Since then, that old house had become a silent, unspoken boundary between Sienna and me.

After she rose to fame, she had the best cleaning crew come every month to maintain it, keeping it spotless.

Every holiday, she would accompany me back, lighting incense for my mother.

She would share a quiet meal with me in that cold, empty house.

She said it was about keeping my mother’s company.

It seemed I would be the only one paying my respects at this mid-autumn festival.

I had not even reached the door when a harsh crash echoed through the air.

My chest tightened. I ran inside and saw several workers swinging sledgehammers at the walls.

“Stop!”

I shouted and stormed in.

The house was a wreck. Furniture was smashed to splinters.

Lance stood amidst the ruins, seizing my mother's ancestral tablet and smashing it to the ground.

Crack! The tablet shattered into pieces.

He was not satisfied. He stomped on my mother’s black-and-white portrait, grinding it into the floor.

“Zach, look, your mother’s face is surprisingly resilient underfoot.”

I felt my blood boil. I tried to rush him, but Sienna’s bodyguards held me back.

I shouted at Sienna, who stood silently to the side.

“Sienna! Are you just going to watch him desecrate my mother?!”

She avoided my gaze. Her voice was soft, almost apologetic,

“Zach, it’s been so many years since your mother passed. A photo can't hurt.”

“Besides, no one could live in this house anymore.”

“After the demolition, I’ll have it restored exactly as it was. Don’t worry.”

Lance smirked and wrapped an arm around Sienna’s waist.

“Sienna, didn’t you promise me three things?”

“The third thing? I want this house to be my doghouse.“

“No!”

“This was the last thing my mother left me! My only connection to her!”

Sienna stayed silent and nodded.

The pent-up rage and despair completely overpowered my reason.

“You’re not human, Sienna! You owe my mother your life!”

“You deserve to die at the hands of those obsessive fans!”

I let loose, every cruel, venomous word I had ever held back, throwing it at her.

“No, I shouldn’t have saved you back then! You deserved to break your legs! You deserved to die!”

Smack!

…

Sienna raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

She lifted her foot and kicked me with all her strength into the rubble at the doorway.

“Zach, my patience has limits!”

“I never begged your mother to save me!”

I hit the ground hard. Pain shot through my chest as metallic taste rose in my throat.

The internal injuries from that car accident years ago had left my body fragile.

I clutched my chest, coughing up blood uncontrollably.

The woman who had once vowed to shield me, to care for me always...

Now wounded me more deeply than anyone ever could.

When I woke up, I was alone in a single hospital room.

Two black-suited bodyguards stood at the door with an expressionless look on their faces.

Sienna sat by the bed, peeling an apple, not even lifting her head as I stirred.

“Zach, once Lance and I complete the wedding and have the child, I’ll be done with him.”

“Stay here and recover for now. Wait for me.”

Every way I could contact the outside world had been taken from me.

She had imprisoned me.

However, she could not stop Lance.

He showed up like clockwork to flaunt his victory everyday.

“Zach, look, this is our wedding photo, isn’t it beautiful? The photographer was the one you carefully picked for her.”

“Oh, and the wedding venue, Sienna said to use yours. She told me that you have good taste. Saves me the trouble.”

He even brought the custom suit I had ordered for myself and gestured with it in front of me.

”You look good in that suit, but not as good as me.”

“Did you know? Sienna had it custom-made to my measurements from the start. She’d been waiting for me to come back and marry her.”

I had spent over half a year meticulously planning this wedding.

The lead role was not mine from the very beginning.

On the wedding day, two bodyguards pinned me in place at the venue.

Sienna appeared in the wedding gown I had chosen for her. It was stunning enough to take my breath away.

She lifted the hem of her dress and gracefully twirled. Happiness was written all over her face.

“Zach, do I look beautiful?”

“I can’t give you a wedding, but the first eyes to see me in this gown are yours.”

She crouched to reach for my hand.

I coldly pulled my hand back.

“The one you’re marrying isn’t me. It’s Lance.”

Lance was jealous. He reached out and pulled Sienna into his arms.

“Why’d you make him do this? Sienna, I won’t be happy if this ceremony isn’t flawless.”

She looked torn, glancing back and forth between us.

Her brow furrowed as though she was truly caught in immense pain.

I thought it was hilarious.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ruin your wedding. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.”

Her face went pale in an instant. She shouted at me, panicked,

“Zach! You can’t say that!”

“I’ve explained everything to you! Why are you so stubborn?”

“Look at yourself. Who else can you depend on but me?”

I stayed cold, refusing to look at her.

Her eyes flashed with anger at my silence. She waved her hand, and the two bodyguards immediately stepped forward.

“Wheel him up to the altar.”

She wanted me to officiate.

She wanted me to conduct the ceremony for her and Lance.

“Zach, you don’t want people gossiping about me, do you?”

“Only you as officiant will minimize the whispers. You…”

“Fine.”

I broke through her fake act and responded with icy calm.

If she wanted to trample my last shred of dignity, she better not regret it.

The wedding hall was swarming with media. Cameras and long lenses were blocking every exit.

This did not look like the simple ceremony she had claimed, supposedly just a promise for Lance.

Those in the industry saw me sitting to one side of the altar, while the groom was replaced by Lance.

Whispers and strange glances spread like wildfire.

Curious, excited, even disdainful eyes bore into me.

The ceremony began. The MC finished the formalities and solemnly handed me the microphone.

Every eye in the hall was on me.

I took the microphone. The cold metal in my hand made me feel sharper than ever.

I looked up at the inseparable couple before me.

I cleared my throat and spoke,

“Congratulations to this treacherous pair. May your union last a hundred years.”

A stunned silence fell, even the music seemed to halt.

I did not wait for their reactions. I pressed on, "I just wonder... what does Sienna, the actress betrayed by her boyfriend of ten years, have to say about marrying the man who nearly killed her and left her crippled?"

The crowd erupted.

Cameras spun and journalists trained their lenses on the three of us.

“What did you just say?!”

Sienna’s face was drained of color. She lunged at me, desperate to snatch the microphone.

“Security! Get him! Take him away!”

The two bodyguards moved forward, reaching for my wheelchair.

“One hand on him, and you’ll regret it!”