Chapter 4

This was the sister I thought loved me most, and the man I thought was my soulmate.

Blood ties, sacred vows—all of it was a joke.

And I was the biggest joke of all.

I closed my eyes and let the nurses wheel me into the operating room.

Three days later, on the morning of the wedding.

I sat in front of the vanity mirror, watching my mom gently style my hair.

Her expression was warm and loving, showing no sign of guilt whatsoever.

Suddenly, I spoke up. "Mom, do you think I'll be happy?"

My mom’s hand paused. She looked up to meet my eyes in the mirror, her gaze a mix of irritation and helplessness.

"Chloe, you're marrying the man you love most. How could you not be happy?"

"Think about Sienna..."

She stopped herself, unable to finish the sentence.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

If I didn't know the truth, I would have assumed she was referring to Sienna's failed past marriage.

But now, I knew all too well what she meant. She meant that I had stolen Sienna's happiness. I had taken her lover.

My parents had always favored Sienna. I knew that.

They always said having an elder daughter and a younger son was the perfect family structure, but since I was a second daughter, I was just an extra.

But I never imagined their favoritism could go this far.

To help their eldest daughter cheat with their younger daughter's fiancé.

Without a shred of remorse, they even blamed me for stealing their eldest daughter's happiness.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm marrying the man I love most."

"But does he love me the same way?"

"Mom," I tilted my head to look at her. "Do you love me as much as I love you?"

My mom froze. For a split second, I clearly saw a flash of panic in her eyes.

But she quickly recovered her composure.

"Of course," she smiled warmly, her mask flawless. "A mother always loves her children more than anything."

"It's just that Sienna wasn't as lucky as you, so I can't help but look out for her a bit more."

My heart turned to stone.

Watching me marry a treacherous man, conspiring with everyone to deceive me, and yet she called me "lucky."

Meanwhile, Sienna, who had secretly signed the marriage license with Ethan and was legally his wife, had to hide her relationship to avoid public scandal. And that was called "unlucky."

How could a parent's heart be so twisted?

"Chloe," she said with a loaded tone, "I want to remind you that nothing in this world is perfect, and no marriage is flawless."

"Sometimes, being content with what you have and not being too greedy is the key to a peaceful life, okay?"

I curled my lip in mockery.

Was this a mother's blessing?

Or was it a pre-emptive warning?

She was telling me that even if I discovered something in the future, I shouldn't make a scene. I should just shut up and live with it.

I lowered my gaze, hiding the coldness in my eyes.

"I understand."

Satisfied, my mom smiled and went downstairs to greet the guests.

I slowly opened the drawer and gripped the USB drive in my palm.

Outside, the wedding party had arrived, and the car horns were blaring.

The bridesmaids laughed and swarmed toward the door of the bridal suite to playfully block the groom.

Only Sienna remained still, standing quietly by my side.

I looked at her eyes. Her makeup was slightly smudged; she had been crying.

She was wearing a long, white lace dress. Unlike the other bridesmaids, she looked more like a bride.

Outside, the groomsmen laughed and shoved, finally pushing the door open.

Ethan walked in, looking triumphant. He took large strides forward.

And then, bypassing me entirely, he scooped Sienna up in his arms.

The bridesmaids gasped.

The groomsmen, completely oblivious, burst into laughter and patted his shoulder.

"Wrong bride, Ethan! Wrong bride! Your bride is sitting on the bed!"

"We know Sienna looks like Chloe, but you can't just carry her away!"

Everyone laughed off the awkward moment.

Ethan slowly let Sienna down, looking at her with lingering affection.

"Ah, my mistake."

He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowing with a subtle threat.

"Chloe, you don't mind, right?"