Chapter 3

In front of the full-length mirror, Melanie was elegantly twirling in a wedding dress.

She looked dissatisfied, pointing at the bust area and telling the stylist:

"Tighten it a bit more here. And the train—I think it would look better if it were three inches longer."

That dress was custom-designed. I had spent six months collaborating with the designer to perfect it.

It was fully hand-embroidered, incredibly expensive, and held all my dreams for my future marriage.

Pure rage surged into my brain.

I took a deep breath, forced down my anger, stepped forward, and said coldly:

"Take it off. That's my wedding dress."

Hearing my voice, Melanie flinched, shrinking back tearfully behind Julian, who was standing right next to her.

"Can you not be so aggressive? You're scaring Melanie."

His tone was accusatory, as if I were some hysterical psycho.

I almost laughed in sheer disbelief. "Julian, that is my custom gown."

"It took six months of hand-stitching to make! What right does she have to wear it?!"

Julian's expression flickered with a hint of guilt.

"Chloe, of course she has the right. She's the bride, so of course she's wearing the dress."

I didn't understand what he was getting at.

"I'll still sign the marriage papers with you. The alliance between the Vance and Sterling families remains valid."

He paused, glancing back at Melanie. His eyes softened.

"But Melanie went through hell to give me a child. I can't let her feel cheapened."

"So, I figured she should be the one to walk down the aisle at the ceremony. It'll give her some status."

"You... what did you just say?!"

I was shaking with anger. If I went along with this, my family and I would become the laughingstock of the high society.

Julian seemed to think his arrangement was completely logical, his tone growing more confident.

"Chloe, I know this isn't entirely fair to you, but Melanie really had a hard time. For the sake of the baby, just..."

"Julian, you absolute bastard. You expect me to play along with this circus of a wedding?"

"I sign the marriage certificate, Melanie gets the wedding night, and then I have to play mother to your bastard child?"

"Do you think I'm some beggar on the street begging for your scraps, Julian?"

My voice grew louder, drawing stares from other customers in the boutique.

Melanie began to sob softly.

"Please don't be mad, Chloe... I know my place. I just wanted to be a bride once. I know I don't deserve it..."

Julian frowned, giving me a warning look.

"Chloe, my mind is made up. You'll agree to this whether you like it or not."

"If it weren't for my father's sake, do you think I'd even marry you?"

I let out a cold laugh. It seemed Charles hadn't told him about the groom swap yet.

"Fine."

I looked him dead in the eye, my voice icy.

We would see. At the wedding, it wouldn't be him swapping brides. It would be me swapping grooms.

Julian's brows knit together. He clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily, and his face filled with suspicion.

Hiding behind him, Melanie's eyes flashed with triumphant glee.

Over the next few days, photos of Julian and Melanie's pre-wedding shoot trended on Instagram for three days straight.

The media still promoted it as the Vance-Sterling wedding, but the bride in the photos was Melanie.

To the public, everyone assumed she was the real heiress of the Vance family.

My close friends called me in a panic, asking what was going on.

The elite circle mocked me, whispering that I was such a desperate simp that I let a mistress steal my entire identity.

But I ignored them all, focusing solely on taking care of my father.

The doctor said his condition was deteriorating rapidly and he needed to be hospitalized. I stayed by his side 24/7.

I carefully filtered out all news about Julian and Melanie, terrified that the drama would stress him out.

Yet, Melanie actually had the audacity to sneak into my dad's hospital room with Julian while I was briefly away.

The moment I walked back in, I saw Melanie holding a fashion magazine, pointing at the wedding photos, and speaking to my father in a sickeningly sweet voice:

"Mr. Vance, look at how beautiful these photos are. Julian and I worked so hard on them."

"But to marry him in this dress, all the hard work was worth it."

"On the wedding day, I'll make sure you get the seat of honor!"

My father's face was pale as ash. His chest heaved violently, his hand clutching the bedsheets, his lips trembling as he tried to speak but couldn't.

The heart monitor next to the bed suddenly began to beep frantically.

"Dad!"

I let out a bloodcurdling scream, rushing forward to slam the emergency call button.

"Chloe, don't get so excited..." Melanie purred, but I shoved her away with all my might.

"Get out! Both of you, get the hell out of here!"

I roared, my eyes instantly filling with tears.

"Quick! The patient is in critical condition! Prep for emergency resuscitation!" the doctor shouted as they rushed in.

The nurses pulled me back. I could only watch in horror as my father was wheeled into the ER.

Julian tried to step forward to comfort me, but I slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me! You monster!"

I pointed right at his face, screaming.

"You knew my dad was sick, yet you came here just to torment him! What is wrong with you?!"

Frightened, Melanie hid behind Julian, peeking out to say innocently:

"Chloe, we just wanted to visit Mr. Vance and invite him to the wedding."

"Bullshit!"

Like a madwoman, I scrambled up from the floor to lunge at Melanie, but Julian grabbed me in a death grip.

"Chloe! Calm down!"

"Calm down?! How can I calm down?! That's my father!"

I thrashed in his arms, my nails scratching deep into his forearms.