Chapter 3

A sliver of hope sparked in my chest. Did someone finally have the decency to stop this?

Chloe merely scoffed, turning toward the newcomer with an innocent smile.

"Evelyn, I'm just putting a homewrecking whore in her place. She tried to seduce Ethan."

Chloe's older sister, Evelyn Sterling, frowned in annoyance.

"You can't do this out in the open lobby. Drag her into the back rooms."

"Julian, Dad, and Ethan are arriving any minute. It'll look bad if they see this mess."

"Take her away. As long as she doesn't die, do whatever you want to her."

"Knowing today is the union between the Sterling and Vance families, and she still dared to crash it... what a shameless bitch."

With that, Evelyn stepped forward, ground her leather heel hard into my bruised face, and twisted it back and forth.

Chloe grinned with cruel satisfaction.

"Thanks, Evelyn. I'll take this trash to the back."

"The rest of you, head into the ballroom and wait for the feast. When you leave later, make sure to grab your VIP gift envelopes from the front desk."

Chloe waved her hand, and several burly female classmates dragged me down the hallway into a secluded storage room.

They shoved me onto a wooden chair and tied me up tightly with thick cords.

"Chloe, don't let it ruin your day. Ethan is so successful and handsome, flies are bound to buzz around him."

"Yeah! He was definitely just using this tramp for fun. You're the only woman he truly loves."

Chloe smiled smugly, soaking up their praise.

"Obviously. Why else would he be getting engaged to me?"

She walked over and tapped my swollen, bloody cheek with a condescending chuckle.

"Some people just love humiliating themselves."

"So what if Ethan played with you in the past?"

"Right now, he's "my" man."

The searing burn in my throat had eased slightly. I forced out a hoarse, ragged rasp:

"Call him... Call Ethan right now. Ask him to his face."

Chloe glared at me with pure venom.

"Ha! You think Ethan is going to save you?"

"You think a billionaire cares about a discarded plaything?"

"Fine. I'll crush your pathetic delusions once and for all."

Chloe pulled out her phone and put the call on speaker. A second later, that familiar, deep voice came through the line:

"Hey, Chloe. Why are you calling now?"

"I'm about thirty minutes away."

"By the way, did your dad and Julian arrive yet? I don't want to show up before them."

Chloe dropped her vicious tone instantly, switching to a high-pitched, babyish purr:

"I just missed you so much, baby~"

"Dad and Julian will be here soon, so hurry up!"

"Oh, by the way... do you remember a high school classmate named Claire Miller?"

Ethan’s voice paused for a fraction of a second. My heart skipped a violent beat. "Could it be...?"

"Never heard of her. Why? Did she crash the party?"

My heart plummeted into a freezing abyss.

How could Ethan not know who I was?

Had I really... jumped into an alternate reality?

Why would the universe do this to me?

The emotional devastation tore deeper than any physical wound. I stared blankly at the glowing phone screen.

Chloe shot me a triumphant smirk.

"Nothing important. She just showed up waving a couple's photo of you two, claiming you're her husband."

"I was worried she was some mistress you kept on the side."

Ethan scoffed casually over the line.

"Are you kidding? How could I have a mistress?"

"The photo is probably photoshopped. You're my only wife, Chloe."

"Wait, that Claire Miller name... I think I saw a girl like that working at an escort club once. She's probably trying to extort us for cash."

"Just throw some money at her and kick her out. I'm almost there. Don't let a nobody ruin our engagement."

"I'll have the driver speed up. Ten or fifteen minutes max."

Chloe giggled, traded a few more sickeningly sweet words with him, and hung up.

She slammed the edge of the phone against my bruised cheek, sneering:

"I knew it! You're just a cheap club whore! No wonder you're so vile!"

"If you had just asked for cash, I might've thrown you a few hundred to get lost."

"But now? Heh. I'm going to show you the price of crossing Chloe Sterling!"

"SLAP!"

She hit me again, full force.

I didn't even flinch. I sat there in a daze, murmuring brokenly, "How is this possible... Ethan is my husband..."

My dazed mumbling made Chloe's eyes flash with murderous fury. She eyed me up and down, then let out a chilling laugh.

"Still daydreaming?"

"Looks like a few slaps aren't enough to teach you a lesson!"

"Strip her! Strip every piece of clothing off her! I want my husband to see what a desperate, naked slut looks like!"