Chapter 3

"Rachel..."

Ethan pulled her into his arms with aching tenderness, then looked up at me, his eyes blazing with fury.

He gritted his teeth, his voice distorted with rage.

"Chloe! You vicious bitch! Do you get off on dragging Rachel's name through the mud?"

"I spoiled her growing up, and mentally she's far younger than you! Why do you constantly have to pick fights with her?!"

His accusations felt like icy needles piercing my already shattered heart.

Resting her head against his shoulder in feigned distress, Rachel turned slightly to cast a mocking smirk at me.

Her eyes practically screamed: See? You can never beat me. Ethan will always choose me.

To break me completely—or perhaps just to prove a point—a vicious glint flashed in her eyes. She raised her hand and slapped herself across the face with full force.

Smack!

The sound cracked sharply through the quiet room.

She kept slapping herself while crying hysterically, begging for mercy.

"Is this enough, Chloe? I've punished myself!"

"I swear I'll keep my distance from Ethan! Just please don't blame him, and stop spreading lies about me!"

She didn't hold back; bright, horrific red welts instantly bloomed across her cheek.

Ethan's pupils shrank, his heart bleeding for her.

"No—!"

His eyes turned bloodshot.

"Chloe! How far are you going to push her?!"

His arm whipped through the air, and a vicious slap crashed against my face.

Then, he clamped down on my shoulders, violently forcing me to my knees on the ground, his tone cold and merciless.

"Apologize to her right now! Otherwise, you can forget about ever setting foot into the Miller family!"

The slap was heavy and deafening. Within seconds, a burning sting flared across my cheek.

My knees pressed into the hard floor, my spine bent, surrounded by the mocking stares of the crowd. I froze in place, unable to move.

Ethan's eyes remained locked on me. A fleeting hint of regret showed on his face, but it quickly dissolved into cold confidence.

He was certain that, just like the countless times before, no matter how terribly he treated me, I would always submit.

Yet seeing him holding Rachel to comfort her, combined with the throbbing burn on my face, snuffed out the very last ember of hope in my heart.

My voice was ice. "I will never apologize. Let's call off this wedding and break up."

"You really have the guts, don't you, Chloe?" Ethan scoffed in anger. "Fine! Have it your way! Our engagement is over!"

"Let me warn you: unless you beg Rachel for forgiveness, don't expect me to show you any mercy when you come crawling back!"

With that, he wrapped his arm around Rachel and walked away without looking back.

With the groom gone, the restrained guests began buzzing, throwing even more disdainful glances and venomous whispers my way.

In the past, no matter how humiliating things got, hosting the guests on Ethan's behalf would have been my duty.

Now, I couldn't care less.

I ripped off my veil, threw it to the floor, and turned to leave in silence.

Right outside the banquet hall, however, I ran straight into Ethan's parents, who were rushing over.

His father blocked my path, his face full of disbelief. "Chloe! What kind of tantrum are you throwing now?!"

His mother pointed a shaking finger toward the banquet doors, her lips trembling with rage. "You just abandoned all those guests in there? You've completely humiliated the Miller family!"

I looked at them coldly.

"Rachel publicly announced that she personally did body pearling on her foster brother, and Ethan slapped his bride in front of everyone just to defend her. That blatant incestuous mess isn't humiliating enough for you?"

Both of them choked up for a second, but that quickly gave way to a torrent of scolding.

"Over such a trivial thing?!"

"Ethan and Rachel grew up together! They are strictly brother and sister!"

"How did we raise you? As a daughter-in-law of the Miller family, you should be patient and understanding!"

"Even if there was a misunderstanding, you handle it in private! Aring out dirty laundry in public makes you proud, does it?!"

The two of them teamed up to berate me relentlessly, utterly furious that I hadn't apologized on the spot and had instead escalated the scene.

I let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Strictly brother and sister?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Mrs. Miller's eyes, but she quickly masked it with an even harsher glare.

"What else would they be?! Go back in there right now and tell the guests Rachel was just joking, and that you were being overly sensitive!"

"Then go home and apologize to them! Otherwise, you can forget about being part of this family..."

I slapped her hand away from my arm, leaving behind a cold, "I wouldn't want to anyway," and walked straight out.