Chapter 4

Kylie demanded, "Adam, why do you have to marry Chloe? You've been chained to that contract for years. Are you really going to throw your whole life away for her?

"You know you love me. When you're with me, you light up. You're radiant! I just can't stand seeing you unhappy. If you really have to marry Chloe, then I'll kill myself right in front of you..."

Adam froze for a moment, completely thrown off.

Seeing Adam still hesitate, Kylie suddenly lost it. She grabbed a knife and went straight for her wrist.

Adam's face drained of color. He rushed over, snatched the knife away, and wrapped her wrist with his shirt to stop the bleeding.

Kylie shoved Adam away, her voice shaking with emotion. "Don't stop me! Just let me die. Then I won't have to watch you suffer every day."

Terrified she'd do something crazy again, Adam nodded hurriedly. Seeing this, Kylie broke down in tears of relief.

Adam tried to take her to the hospital to get her wrist bandaged, but Kylie wouldn't let him.

Kylie took the chance and said, "I want you to declare in front of everyone on the wedding day that I'm your bride, and Chloe is just a crazy fangirl who's obsessed with you. Just let this be a lesson for her."

Seeing the blood pouring from her wrist, Adam nodded frantically, desperate to stop her from doing anything worse.

Seeing all this, I slipped out of the bridal shop in silence. I took the ring off my finger and tossed it into a roadside trash can without a second thought.

Adam had given it to me back when we made our promise to each other.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard the sound of a cooking show coming from the kitchen.

The living room was a disaster zone, with food and ingredients tossed everywhere.

When I saw Adam frantically fumbling around in the kitchen, it hit me. He'd spent the whole night trying to figure out how to make a nourishing soup for Kylie.

Adam's eyes lit up when he saw me. "Hey, you're good at making soup, right? Come help me out. I want to cook something for Kylie. Doesn't have to be fancy, just something to boost her energy and help her heal."

Seeing him so energized, I was caught off guard. I just stood there, stunned.

I'd seen that same look in his eyes before, back when I agreed to give up those 5% shares.

But I never realized it had all been for Kylie.

I glanced at his burned, reddened hand and said flatly, "We have a chef at home who can make soup. There's really no need for you to do it yourself."

Before I could finish, he interrupted me. "You don't understand. When you make it yourself, it really shows you care..."

Hearing that, I looked up at him. His eyes sparkled as he spoke.

I used to pour my heart into making him a soup, just hoping it would help him recover. The staff would gossip that I was more like a maid than the lady of the house, but I never said a word.

But Adam never cared. He'd make fun of me. Once, he even poured scalding soup over my leg, leaving a scar that would never go away.

Instinctively, I took two steps back, and Adam immediately assumed I was just acting aloof, refusing to help him.

His face darkened, and he gave me a cold stare. He said, "Chloe, are you still upset about that time I made you apologize?

"Haven't I already promised you? After the wedding, I'll take you traveling around the world. Besides, our wedding is only three days away. I'll make sure you're the star of the show..."

I gave him the cold shoulder and went straight upstairs without a word.

Fuming, Adam threw the spatula at me in a fit of rage. It smacked me right in the back.

After all that effort in the kitchen, not only did he fail to make the soup, but he also managed to burn himself too.

When I came downstairs, the butler was carefully bandaging his hand.

When he saw me, his face turned stormy, and he snapped, "Chloe, you'll never measure up to Kylie. She would never treat me like this!"

Adam started, "Kylie..."

But I cut him off, my voice icy. "Just call off the wedding. It's obvious I'm not the one you really want to marry."

Adam sprang to his feet, so worked up that his bandage slipped off, revealing his arm covered in angry blisters. His voice trembled with tears as he shouted, "Chloe, I dare you to say that again!"

I was taken aback, never expecting he'd go this far for Kylie. I took a deep breath and said, "We're done. The wedding's off. Or do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Adam shot me a skeptical look, clearly thinking I was just pulling some stunt. He scoffed. "Chloe, you were the one who pushed for this wedding in the first place. Now you're throwing a fit to cancel it? You think saying that will make me care about you more? Impossible."

I didn't want to fight with him anymore. Dragging my suitcase out the door, I booked a flight to leave the country that very night.

Right before I left, I put together a personal video to take the place of the wedding slideshow. I gave it to the butler, thinking of it as my final gift to Adam.

The butler thought it was a surprise for Adam and promised he'd play it during the ceremony.