Chapter 2

"Why are you acting spoiled again? Elena is just staying temporarily at our home," Dorian said.

Before Dorian could finish, I cut him off. "We don't have a home together."

I'd never snapped at Dorian before, and he looked genuinely shocked, swallowing hard.

He probably would've just stood there, stunned, if Elena's sobs hadn't snapped him out of it.

Elena cried, "If I'd known my eyelid surgery would ruin your engagement party, I never would've gone through with it.

"If you don't want me here, I'll just go find a hotel. Please, don't fight. Marriage shouldn't be used as a weapon against each other.

"Dorian lost his parents when he was little. He only managed to finish university thanks to the Reed family's support. You know just how much having a home means to him."

It sounded like Elena was trying to make peace, but her every word drove a wedge between Dorian and me.

Dorian's face darkened. His jaw clenched as he struggled to hold back his anger.

He said, "Elena was really upset about her dog dying, so I paid for her double eyelid surgery to cheer her up. She just wants to feel better about herself.

"Can't you be a little more understanding? What if she gets an infection staying at a hotel?

"Patricia, stop overreacting. Don't you realize how much a woman's appearance means to her?"

Dorian pointed toward the guest room. "I'll have the cleaning service come up and get the guest room ready. If you don't want to go back to the Reed family home, you can stay here."

I let out a snort.

So, apparently, only Elena's room was worth Dorian personally fussing over.

I knew exactly how much looks mattered. Just last year, when I wanted to get my teeth whitened, Dorian called it a waste of money. But now, suddenly, I was the one who didn't understand Elena.

Neil, still waiting for me downstairs, sent a text to check in. I headed back to my room, face blank, and started packing my stuff.

As I turned, I said, "She can crash in the master or guest room, whatever."

Dorian was comforting Elena, who was still sobbing. He said, "Patricia won't mind you staying here. Just settle in and make yourself comfortable.

"She wouldn't dare make a fuss. What if I just dumped her and called off the wedding?"

Elena deliberately raised her voice, making sure I caught every word. "I thought Patricia would be bothered by the fact that you paid for my eyelid surgery, especially since you spent 30 grand on it."

Dorian said dotingly, "You get what you pay for. Every cent spent on you is money well spent."

Back in my room, my eyes fell on the 30-dollar bottle of skincare product Dorian had given me as a wedding gift.

I always thought he just didn't get it, but it seemed he knew exactly what he was doing.

I looked at the wedding photo on my nightstand. My thoughts drifted as I gazed at Dorian's face.

When I was ten, I went with Dad to volunteer at an orphanage. There was a fire in the office, and a boy about my age rushed in and rescued me while I was barely conscious.

When I woke up, Dad told me they couldn't find the boy. No one knew what happened to him, or whether he made it out or not.

Since that day, his face had haunted my thoughts.

When I was seventeen, I ran into Dorian at school. The moment I saw his face, it instantly reminded me of the boy who'd saved my life all those years ago.

Even though I later found out he wasn't that boy, I still couldn't shake the guilt, so I asked Dad to sponsor Dorian's education.

Because of that guilt, I always indulged his moods and let him have his way.

After five years together, I believed Dorian was my destined soulmate. For him, I turned down every suitor my parents had carefully chosen for me.

But the fact that he missed all three of our engagement parties spoke volumes.

Suddenly, Dorian reached for my hand.

I froze for a moment. Before I could wipe the tears in my eyes, I saw he was already holding my suitcase.

"I packed your things this afternoon. I'm driving you back to your parents' now," he said.

Elena pouted. "But I'm hungry, and it's such a hassle to go out and eat right now," she whined.

Dorian stayed cool and took my hand. "Perfect. Patricia can whip up her pork chops for you," he said.

Right then, I finally saw Dorian's true colors.

I'd been fooling myself about him from the very beginning.

After Dorian said that, Elena hummed to herself and strolled off toward the bathroom. She said, "I'm gonna take a shower. Don't keep me waiting, you two!"

I grabbed my suitcase and started going through my things, checking each item one by one.