Chapter 3

Seeing me, her brow furrowed in instant annoyance.

I forced a smile and handed her the fruit plate.

"I brought you some fresh fruit."

My voice was quiet, completely void of emotion.

Lily’s eyes darted instantly to the phone on her desk.

Seeing that the screen was back on the lock interface, she visibly relaxed.

Once she felt safe, she immediately put on her usual arrogant, spoiled-teenager attitude.

"Knock before you come into my room next time," she ordered.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, she added, "Actually, don't come in at all without my permission."

I looked at her, suddenly wanting to laugh.

She seemed to have forgotten that this house was my pre-marital property.

To make her feel welcome back then, I had hired the best interior designer to turn this sun-drenched bedroom into her dream princess suite.

The ceiling featured a hand-painted starry sky by a renowned art professor, costing six figures.

The bed was fitted with imported Italian silk velvet sheets that had to be sent to a specialty dry cleaner.

The Swarovski crystal music box on her vanity was a rare collectible I had someone import directly from Austria.

Even that limited-edition designer Barbie was something I had fought for at a private auction.

Every single item in this room was bought with my hard-earned money and care.

And now, the "princess" of this house was banning me from entering.

I said nothing.

My mind was screaming, but my face was a mask of dead silence.

I turned around and quietly closed the door behind me.

I walked back to my master bedroom, locked the door, buried my face in the pillows, and finally let the tears sob out.

Lily’s cruelty broke me.

But... she was only sixteen.

Marcus and I were high school sweethearts, each other's first loves.

If not for a misunderstanding back then, we wouldn't have wasted ten years apart.

After his first wife died in a car accident, we crossed paths again. We cleared up the past and got back together.

I cherished this second chance at love. I loved Marcus, so I loved Lily by extension, treating her like my own flesh and blood.

I really believed that if I gave them my heart, they would eventually return the warmth.

I was dead wrong.

Crying solved nothing. I wiped my tears and stood up.

In the mirror, my face was pale, my eyes swollen.

I couldn't live like this anymore.

I needed to make a choice. But first, I had to see where Marcus stood.

Taking a deep breath, I called him.