony is just twenty minutes from being finished. Please, can you just play along with me? My dad is watching us."

I tried to force a smile, one that looked uglier than any cry.

Dante's brow was tightly furrowed, and he challenged me:

"Anya has collapsed, and Leo is missing. You still want me to stay here and finish this twenty-minute charade with you? Is your 'ceremony' more important than a human life?"

The next second, I was violently thrown off by him, my mind in a daze, knocking over the champagne tower behind me.

And he, to the shock of all the guests, strode quickly towards the unconscious Anya.

"Dante!" I screamed with all my might to stop him, "If you leave now, I'm breaking up with you for good!"

The entire hall fell silent.

But he just turned his head, throwing back a cold, harsh remark:

"You look so… unfamiliar to me right now."

Then he gestured for his men to help Anya up, and left without looking back.

The wedding host stood awkwardly on the stage.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold floor.

The sharp pain in my lower abdomen intensified.

Until my pristine white gown was stained red…