Chapter 2

I had no idea Charlotte was allergic to almonds. I admit I didn't pay enough attention, and that's what caused her allergic reaction and landed her in the hospital.

But when Charlotte flat-out accused me of doing it on purpose, I was completely stunned.

I honestly have no idea how she came to the conclusion that I hated her.

I felt so misunderstood.

Lucas really tore into me about it and forced me to apologize to Charlotte.

Yeah, I messed up, and I loved Lucas, so I had to swallow my pride and apologize to Charlotte even though it felt humiliating. I wanted to get it over with.

After that, I kept my distance from Charlotte.

But even though I tried to stay away from her, Charlotte kept seeking me out.

At a party, Charlotte White deliberately bumped into me while holding a glass of red wine, ended up drenched in it, and then ran to Lucas Bennett, crying that I'd splashed her on purpose.

On the stairs, she grabbed me and pulled us both down, then accused me of pushing her.

Lucas was always on Charlotte's side, never doubting her for a second.

When I tried to tell him the truth, he accused me of lying and insisted Charlotte would never do something like that.

Lucas kept saying Charlotte was so kind, that she'd done so much for the Bennett Family, and that she'd even taken a knife for him and nearly died.

Lucas believed Charlotte no matter what, and thought I was being dramatic.

He even yelled at me for Charlotte's sake, right after Charlotte dragged me down the stairs with her, leaving me with blood streaming from my head.

His first instinct was to pick Charlotte up in his arms and rush her to the hospital.

I watched Lucas carry Charlotte away, as tears poured down my face.

I even thought about ending things with Lucas for good.

But a week later, Lucas came to me. He said, "Sophie, I can't live without you. I really love you. That day, I didn't help you because you had plenty of people who could look after you, but Charlotte only had me.

"After my brother died, Charlotte married into the Bennett Family without hesitation, to take care of my parents. She even risked her life for me. She almost died because of it. I owe her so much, I'll never be able to pay her back.

"For me, protecting Charlotte is a way to repay her. It's only because I owe her too much. You're the one I love, so you're the one I have to ask to put up with this."

Lucas's words made all my anger fade away, and before I knew it, I found myself forgiving him.

I thought if I kept swallowing my pride and backing down, everything would finally go smoothly. But instead, Lucas took it to a whole new level,he ignored me even more and stood me up like I didn't matter at all.

On my birthday, Lucas bailed on me because Charlotte had a stomachache. He didn't even bother to get me a gift.

On Valentine's Day, I booked a table for us, but Lucas still didn't show up.

What really stung was seeing Lucas on Charlotte's feed. He couldn't spare a minute for dinner with me, but he was out watching fireworks with her.

Lucas kept turning a blind eye to me for Charlotte, always picking her over me, again and again.

I kept putting up with it for Lucas because I loved him, but Charlotte never held back. Each time, she went even further.

She deliberately sabotaged every single date Lucas and I tried to have. After we decided to get married, she ruined our moment trying on wedding dresses, and even messed up our time picking out wedding rings.

Finally, after Lucas and I set a date for our wedding, Charlotte kept stirring up trouble. When we were about to get married, she swaggered up to me, looking smug and totally sure of herself.

"Your wedding? It's not gonna happen on time. watch, " she sneered.

So on the day of my wedding to Lucas, Charlotte pulled her usual stunt,she pretended to cough up blood and faint, making Lucas rush off to her side.

Lucas kept explaining to me that his special treatment toward Charlotte had nothing to do with romantic feelings,he felt like the Bennett Family owed her, so he had no choice but to take care of her.

He always claimed I was the one he loved, but I never saw him show me even the slightest bit of favoritism.

Not even once.

Lucas's debt to Charlotte was his own problem, so why did he have to drag me into it?

I didn't owe Charlotte a thing.

I didn't want Charlotte popping up in my life anymore, and I couldn't take Lucas ditching me for her again and again.

So I made up my mind. I wasn't going to marry Lucas. I looked at my parents and said, "I'm not marrying Lucas."

My parents froze, then broke into delighted smiles. "Really?" they asked.

I nodded, but they still couldn't believe it. My parents asked, "Sophie, are you sure about this?"

My parents saw all the pain I went through,they never wanted me to marry Lucas. But I kept letting them down, never had the guts to walk away.

Now that I finally said something tough, they thought I was throwing a tantrum.

After all, every time I talked tough, nothing ever came of it. My mom sighed. "We'll go talk to the guests. You stay here."

I called out to my mom. "No need to explain. We're still getting married."

The Hart Family is one of the most respected families in Riverdale. Back when Lucas humiliated me for Charlotte, only a handful of people ever found out.

But this time, he abandoned me on our wedding day, right in front of everyone's eyes.

There's no way I'm letting my parents be disgraced,and I'm definitely not letting myself be humiliated.

So this wedding is going to happen, no matter what it takes.

I grabbed my phone and shot off a message: [So, I'm about to get married, but my groom bailed. How about stepping in as my groom?]

Almost before I could blink, James replied: [Hang tight! I'm coming right now!]