Chapter 2

The comments section was flooded with praise for Willow. [What a kind and generous young lady. She's so much better than those spoiled daughters raised by some rich deadbeat. She's got real class! Not only is she gorgeous, but she's got a heart of gold too.]

Willow glanced back at Darren and gave him a gentle, knowing smile.

"Darren, it's time to go on stage," she said.

Darren gave a resigned nod and reached for her hand.

But right then, pain flashed across Willow's face. She grabbed her head and slumped straight into Darren's arms.

"Willow!" Darren cried out.

Darren quickly yelled at his assistant, "Get her medicine, hurry!"

Willow clung tightly to his collar, her eyes wild with confusion and fear as she pleaded, "Darren, please, don't leave me. Don't ignore me. Darren... it hurts so much..."

The sudden turn of events left the livestream viewers stunned.

[What's going on?]

[You must be new here. I've been following this drama forever. Willow's probably having an episode. After Eliana shoved her down the stairs, she suffered a brain injury.]

[If she gets triggered, she gets splitting headaches, memory loss, and sometimes she acts all childish and confused. She'll need meds for the rest of her life just to keep it under control.]

[Damn! Eliana looks all sweet and innocent, but she's actually a total snake!]

[No wonder Mr. Huber divorced her right after Willow was rescued. Mr. Huber only kept her out of jail because he still remembered their past.]

[And that's not even the whole story. The marriage between the Norrel and Huber families, which occurred before the Norrel family went bankrupt, was a scheme by Eliana's father. Guess they had it coming.]

I thought I was dead inside, that nothing could get to me anymore. But every time I remembered my dad, my heart still ached.

Back when the Norrel and Huber families arranged their marriage alliance, Darren's father, Robert Huber, had just forced Willow to go abroad.

He quickly picked up on the fact that the orphan girl he'd adopted from his old friend was starting to fall for his own son in a way she shouldn't.

Even though they weren't blood siblings, the Huber family still wouldn't tolerate a scandal like that.

After that, Robert rushed to set up a marriage for Darren.

Maybe just to get back at his dad, Darren chose me, the most ordinary girl in the crowd, out of all the glamorous socialites.

At the time, my family only ran a tiny business, so when my dad suddenly got a marriage proposal from the Huber family, he was overwhelmed and anxious.

He only had me, his one and only daughter, and my mom had passed away years ago. His greatest wish was for me to find a good home. I honestly couldn't think of a single reason to refuse Darren.

So, with both families making all the arrangements, I ended up marrying into the Huber family in a hurry.

On our wedding night, Darren and I had only met three times.

That night, in my wedding dress, I watched Darren sit wearily on the edge of a bed strewn with rose petals.

All the gossip I'd heard from the Huber family's servants was echoing in my mind, so I asked him carefully, "Why did you pick me? Is it because I'm kind of like Willow?"

He turned to me, his handsome face cold and distant. His eyes were like a deep, endless abyss, and my heart was racing.

I stammered, "If you don't like me, you don't have to force yourself... When the time is right, we can just call it quits..."

But he suddenly closed the distance, pressing me back against the headboard.

Looming above me, he said, "Stop listening to all that gossip."

His fingers made quick work of the ribbon on my wedding dress.

That night, with a secret thrill, I became his wife in every way.

After we got married, we actually spent some time living like polite strangers. We were always respectful, never crossing any lines.

Darren wasn't much for words or smiles, but he'd come home on time every night. Whenever a holiday rolled around, he'd ditch work just to be with me, pick out the sweetest gifts, and set up candlelit dinners for the two of us.

He always seemed so uptight and proper, but in bed, he had a side I never saw coming.

We fit together so perfectly that I started to think maybe, just maybe, he was really falling for me.

Everything shifted a little over six months ago, when Willow returned home after finishing her studies abroad.

She greeted me sweetly and politely, but then immediately turned and nestled into Darren's arms, gazing up at him expectantly. "Darren, did you miss me?"

She acted affectionately with Darren, but did it so naturally and openly, as if she really was just his little sister.

That moment felt like a stab to my heart. I quietly slipped back to my room, leaving the whole family downstairs, laughing and showering Willow with a warm welcome.

That night, I caught the scent of orange blossom cologne on Darren and asked softly, "Can we move out?"

He looked puzzled for a moment, then realization dawned on him.

He asked, "Did someone say something to you again? Eliana, I chose you. It's got nothing to do with anyone else. Don't let those rumors get to you.

"To me, Willow is just my sister. If we move out right after she comes back, how is she supposed to settle in here?"

I felt embarrassed by his question. "Sorry, I was just overthinking things," I mumbled.