Chapter 2

Ryan was carrying Winnie to the car when he caught the last remark and stopped in his tracks.

He gently placed Winnie in the car, then turned to the groomsmen. "What are you all rambling about?"

The groomsmen shut up, looking awkward.

Ryan said, "Yvonne is tough, while Winnie has been spoiled since childhood and can't handle hardship. If I don't look out for Winnie, she'll have a very hard time."

One of Ryan's buddies grinned. "Alright, we get it. Yvonne will always be your wife. This is only for show. We know you and Yvonne are going to register your marriage the day after tomorrow."

He winked. "That's a real promise. Once you get the marriage certificate, there's no way Yvonne will leave you."

Hearing that, Ryan nodded with satisfaction and ducked into the car.

I stood in the shadows, watching him close the car door.

The groomsmen scattered and got into their cars. The convoy started moving, horns honking while confetti was thrown everywhere.

All that was left in my head was the line he said about Winnie not being able to handle hardship.

Yeah, Winnie was raised in the Smith family, always pampered, never having to face any real hardship.

Was I supposed to be the one who had to suffer?

From a young age, my parents grabbed me by the hair and called me a burden. If it weren't for social services stepping in and pushing for it, I wouldn't have had the chance to go to school.

Later, I worked hard and got into the best high school in the city, but they wouldn't give me any money. I often got starved.

Ryan knew every bit of that.

After I got into college out of town, I had no intention of ever returning. I sent some money home every month, but never called or visited.

Those were the most peaceful years of my life. No one hit me, yelled at me, or pushed open my door at midnight, demanding money.

I thought I had finally gotten rid of them until two years ago, when Ryan introduced me to his parents.

Back then, Catherine laid it out straight. "The Smith family has a reputation. We don't do messy families. Everything needs to look clean on the outside."

Ryan held my hand and said, "Yvonne, move back in with your parents for now. We'll get through this. Once my mom agrees, we'll get married."

To make things easier for Ryan, I had no choice but to move back to my parents' home and play the role of a harmonious family.

For the past two years, I avoided conflict at all costs. When my mother asked for money, I gave it. When my father lost money gambling, I covered it.

When the neighbors praised me for being successful, my mom would grin from ear to ear and say, "Of course. Yvonne is marrying into the Smith family."

She forgot all about how she used to call me a burden.

I remembered.

I thought all this drama would finally have an end.

I thought that once I got married, I would build a small home with the person I loved and stay far away from them. If they caused trouble, then they'd have to deal with Ryan and the Smith family.

However, now, everything had changed.

The cars drove off, the firecrackers were done, and I was left behind in this house.

*****

At three in the afternoon, the whole family was getting ready to head to the wedding party.

My younger brother, Joe, was tugging at his bow tie, grinning. "Winnie is so lucky. She grew up with the Smiths, and now she's marrying their heir.

"Man, if only I'd been the one switched at birth, I could have been a rich kid, too."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" My mom shot him a glare. "Put your shoes on."

I sat quietly on the couch, saying nothing.

Years ago, a disturbed nurse swapped all eight babies' wristbands and files during her shift.

Eight families and eight children had their lives quietly switched that day, setting them on entirely different paths.

Winnie was one of them.

However, she wasn't like the others. The other kids were taken by mistake, but she was dumped on purpose.

The day my mom gave birth to Winnie, the moment she heard that Winnie wasn't as healthy as other newborn babies, she dumped her on the bed and snuck out like nothing ever happened.

She never thought that the daughter she tossed aside would, by some crazy twist of life, be raised as the Smith family's heiress all these years.

When Winnie first came back, she cried her eyes out every single day.

When no one else was around, we had a talk, and I said frankly, "You don't owe anything to people who never raised you for a single day. They abandoned you from the very beginning, and a family like that isn't worth holding on to.

"You've had a top-notch education with the Smith family all these years. You're fully capable of supporting yourself."

Her eyes were teary, and I thought she understood.

Then Ryan came to me, looking pissed. "Winnie says you told her to move out and that you think she's a burden and you look down on her.

"Yvonne, I know you've never liked her, but she's your sister. Do you really need to go this far?"

I was stunned.

What he said was totally different from what I meant.

Still, I wasn't surprised. This kind of thing had happened way too many times before.

Back when Winnie was still living with the Smith family, she was always up to her old tricks.

The first time I met her parents, she kept smiling and encouraging me to try every dish. Many of them were things I was allergic to.

I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I choked down a few bites, but in the end, I still left a lot untouched.

Afterward, I quickly explained to her that I was allergic to those ingredients.

She smiled and said she understood, then ran to Ryan and complained that I disrespected her.

When the three of us went out for dinner, Winnie cozied up to Ryan, playing the princess and asking him to cut her steak for her.

When the waiter brought out the food, he smiled and said, "Sir, you're such a sweet couple."

I put down my fork and said, "They're siblings."

The next day, Ryan showed up again, sounding exasperated. "Winnie cried for ages last night. Were you trying so hard to distance me from her because you don't like her?"

Things like this kept happening.

I didn't bother explaining anymore. I only tried to show Ryan through actions that I didn't mean what his sensitive sister thought.

Now, they weren't siblings anymore, but Ryan wouldn't stop accusing me.

I wanted to explain, but the moment I saw the disappointment already written across his face, I suddenly lost the energy to say anything at all.

Did he really not know what kind of people my parents were? Did he not know why I asked Winnie to move out and take care of herself?

He knew. He simply didn't care how I felt.

Over the past two years, I'd seen Winnie curled up next to Ryan in bed, wearing light pajamas, reading together. I'd watched him pull her close and wipe her tears.

Every time, I wanted to blow up.

However, every single time, I told myself to wait a little longer until they each got married, and everything would be fine.

Until the night before the wedding, when he seriously said he wanted to marry her, I realized that even after marriage, nothing would get better.