Chapter 4

"It was just an accident!"

Julian's voice was filled with irritation and anger he could barely hide.

"Besides, Melanie was only trying to be nice. Who knew he'd react this dramatically?"

He glanced at Melanie with an obvious protective instinct.

"Right now, the public thinks Melanie is the Vance heiress. If no one from your family shows up at the wedding..."

"People will start questioning her identity. It won't look good for the Sterling reputation."

My lips curled into a deeply sarcastic smile.

"Julian, are you blind or just incredibly stupid? You know exactly what Melanie is!"

"She has nothing to do with the Vance family! She's just a homewrecking gold-digger who slept her way to the top!"

Julian's face darkened completely. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

My head whipped to the side, a sharp ringing echoing in my ears.

"Even if you're the one on the marriage license, Melanie is the only wife I will ever recognize!"

"So keep your mouth shut."

Those words felt like a dull knife sawing back and forth across my already shattered heart.

But louder than the pain was a volcanic wave of pure, unadulterated hatred.

We had been together for five years, and yet he could be this cruel.

"You don't need to show up at the wedding in two days," Julian said casually, though his voice carried a threat.

"Just stay in the hospital and keep your dad company."

Without looking back, Julian waved at a few burly bodyguards standing at the end of the hallway.

"Watch her. Do not let her take a single step out of this hospital."

The bodyguards immediately marched over, forming a human wall around me.

I stared viciously at the direction where Julian had disappeared.

He thought keeping me locked up in the hospital would let him marry Melanie in peace?

In his dreams.

I touched my stomach, pulled out my phone, and made a call...

The day of the wedding.

Melanie smiled triumphantly, stroking the luxurious silk of her gown.

So what if Chloe was the high-born Vance heiress?

In the end, she got absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, Julian stood in the grand reception hall, looking highly uneasy.

He had sent out hundreds of VIP invitations. Given the Sterling name, the venue should have been packed to the brim.

Yet, with the ceremony minutes away, only a handful of guests had shown up.

The massive hall looked embarrassingly empty.

Melanie noticed it too when she walked out.

Frowning, she tugged at Julian's arm, her voice trembling with anxiety.

"Julian, where is everyone? Why is it so empty?"

Julian's anxiety spiked. He signaled a waiter to call the family butler over.

But instead of the head butler, a low-level maid appeared.

Julian's temper flared instantly. "Where is the butler? Why isn't he here?"

The maid trembled slightly, keeping her head low.

"The butler is busy managing the Chairman's wedding. He can't get away. He said if you need anything, I can handle it."

"My father's wedding? Since when is my father getting married? To whom?"

Julian's voice faltered, his face turning pale.

"To the Vance heiress, Miss Chloe Vance."

Julian's face froze in absolute disbelief. He mumbled, "What? Say that again."

Terrified by his expression, the maid stammered out:

"Right upstairs. The Chairman is currently holding his wedding ceremony with Miss Chloe Vance."