Chapter 2

Thanks to my mom's relentless interference, I became the well-known good girl everyone talked about.

Whenever people heard the name Estrella Anthony, their first impression was always, "She's a good girl and never gives her parents any worry."

But that was never the kind of girl I wanted to be.

I argued fiercely with her about it, saying, "Mom, you can't keep interfering in my life. I'm independent, not your accessory. I deserve to have my own dreams and live my own life."

She just scoffed at me. "Come talk to me about your dreams when you can actually support yourself."

She always thought she was doing what was best for me, bending over backwards to pave every path for me.

I tried to fight back.

That year in college, I tried to cut ties with my family and make it on my own.

I handed over all my bank cards, took on three part-time jobs, and started juggling work and study.

Those days were exhausting, but honestly, they were the most relaxed I'd ever felt in my life.

I thought I could finally be in control of my own destiny.

But life had other ideas.

One day, on my way to a part-time job, it started pouring and I'd forgotten my umbrella. I got drenched, came down with a fever, and before I knew it, the fever got worse and turned into pneumonia.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital.

Barbara was holding me, crying like the world was ending. "Estrella, are you trying to kill me?

"Why are you so stubborn? Everything I do is for you. I'm your mom. It's my job to make sure your life goes smoothly. I just want to use what I've learned to make things easier for you. Why can't you see that?"

She always thought I never really suffered.

I looked at her, her face was covered in tears, like she was about to collapse from crying.

She was my mom. I didn't want her to die.

After a long moment, I finally managed to say, "I'm sorry, Mom. I was wrong."

She patted my head, and through my blurry tears, I could see the victory in Barbara's eyes.

She scored a perfect KO against me this time.

And just like that, my one and only act of rebellion ended in total defeat.

Fresh out of college, I followed my family's plan and married Sebastian.

It was a family-arranged marriage, and he was five years older than me.

Ever since I was a kid, Barbara always told me that love was pointless. It was just a spice for life, not something I actually needed. She said I should be realistic. What I could actually hold in my hands was what mattered most.

So I never dated anyone.

It was like she had a built-in sensor. Whenever a boy tried to get close, she'd swoop in before anything could happen.

She built a fortress around me, blocking out every guy who tried to get close.

Honestly, she wasn't wrong.

Sebastian really was the whole package—handsome, refined, meticulous, always planning ten steps ahead. He never relied on his family's connections.

After graduation, he started his own tech company and became a young tech mogul. In just a few years, his company became an industry giant, and he made it onto the global rich list.

Even without love, living with someone like him, I'd still have a good life.

But that was only if I didn't love him.

He was perfect in every way, except for one thing: he didn't love me at all.

But I loved him.

The first time I formally met him was just a week before our wedding.

Before that, I'd only ever seen him from a distance at a few parties.

No matter the occasion, he was always at the head table, surrounded by the elite.

Meanwhile, I was stuck at the kids' table. Unless I was following Barbara around to toast people, I wasn't even allowed to join in the conversation.

Back then, it never crossed my mind that he'd end up being my husband.

Yet, he chose me.

The day our families met, I finally saw him up close.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, exuding a poised elegance and a luminous presence. In that moment, the idea of an untouchable, perfect beauty became real before my eyes.

If I was born just to serve my family through an arranged marriage, then marrying someone like him was honestly not so bad.

At least he was easy on the eyes.

He smiled at me, the way grown-ups look at kids. "You must be Estrella, right?"

That smile made my heart skip a beat.

It wasn't until after we got married that I realized Sebastian's gentle, refined exterior was just a front. Deep down, he was cold as ice—and not the smooth kind, but the kind with edges sharp enough to cut.