Chapter 6

Rachel Vance's POV

On the phone screen was a social media update posted by Lily West.

[I have let go of the love that was given in vain. I'm just thankful that in my darkest hour, I found my light.]

The comment section had already exploded.

Fans were expressing their heartbreak over Lily being cheated on, vehemently cursing me as the home-wrecker and a mistress who managed to climb her way up.

I stared at those words, and suddenly, all my confusion clicked together.

No wonder Lily had smiled and said to me, "I'm leaving Tristan in your hands from now on," after she visited Tristan that day.

No wonder Tristan had stood on the steps looking so utterly lost after seeing Lily off.

It turned out Lily was in a relationship with someone else.

She didn't want Tristan anymore.

And Tristan, in order to let Lily start her new relationship with a clean slate, hadn't hesitated to take the blame for cheating.

He disregarded the Sterling Group's interests, ignored his own reputation, and married the woman he despised most just to use her as a shield. He had even kissed me and announced our wedding in front of all the media at the press conference.

Everyone would think Tristan was a cheating scumbag who abandoned Lily only to marry me instead.

This way, Lily became the pitiful victim of betrayal.

Her being with her new boyfriend would be seen as finding happiness again after having her heart shattered—completely open, honorable, and beyond reproach.

Meanwhile, I became the absolute home-wrecker, the mistress who took advantage of a vulnerable moment to worm her way in.

I was left to bear all the infamy and condemnation of the world on my own.

I before this, I had secretly wondered if Tristan kissing me and announcing our marriage at the press conference meant he had finally seen my worth.

I had even let a tiny spark of hope ignite in my heart because of that kiss.

How utterly laughable!

He had clearly pushed me into this bottomless abyss just to keep Lily completely blameless.

Only those who are deeply loved dare to be so fearless. Lily knew all too well how much Tristan loved her.

That was why she had never cherished it over the years, stepping all over his feelings without a care.

She even had the audacity to ask Tristan to clean up her mess when she wanted to date someone else.

She from beginning to end, she had Tristan wrapped around her finger, certain that he would sacrifice his own reputation, my reputation, and even the Sterling family's dignity and interests to pave the way for her.

And what about Tristan?

He actually went ahead and did it.

He drank the poison willingly, without a single complaint.

It wasn't that Tristan didn't know I would become a target of public condemnation.

It wasn't that he didn't know the cyberbullying would spread to Nina Vance.

He simply didn't care.

Compared to Lily, Nina and I were nothing but disposable pawns.

When Lily wanted to leave, he helped her make a graceful exit.

When Lily wanted to remain clean, he splashed all the dirty water onto me and himself.

This was Tristan's love. All his tenderness, consideration, sacrifice, and devotion were reserved for Lily alone.

Yet, after loving him for over a decade and staying by his side for four years, I couldn't even get a shred of fair treatment in the end.

My heart felt like it was being pierced by needles, one after another, deep and relentless.

I closed my eyes tightly, forcing back the tears that welled up.

I couldn't cry.

I couldn't break down in front of Nina.

Taking a deep breath, I was about to look down and soothe Nina, but then I saw her body begin to convulse violently.

Her lips turned purple, and her limbs went rigid.

She was having a seizure.

"Doctor! Doctor!"

Scared out of my wits, I rushed to the door and screamed desperately.

"Someone help, quick! Nina is having a seizure!"

Nina was the sole pillar of strength that had kept me going all these years.

She was the only tie my mother had entrusted to me on her deathbed.

If anything happened to Nina because of this farce, it would be my fault.

I would never be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.

I pulled open the ward door, wanting to rush out and find a doctor.

But the reporters outside hadn't dispersed at all. In fact, there were even more of them than before.

Even though Fiona Vance had left, the words she left behind had become a new explosive scoop, drawing in even more media outlets and Lily's fans who rushed over upon hearing the news.

The moment I showed my face, cameras and microphones were shoved directly in front of me, blocking my path entirely.

"Ms. Vance! Ms. Lily West just announced her new relationship. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Rumor has it that you came between Lily West and Tristan Sterling, causing their breakup. How do you respond to that?"

"Did you decide to marry Mr. Sterling because of his family's wealth and status?"

"Your stepmother, Ms. Fiona Vance, just said that you lead a promiscuous private life. Is that true?"

Anxiety consumed me, and my mind was entirely focused on Nina convulsing on the hospital bed. I was in no mood to deal with these people.

I pushed outward frantically, but the reporters refused to budge. Cameras and microphones formed a solid wall right in front of me.

"Get out of the way! My sister is having a medical emergency! She could die! I need to find a doctor!"

No one paid any attention to me.

Microphones kept being thrust toward my mouth, and camera shutters continued to click.

No one cared about the little girl seizing inside the room; they only cared about whether the expression on my face was pathetic enough to drive traffic.

My tears finally broke free, spilling down in large drops.

"Please, let me through! She really might die! I'm begging you!"

Still, no one moved aside.

I looked back into the room. Nina's convulsions were growing more violent, foam was starting to escape the corners of her mouth, and her small body was jerking uncontrollably on the bed.

Was Nina really going to die here today because of this absurd farce?

Just as I was on the verge of a complete breakdown, a powerful hand forced its way through the dense crowd, grabbing my wrist with precision.

A steady yet anxious male voice pierced through the noisy crowd.

"Where is the patient? Take me to her, quick! I've got this!"

It felt like I had grabbed onto my only lifeline.

I gripped that hand, pulling the man through the crowd with all my strength, opened the ward door, and brought him inside.

[Premium Chapter Cut]