Chapter 5

Rachel's POV

Tristan held my hand as we walked out of the press hall.

The moment we passed the last camera and turned into an empty hallway, I immediately flung his hand off.

"What are you doing? What kind of act is this? What wedding? Who said they wanted to marry you?"

Though my tone was fierce, the deepest recesses of my heart were trembling.

How could I have never thought about marrying him?

Over the past dozen or so years, I had dreamed of it countless times.

I had imagined standing by his side in a wedding gown, and him bowing his head to slip a ring onto my finger.

But later, I faced reality. This man did not belong to me, so I didn't dare to dream of it anymore.

Tristan also instantly dropped his mask of gentleness from earlier, pulling his hand back in disgust.

"You don't want to? Rachel, after all your scheming, isn't marrying into the Sterling family exactly what you wanted?"

He sneered, "Do you dare to say you've never thought about it?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

I truly had.

Seeing my silence, Tristan seemed to take it as confirmation, and his face grew even colder.

"You got what you wanted. I will arrange the wedding."

With that, he turned to leave.

I grabbed him.

"Do you have any idea how many more reporters this will draw in? Nina is in no condition to be stressed!"

Tristan paused.

"I'll have a word with the media. They won't disturb her over our affairs."

With that, he pulled his arm away and walked off without looking back.

I was left standing there in a daze.

My reason told me that Tristan didn't love me.

The kiss just now was fake, the affection at the press conference was staged, and his disgust and coldness toward me were his only real feelings.

But my heart refused to listen.

That kiss had felt too real.

If it was only to appease the media, he didn't need to go to such lengths.

I couldn't stop myself from wondering: was there perhaps a one-in-a-million chance?

And he had even said he would speak to the media for Nina's sake.

Now that Lily had rejected him, was he finally willing to turn around and look at the person beside him?

Had he noticed at least a fraction of everything I had done for him all these years?

But was that even possible?

Or was I just daydreaming?

Would a man who had used me as a pawn for four years suddenly realize my worth?

I spent the next few days trapped in this constant cycle of struggle and inner turmoil.

I couldn't bring myself to completely give up, nor could I convince myself to reignite my hope.

This morning, I went to the hospital to visit Nina.

Before I even reached the ward door, I saw that the hallway was packed with people once again.

It wasn't just reporters; Lily's fans were there too.

The crowd stretched all the way from the corridor to the entrance of the ward.

My head buzzed.

The memory of the last time the reporters broke into the ward and triggered Nina's seizure was still fresh in my mind.

The lunchbox in my hands clattered onto the floor.

Tristan had explicitly promised that he would speak to the media and ensure Nina wouldn't be affected!

And he had already broken his word in just a few days?

Rage surged straight to my head, and without another thought, I lunged into the crowd.

Squeezing my way to the very front, I spotted a familiar face.

Fiona Vance, my stepmother, was standing right at the entrance of the ward. Surrounded by reporters, she was clutching her chest, wiping away tears in front of the cameras with a face full of simulated anguish.

"Even when Rachel was living at home, she had a very chaotic private life. Her father simply couldn't control her, which is why he made her move out."

"I only came today because my heart aches for Nina. That poor child has been dragged down like this because of Rachel."

"Rachel used to bully her younger brother, Jack, all the time when she was at home. But at the end of the day, she's my stepdaughter, so it's not my place to say too much."

The blood in my entire body rushed to my head.

I rushed forward and slapped Fiona across the face.

"Fiona Vance! You're twisting the facts! You brought these reporters here! You're trying to kill Nina!"

Fiona clutched her cheek, but instead of backing away, she stepped closer to the cameras, weeping pitifully.

"Please don't blame her, everyone. She was spoiled by her mother, Pearl Sinclair, from a young age, so she's always had this temper. Jack and I are used to it."

I wished I could tear her mouth apart.

But I had no time to deal with Fiona now; Nina was my priority.

I turned and pushed through the crowd blocking the ward entrance, using all my strength to drive the reporters and fans away.

"Get out! All of you, get the hell out of here! If you have a problem, take it out on me—don't bully Nina!"

With a final surge of strength, I shoved everyone out of the room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

When I turned around, I saw Nina curled up on the bed, trembling violently, her face completely drenched in tears.

My heart ached so much I could barely breathe. I quickly went over and pulled her into my arms.

"Nina, it's okay. Don't listen to what they're saying. It's all lies."

Nina buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

After a long while, Nina's trembling hand reached out, handing her phone over to me.

"Sis, they aren't lying, are they?"

I took the phone and glanced at the screen, instantly feeling as though I had been struck by a bolt of lightning.