Chapter 1
While straightening Edward Sterling's jacket one evening, my fingers brushed against something crisp tucked inside the inner pocket. I slipped two tickets out, each printed with a destination to Malidaver Island.
The honeymoon he had promised me. But beneath the flight details, the passenger name read Sunny Fox, his foster sister.
Edward followed my gaze and gave a casual shrug. "Just getting Sunny to a better climate for her treatment. I'll drop her off on the way."
I smoothed his collar with calm hands and offered a gentle smile. "Of course. Her health comes first. No explanation needed."
Sunny was the kind of woman who'd call Edward over a mosquito bite, just to hear him comfort her.
In my previous life, I made a scene at the airport over those tickets, and he slapped me in front of everyone. In the end, I died from depression.
Edward's expression shifted. My calm seemed to unsettle him.
He gripped my chin, forcing my eyes up to his. "Vivian, since when did you become so understanding? I thought you hated her."
Back then, I wanted her gone so badly, but all it brought me was my family shattered and everything lost.
Now, with this second chance, I only wanted to protect what was left. My family. My peace. A quiet escape, far from this glittering, gilded cage.
*****
A sharp pain bloomed where Edward's fingers bit into my chin.
Tears welled in my eyes, an instinctual response triggered by memories my body refused to forget—the phantom grip on my throat from a life now gone.
My fingers trembled faintly, beyond control.
In that other life, I would have been teary-eyed and screaming by now, hurling accusations at him.
I would have demanded to know why our honeymoon time was being sacrificed for Sunny's convalescence.
I would have fought, clawed at her delicate, pitiful face like a harpy.
The reward would have been a look of pure disgust from Edward and the stinging impact of his palm.
"Vivian, you're insane. You're utterly unfit to be Mrs. Sterling."
Those words had haunted every night of that past existence.
My jealousy, my campaigns against Sunny—Edward had crushed my family's business to avenge her.
My father suffered a stroke and was left paralyzed. My mother sold her jewelry under humiliating circumstances to raise funds.
And I was locked away in that mansion, forced to watch their blissful life unfold online, until the night I swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.
A wave of nausea twisted my gut. Digging my nails deep into my palm, I used the fresh pain to anchor myself in the present, to smother the rising sickness.
Swallowing hard, I reached up and patted the back of his hand gently.
"You said it yourself. She's your sister, and she's ill. How could I possibly hold that against her?" I managed, my voice steady.
His brow furrowed. A flicker of surprise and scrutiny passed through his eyes.
This calm version of me was clearly unfamiliar.
After all, the entire city knew my love for Edward bordered on madness.
"It's good that you see it that way," he said, releasing my chin.
His tone carried a hint of condescending grace. "This trip to Malidaver Island will take about two weeks. We can discuss rescheduling the wedding once you've... settled down a bit more."
In my previous life, I had planned it for a full year, only to be told it was postponed on the eve of the ceremony.
Sunny had fainted at the venue, declaring she couldn't bear to see Edward marry anyone else. Not this time.
Not this time.
"Alright. Whatever you think is best." I turned and began packing his suitcase, my movements practiced and efficient.
Edward settled on the edge of the bed, lighting a cigarette.
His gaze remained fixed on me. "Vivian, are you still upset? Sunny isn't well. The doctor mentioned mild depression—she can't handle any stress.
"When I get back, I'll get you a bigger diamond. A much bigger one."
"That won't be necessary." I folded one of his dress shirts without looking up. "The one I have is already quite large. Any bigger would just look tacky."
"Yeah, right." A short, derisive laugh escaped him. "Since when did you develop taste? You used to love such gaudy things, wanted to plaster every expensive trinket on yourself like a billboard."
I offered no reply.
At that moment, his phone rang—the distinctive tone reserved for Sunny.
He answered instantly, his voice melting into a honeyed warmth. "Sunny? What's wrong? Afraid of the dark? Okay, I'm on my way."
Hanging up, he looked at me, his expectation plain. "Sunny had a nightmare. I need to stay with her tonight. I won't be back."
Despite all my preparation, a sharp pang lanced through my heart.
The old me would have clutched at his sleeve, weeping and begging him to stay, or shrieked insults about Sunny.
Now, I merely walked him to the door, offering his car keys with a serene smile. "Drive safely. Don't keep Sunny waiting."
He paused on the threshold, studying my face intently, searching for any crack in the façade. He found none.
"Vivian, if you had always been this reasonable, we could have avoided so much drama," he said finally, then turned and strode away without a backward glance.
The moment the door clicked shut, the smile vanished from my lips.
Crossing to the window, I watched the taillights of his Maybach dissolve into the night.
Pulling out my phone, I stared at the countdown on the screen, then dialed my father.
"Dad, I've made my decision. We're pulling out of the joint venture with the Sterling family."
I took a steadying breath. "Also, please start looking into overseas universities for me. I want to study abroad."
A long silence followed on the other end before my father responded, his voice aged but filled with profound relief.
"Vivian, I'm just glad you've finally figured things out.
"I'll handle everything. Money's never been a problem for us—and as for that guy, we can do just fine without him," he said.
After hanging up, I stared at the engagement ring on my finger—the thing that kept me tied down.
Slowly, I twisted it off my finger and let it drop into the wastebasket in the corner.
"Edward, this time, I'm done playing your game," I murmured.