Chapter 2

The photograph fluttered in the air, and every gaze in the room tracked it.

Only I remained frozen in place, speechless for a long time.

"So this is the Roth family's real heiress?"

"I suppose she's pretty enough, but her presence doesn't hold a candle to Ophelia's…"

"What do you know? The truly wealthy don't flaunt it the way the fakes do!"

Dennis shifted his gaze to me, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Well? Now do you believe your sister and I are really together?"

"Ophelia, I know this is hard for you to accept."

He sighed, his tone heavy with feigned helplessness.

"But the facts are the facts. A counterfeit heiress like you was never worthy of me. Now your sister and I are in love, and we—"

"Who said she's my sister?"

I couldn't hold back any longer. I frowned and cut him off.

"I've never seen this woman before in my life, and she can't possibly be my sister."

Silence fell for a beat.

Even Dennis's expression froze.

But a moment later, as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, he let out a derisive laugh.

"Don't know her? Ophelia, you're quite the actress."

"Denying your own sister just to stay with me—"

"Ophelia, I'm telling you, stop this pointless struggle. If I'd known from the start that you were just a fake heiress, I never would have been with you!"

Hearing this, my brow furrowed even tighter. More than ever, I was certain I'd misjudged him.

When Dennis and I first got together, he'd been the one to pursue me relentlessly.

He'd been attentive to every need, devoted to a fault. I'd let myself sink into it and eventually said yes.

When my parents found out, they both objected.

But something in me—God knows what I was thinking—refused to give him up. I'd insisted on being with him, even going so far as to get engaged to this broke nobody against my parents' wishes.

And now reality was slapping me in the face: he was nothing more than a vain, money-chasing man.

He'd assumed I was a fake heiress and cheated on me for three years behind my back.

And now he had the audacity to dump me at our engagement banquet.

"Ophelia, I know you love me deeply."

"We've been together all these years—of course I cared about you too."

"Your sister is even willing to make a concession. Going forward, she'll be my wife, and you can be my mistress."

"As long as you don't show your face around her, she'll allow me to be with you occasionally."

My fists clenched so hard my knuckles cracked. This was nothing short of humiliation.

All the grief I'd felt from the betrayal transformed in that instant into pure revulsion.

Never in my wildest nightmares had I imagined Dennis could actually say something like that!

The sheer audacity.

"What's wrong? Frozen with joy?"

Dennis watched me, mockery tugging at his lips, his tone insufferably smug.

"I knew it. A woman like you—dumped and still crawling back to beg. This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it? Don't worry, as long as you behave, I'll—"

"Joy my ass!"

I couldn't take it for another second. My palm connected with his face in a vicious slap.

Crack—!

The sound rang crystal-clear through the banquet hall. Every person in the room stared in shock.

Dennis's head snapped to the side, five crimson fingerprints blooming across his cheek.

"You dare hit me?!"

Dennis clutched his face, disbelief etched into every feature.

I let out a cold laugh. Without hesitation, I drove my foot straight into him with another savage kick.

"Aaagh—!"

Dennis's shriek echoed through the hall.

I showed no mercy. I raised my foot, ready to stomp down hard.

But just then—

"Stop!"

A voice, shaking with fury, thundered from the back of the crowd.