Chapter 3
Noticing I was quiet, Henry softened his tone.
He said, "Let Claire have the wedding dress. They can adjust the size so it'll fit her.
"When it's our turn to get married, I'll get you an even prettier dress, alright?"
I looked up at Henry's phony face, feeling nothing but disgust.
"Forget it," I sneered. "Why should I hand over my wedding dress to her?
"Besides, we're never getting married."
I turned away from Henry without another word and walked into the shop.
But the next second, I was on the verge of breaking down.
Claire ignored the store clerk trying to hold her back and yanked my wedding dress off the mannequin, tearing at it furiously.
The flawless gown was ripped apart in seconds, split clean down the middle.
My phone buzzed with a transfer notification from Henry.
He said, "Claire didn't mean it, so don't take it to heart.
"Just take the 600 thousand for now. Later, I'll get you an even pricier, prettier wedding dress afterward."
I didn't accept his money. I threw my phone down on the table.
I was so furious that I really wanted to tear Claire apart with my bare hands.
But when I caught sight of her belly, I held myself back.
This time, no matter what, I wasn't going to let anything happen to Claire's baby.
I didn't owe them a thing, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let them hurt me again.
I let out a heavy sigh, grabbed my phone, and blocked Henry on every platform.
At that moment, all I wanted was to draw a permanent line between them and me, to make a clean break that would last forever.
Just my luck. One week later, I bumped into Claire again at the mall.
We brushed past each other in the mall.
I tried to act like I didn't know her, but she tugged at the hem of my dress.
"Lily, I swear I didn't mean to ruin that wedding dress. I just liked it so much that I couldn't help myself," Claire said.
Her eyes were already filling up with tears again.
"Will you forgive me?" she asked.
Seeing how easily she could turn on the waterworks, I was seriously fed up.
"So, do you always have to go after anything that's mine?" I snapped.
That line made Claire stop crying on the spot.
She blinked away her tears, a hint of a smirk playing at her lips.
She said, "Can't I, Lily?
"Why is it that you get the fancy family and the dream fiancé, and I'm stuck with nothing?
"I've got so little. Can't you just let me have a piece of your perfect life?"
I just rolled my eyes at Claire, feeling speechless.
Claire was Henry's first love. He used to chase after her, but she never gave him the time of day. She was always trying to climb higher, aiming for the most famous heir in Riverside City, James Sinclair.
But James never even looked her way. Instead, she got played by a bunch of spoiled heirs from his circle, and in the end, they just tossed her aside like yesterday's trash.
"Henry's yours now, so just stop clinging to me, alright?" I said.
All I wanted was for her to get out of my sight. Just being near her made my skin crawl.
Claire said, "Lily, I'm begging you, just leave Riverside City, okay?
"My baby needs a dad. If you leave, Henry and I can finally stay together forever."
I stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief. What the hell was she talking about?
After all the compromises I'd made, it still wasn't enough for her. Now she wanted me to uproot my entire life and leave everything behind, just so she could get her way.
"No way. If you want to keep Henry after you marry him, that's your problem," I shot back.
I brushed her off and walked away without looking back.
"Ah!" Claire let out a sudden scream. She toppled backward without warning.
In a split second, I rushed behind Claire and caught her by the waist to keep her from falling.
But she kept stumbling backward, her weight pressing heavily into me.
I lost my balance, and in the end, we both crashed to the ground.
Even as we hit the floor, I held onto her waist, making sure she landed safely on top of me.
My back crashed against the floor, pain shooting through my lower back. I couldn't stop a sharp gasp from escaping my lips.
But then, out of nowhere, Claire burst into tears.
She cried, "Lily, I promise, I won't try to steal Henry from you ever again. Please, just don't hurt my baby!
"Henry, help!"
At her words, I snapped my head up, only to meet Henry's piercing stare.
He hurried over, carefully helped Claire up, and wrapped his arm protectively around her.
Claire buried her face in his chest, crying like her world was ending. "Henry, I was wrong. Let's call off the wedding...
"I know Lily's mad at me, but if she wants to blame someone, let it be me. The baby's innocent."
Henry loomed over me, his eyes cold and full of contempt.
He said, "Lily, when did you get so heartless? You've tried to hurt Claire's baby over and over.
"That's a real, living child! Aren't you scared karma's gonna catch up with you?"
Henry's cold, merciless stare instantly dragged me back to my previous life. The moment he learned Claire had lost her baby, he looked at me with that same chilling, unforgiving gaze.