Chapter 1

Everyone in high society laughed behind my back, calling me Sebastian Pierce’s most pathetic, desperate substitute.

I had played his devoted doormat for five whole years before he finally agreed to marry me.

Yet on the eve of our wedding, outside our bridal suite, I heard him panting with his newest little stand-in.

I pushed the door open. Harper’s cheeks were flushed pink. Sebastian was calmly fastening his cufflinks, barely glancing up at me.

"Relax. The wedding is still on. You’ll still be Mrs. Pierce."

"It’s just a shame you look less and less like Amber every day. But Harper... even her breathless sighs sound identical to hers."

I stepped forward and slapped him across the face, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Sebastian, you're a monster!"

The moment I stormed out of his sight, I slowed my pace. I daintily wiped away the fake tears and dialed Harper's number.

"Good job. You made it look completely real."

"After five agonizing years, I'm finally ready to pull the trigger."

Oh, Sebastian. You went through so many stand-ins, yet how did no one ever warn you?

Amber, the pure little angel who drowned in the ocean... had a sister who swore to make you pay in blood.

Right after I hung up on Harper, my phone buzzed repeatedly.

Sebastian’s texts popped up, one after another:

[I'm hungry. Come home and cook.]

[Don't make me wait.]

My thumb hovered over the screen for a second, and a cold scoff slipped past my lips.

Five years, and Sebastian hadn't changed a bit.

He was dead certain I couldn't survive a single day without him, which was why he never gave a damn about my feelings.

I lowered my head and texted back with my usual obedient, submissive tone:

"I... I'm on my way back right now."

"Your stomach is sensitive, so please eat some fruit first."

When I walked through the door carrying groceries, Sebastian was lounging on the sofa with Harper in his arms.

Hearing me enter, he didn't even bother looking up as he barked orders:

"You're back? Make that slow-simmered chicken soup."

"After all these years, only your cooking tastes like Amber's."

I gave a meek nod and headed toward the kitchen.

Before I took two steps, Harper’s sweet, sugary voice purred behind me:

"Sebastian, I want to learn from Wendy too. That way, whenever we're having our sweet moments, we won't have to trouble her anymore."

Sebastian chuckled indulgently and stroked the top of Harper’s head.

"Silly girl. Your hands are meant for playing the piano. They're precious."

"Some people’s hands were born to cook and serve. But she just never knows her place. She practically begged on her knees to stay with me back then, and now that she’s about to become Mrs. Pierce, she thinks she can throw tantrums."

He paused, then turned his gaze toward me, frowning.

"Isn't that right, Wendy?"

I knew Sebastian was deliberately humiliating me, getting even for that slap.

I immediately turned around, wearing the exact fearful, desperate expression he loved most.

Looking at him with eyes full of fake adoration, I choked back a sob:

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I was out of line earlier. I shouldn't have hit you."

I even walked over, took his hand, and pressed it against my own cheek, murmuring humbly:

"If it makes you feel better, hit me back."

"Just please don't be mad at me, okay? I know I was wrong."

Sebastian was deeply satisfied by my submissive act. He gave my face a condescending pat and pulled his hand away.

"Fine. At least you know how to behave."

He looked back at Harper.

"Learn if you want."

"I have some business upstairs. You two... get along."

With that, he walked up to his second-floor study.

The moment the kitchen door clicked shut, Harper listened closely for footsteps above. Once she was certain we were safe, she pulled a micro SD card from her pocket and handed it to me.

Her expression wavered with hesitation.

"Everything's on here."

"Are you really going through with marrying Sebastian? With what we have right now, it’s enough to bring down the entire Pierce family. You’ve endured five years of hell—you don't have to throw your own wedding into the—"

I clenched the memory card tightly, cutting her off with a low, steely voice:

"No! I have to marry him."

"I want to tear off his hypocritical mask right at the altar, in front of the whole world! I want everyone to see what kind of filthy monsters the Pierces really are!"

"My sister... will not die in vain!"