Chapter 2

I stripped off the oversized gown and pushed open the hall doors.

Laughter echoed from the stage.

Damian stood in the center, holding a custom pink diamond ring.

Standing across from him was Chloe.

She wore a stunning white gown, looking at him with flushed, bashful cheeks.

Damian’s circle of rich friends cheered loudly:

"Chloe looks breathtaking! You two are a match made in heaven!"

"She's the only one worthy of Damian! Absolutely stunning!"

"Come on, let's run through the vows one more time..."

My engagement party had been canceled.

Their engagement rehearsal had simply found a new bride.

I stood by the doorway, blending into the shadows.

"Damian, hurry up and say the vows!"

Damian gazed down at Chloe in his arms, his voice dripping with affection:

"Chloe, I promise to take care of you for the rest of my life."

The guys whistled and cheered, some already shouting, "Way to go, sister-in-law!"

Suddenly, someone shoved me hard from behind.

I tumbled forward, crashing onto the floor right before the stage.

"Well, look who's here. Isn't that Julianna?"

"What, here to take notes? With that stutter of yours, reciting vows would take all day, wouldn't it?"

Chloe rushed over to help me up, her voice sickeningly sweet:

"Julianna, are you okay? Guys, don't talk about her like that..."

Zach exhaled a cloud of smoke, sneering:

"Why bother defending her? She's been throwing tantrums at you and Damian every single day. You're way too nice to her."

"She's been with Damian for seven years, and honestly, I've always wondered... does she stutter in bed too? Does she sound like a glitching robot?"

"Hahaha! Bro, you're savage!"

"I bet five hundred bucks she blue-screens mid-moan."

Uproarious laughter tore through the room.

Damian frowned slightly, but he didn't say a single word to stop them.

Chloe leaned in, clinging to Damian’s arm:

"Julianna, they're just joking. Please don't be mad at them, okay?"

Looking at the two of them standing so close, I let out a cold, hollow laugh.

"K-Keep... going."

Suddenly, an overwhelming exhaustion washed over me.

Seven years of devotion—I didn't want any of it anymore.

Back at the penthouse, I laid open my suitcase and started packing my things.

My phone chimed with an Ins notification.

# Pierce Heir Rehearses Engagement with Chloe Vance: A Match Made in Heaven #

The attached photo showed Damian kneeling down to slide high heels onto Chloe's feet, his gaze tender beyond belief.

Comments were already in the tens of thousands.

I scrolled down and saw a top comment:

"Isn't that Chloe Vance, the illegitimate daughter? Her mother was a home-wrecker who drove the real wife to jump off a building, and now the daughter is stealing another man? The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree."

A sharp pang seized my heart. I locked my phone immediately.

BAM!

The bedroom door was kicked open.

Before I could react, Damian stormed in and slapped me across the face.

"Julianna Vance! Are you really that petty and jealous?"

He shoved his glowing phone into my face, his expression thunderous:

"Her father and I worked so hard to bury Chloe's past, and now you go online calling her a mistress?"

Stunned, I blinked: "W-What?"

He stepped closer, his gaze arctic cold:

"I used to think you were just spoiled. I didn't realize you were this malicious."

I met his eyes, my voice icy:

"I... didn't write... that comment."

Damian scoffed.

"If not you, who else?"

"I told you plainly: the only woman I'm marrying is you! Chloe was just having a little fun today. Did you really have to blow it up like this?"

Just then, a sharp, sinking pain gripped my lower abdomen.

My cheek burned fiercely where he had struck me, my eyes welling with furious tears.

Seeing my face, Damian's tone softened slightly. He reached out to wipe the tears from my eyes:

"You're going to be Mrs. Pierce. Why do you constantly have to find ways to make Chloe's life miserable?"

I closed my eyes.

Five years ago, Chloe's mother, Lana, forced her way into our family, spreading rumors that my mother was cheating and carrying a bastard.

My mother was publicly humiliated by my father and cornered by the Vance family.

Driven to utter despair, she jumped from the rooftop with my unborn baby brother.

I watched them shatter like crushed flowers on the pavement below.

Back then, Damian had held me tight:

"Don't be afraid. I'll protect you forever."

I once saw him as my only salvation in a world of darkness.

Until Chloe appeared. Then, everything changed.

Another cramp twisted my stomach, black spots dancing in my vision.

Damian spoke coldly:

"Chloe has been crying all afternoon. Tomorrow is the Vance family banquet. You're going to apologize and beg for her forgiveness."

I laughed bitterly.

"I'm... not... going."

Irritation flared in Damian's eyes. He tossed a hospital bill onto the dresser.

"Then find a way to pay for your grandmother's care yourself next month."

My blood froze instantly.

When my mother was hospitalized abroad during my childhood, my grandmother raised me.

She was the one who clumsily sang me to sleep every night.

She was the one who picked up a broom with her hunched back, fiercely chasing away the street bullies who teased me.

She was the one who carried me on her back for miles in the pouring rain when I had a fever.

She was my only remaining family in this world.

Later, when Grandma developed severe cardiomyopathy, Damian was the one who brought in top cardiologists to keep her alive.

I thought he was the ocean holding me afloat. Now, he was the abyss drowning me.

I bowed my head.

Tears hit the hardwood floor, silent and heavy.

"...Fine."

"I'll go."