Chapter 3

Henry rushed in with Sophie, and the moment they walked through the door, they spotted me sitting in the chair.

He walked up to me and said, "Lily, can't you just talk things out? Why do you always have to hit people?

"Fine, you hit me and I can deal with that. But you hit some old lady. What if something happens to her? You gonna take responsibility for that?"

I stared at him coldly, and my gaze dropped to their fingers locked together.

In the end, Henry negotiated a settlement with the woman and got me out of the police station.

A few days later, Sophie asked me to meet her alone.

Once we were alone, she dropped the act completely.

She looked at me and said, "Lily, Henry and I got married. Can you just leave us alone now?"

She pulled out their marriage certificate and a photo of them together. The bright red paper and their smiling faces burned my eyes, and my mind went blank.

My fists clenched, and my jaw tightened until my teeth ground together.

Sophie looked at me smugly and continued, "Lily, I've always loved Henry. Jack loved someone else. I didn't love him either. We were forced to get married.

"He didn't want to marry me and I didn't want to marry him. When he ran away on our wedding day, I bet on Henry helping me, and I was right. He has feelings for me."

Sophie told me everything. Every time she came over for dinner and spent the night, Henry would sneak into her room after I fell asleep.

When the three of us went out shopping or grabbed food, Henry would hold Sophie's hand behind my back.

On my birthday and our anniversary, Henry would spend time with Sophie first before coming to celebrate with me.

Sophie showed me her phone. There were pictures of them kissing and pictures of Henry cooking for her and feeding her.

They had adopted stray cats together and visited kids at the shelter together.

In every photo, Henry looked at Sophie with so much love.

Each image felt like shattered glass stabbing into me, and my chest burned like it was on fire.

I cursed at Sophie. "Bitch!"

The truth of their betrayal crashed over me, and my thoughts turned to chaos. My whole body felt like it had been plunged into ice.

Sophie curled her lip and said, "The one who's unloved is the mistress. Henry and I met each other's parents months ago. You think my parents would've let him play groom at the wedding if they'd never met him?"

She kept going. "We've been hanging out with friends this whole time and everyone says we're perfect together. You're the dirty little secret here, bitch."

Sophie pulled out her phone and shoved photo after photo in my face.

Something inside me snapped, and I ran.

But as I reached the stairs, someone shoved me hard from behind.

I fell forward and tumbled down the long staircase. My body kept rolling, and I heard my bones crack.

My head slammed against the steps, and my vision blurred. My ears rang.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw Sophie standing at the top with a cold expression on her face. Her hand covered her stomach, and her eyes were filled with venom.

I must have blacked out for only a few seconds before I forced my eyes open.

I had rolled into a hidden corner at the bottom of the stairs.

Decorative planters and balloon arrangements surrounded me, blocking my body from view.

No one noticed what had happened, and Sophie didn't call for help. She sat nearby and waited.

Minutes later, I saw a familiar figure approach.

Henry rushed to Sophie's side and placed his hand on her stomach. He asked anxiously, "How's the baby? Does it still hurt?"

Sophie leaned into his chest and said in a trembling voice, "A cat ran out and scared me. My stomach hurt for a minute but now my chest feels tight."

Sophie was pregnant with Henry's child!

A bitter smile pulled at my lips, and I reached out to call for help, but my throat wouldn't make any sound.

My body felt shattered.

I looked at my phone lying a few feet away and managed to open my emergency contacts. I called the only number that mattered.

Henry's phone buzzed in his pocket at that exact moment. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and hung up without a second thought.

He lifted Sophie gently into his arms and carried her away.

Blood trickled down the back of my head, and my body temperature dropped. My fingertips went numb and cold.

I dialed an unknown number, and a pleasant male voice answered. I couldn't make out what he was saying anymore, so I kept whispering the same thing over and over. "Help me."

When I woke up again, the doctor told me I'd lost part of my memory.

But I still remembered my mother was a CEO and I was her daughter, an heiress. I also had a handsome, wealthy fiancé, and I was a confident, radiant woman.

The wedding was scheduled for next month, so Ryan Cooper and I went to choose our wedding outfits.

When I stepped out of the fitting room, I noticed a man and a woman outside the glass wall staring at me in shock.

The man's expression looked particularly awful.

I ignored them and turned around in front of Ryan, who was sitting on the couch. I smiled and asked, "How do I look?"

Ryan looked stunned and nodded repeatedly.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside the door, and someone yanked my wrist hard. I nearly fell over.

An unfamiliar yet somehow familiar male voice demanded angrily, "Where the hell have you been these past few days? You haven't answered your phone or come home."