Chapter 2

My hands clenched tight at my sides.

Lucas really hadn't changed one bit.

He still believed I was making Genevieve marry a disabled man just because I couldn't let go of the past.

I gave him a bitter smile. "Lucas, you're always so damn sure of yourself."

Lucas frowned, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

He looked like he wanted to press further. But I turned and pushed the door open, not giving him a chance to ask anything else.

I wasn't about to tell him I'd taken Genevieve's place in the Foster family deal.

I wanted to let him stew in the hospital bed, restless and anxious, and let his heart hang in suspense, never settling down.

At least until I married into the Foster family, I wanted him to feel every ounce of pain with me.

*****

A week later, I tried on the wedding dress the Foster family had made for me.

Standing in front of the mirror, I couldn't even force a smile.

In my previous life, Genevieve wore this exact dress when she leapt off the eighteenth floor.

She died right in front of Lucas and me.

That was the start of ten years of hell for both of us.

After trying on the wedding dress, I went home and burned everything connected to Lucas from all these years, one by one.

But when I saw that colorful bracelet, my hand stopped mid-motion.

Back when we were kids, playing house, Lucas grabbed that bracelet, got down on one knee like the actors on TV, and said, "This is our special token. When I grow up, I'm going to marry you."

It was such a sweet memory. I couldn't help but smile.

Without even realizing it, I put the bracelet on.

I only came back to my senses when the butler came to get me to the front hall.

Lucas was sitting on the couch in the front hall, the bandage on his forehead still in place.

He sat ramrod straight, all business, like he was here to negotiate.

When my dad saw me come in, his face was mixed as he spoke, "Violet, Lucas has brought the Sterling family's offer of goodwill."

Several documents were spread out on the table. Land deeds, project transfer agreements, and even the Sterling family's key assets in Brisea.

I let out a cold laugh. "So, Mr. Sterling, is this your offer?"

Lucas looked up at me, his voice hoarse. "Whatever the Foster family can give, the Sterling family can match, and then some. Call off Genevieve's engagement, and all this can be yours today."

Lucas was pretty much putting his entire fortune on the table.

He really was willing to bleed himself dry for this.

I bit my tongue hard, forcing all that bitterness welling up inside me back down.

Dad met my gaze, asking for my opinion, "Violet, what do you think?"

I stepped forward and coldly shoved all the documents back across the table. "This engagement was decided long ago. Now that Mr. Foster is in trouble, you want to back out?

"The Reed family can't afford to be known as the ones who break their word."

Lucas shouted, "Violet!" and suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Why do you have to butt in? You know what Matthew's like right now. If you keep pushing, you'll end up driving Genevieve over the edge."

"What?" I shot back, yanking my hand away with a sneer. "She only got the Reed name because her mom slept her way into the family.

"An illegitimate daughter should hide in the shadows, but she has been playing the rich girl for years. Now we're just telling her to go through with the engagement, and suddenly that's driving her over the edge?

"Doesn't matter if Matthew's disabled. Even if he drops dead tomorrow, she'll still have to marry into the Foster family, in mourning clothes."

Before I even finished speaking, I heard someone sobbing behind.

Genevieve, her eyes red with tears, rushed out.

Lucas's face fell, and he gave me a stunned look. "Did you know she was there the whole time?"

I cocked my head. "Obviously. What did you think?"

Every word I said was meant for both Lucas and Genevieve.

I hated her. If she hadn't been so hell-bent on killing herself in my previous life just to rip Lucas and me apart, Lucas and I wouldn't have tormented each other for years.

Lucas clenched his jaw, holding back his anger. "When did you get so cruel?"

He threw those words at me, then turned and hurried after her.

My breath caught in my throat. I tilted my head back, blinking hard, refusing to let myself cry.

I really thought this whole drama was finally over, but out of nowhere, Lucas caught up with me in the back garden.

I had no clue what Genevieve had said to him.

His eyes were blazing with fury. "Violet, sure, she's your stepsister, but she genuinely treats you like her own sister.

"What happened to your mom wasn't her fault. She was just a kid at the time. She's felt guilty about it ever since.

"I honestly can't figure it out. How could someone as kind as Grace raise a daughter as cruel and selfish as you?"

I slapped him right across the face, my hand trembling with anger. "Lucas, you have no right to mention my mom."

Before my mom died, she asked him to take care of me. But in the end, all his sympathy went to Genevieve.

"I'm not budging an inch. If she dies, it'll be at her wedding to the Foster family," I snapped.

Those words were like gasoline on a fire. Lucas roared, "Enough."

His eyes burned with rage as he glared at me, but I didn't back down for a second.

Just like in our previous life, we were at each other's throats. Neither of us was willing to give an inch.

Right then, his expression changed, and his eyes locked onto the colorful bracelet on my wrist. He murmured, "You still have it."

My heart lurched, and I let down all my walls.

Yeah, in this life, I was not making the same mistakes with him.

I let out a sigh. "Lucas, I've actually decided to..."

Before I could even react, Lucas suddenly reached out and tore the bracelet right off my wrist.

The colorful crystal beads hit the ground with a sharp clatter.

"Don't hold the past over me. I won't let you hurt Genevieve," he shouted. "Violet, you'll regret this. Just watch."

I stood frozen, silent for what felt like forever.

Finally, I knelt and started picking up the scattered beads one by one.

Before I even realized it, my tears were already hitting the ground.

I kept telling myself I'd be fine.

Maybe it's better this way. There shouldn't be anything left tying me to him anyway.