"Let go of me!" I shouted.

They didn't release me; instead, they struck my back a few more times.

Pain flared and I bared my teeth, furious.

"Are you insane? I'm the bride. This is my wedding church, and you're beating me up? You'll pay for this!" I warned.

The bodyguards ignored me; they were Nina's people. The crew nearby began whispering among themselves.

"That bride has no sense. Nina is Yves's best friend. She's decorating the church with his approval. Why not just go along and stop making a fuss?"

"Exactly. This must be with Yves's consent. What's the big deal? Just put up with it."

"She probably thinks marrying Yves gives her the right to call the shots. But Yves dotes on Nina. Everyone knows that."

Their murmurs grated on my nerves. I cursed myself for not investigating Yves's past before agreeing to marry him; if I'd known his social circle was so twisted, I would have chosen differently.

Nina's lips curled in scorn. "Hear that? I'm the person who matters most to Yves. If you kneel and beg me for forgiveness right now, I'll go easy on you."

I frowned. Her arrogance was ridiculous. "You bully me and attack me, and then you want me to kneel? That's absurd."

Her eyes flashed with violence. She raised her hand to strike, and I couldn't let her hit me. I struggled free, dodging her blow.

Every instinct screamed to fight back, but my superiors' warnings—stay calm, don't start a scene—kept replaying in my head.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself to breathe. Better to endure this than cause a scandal that would spiral out of control.

Nina, undeterred, lunged again.

I coldly lifted my foot, prepared to trip her.

A voice shouted from behind, urgent and worried. "Careful!"

Someone shoved me hard; I crashed into the nearby table and chairs and tumbled to the floor with them, my limbs trembling from the impact. Anger cut through the haze as a fierce voice roared, "How dare you bully Nina!"

My mind went blank. I looked up. Yves, my fiancé, had shoved past and pushed me. He moved toward Nina, concern and protectiveness radiating from him. "Are you all right? Did you get hurt?"

Nina, feigning distress, suddenly puckered her face and looked at me as though wronged. "She's taken advantage of being your fiancée and attacked me," she told him.

Yves turned on me with cold fury. "You've gone overboard, Lucy. Nina's my friend. You will respect her as you respect me."

I laughed bitterly. What a joke. The man I'd chosen for his steady, patient nature couldn't even tell right from wrong.

I forced myself to speak calmly. "Yves, she started this. She's the one who—"

He didn't listen. He turned away and soothed Nina instead. "Don't take it to heart. Ignore Lucy."

My words died in my throat; they felt useless, like throwing punches into cotton.

Nina, playing the contrite angel, murmured, "I'm fine. Sorry to disturb your work."

My face hardened. The truth snapped into place: they were protecting each other. I had been foolish to expect a man I'd known so briefly to stand with me.

I pushed myself up from the floor and smoothed my clothes with a cold, defiant expression.

Yves stepped toward me, his gaze sharp and commanding.

"Lucy, I want you to kneel and apologize to Nina for bullying her."

I stared at him, stunned, fury straining at the edge of my composure. Of course—they were such good friends. Always demanding that others kneel. Did they really think they were gods?

My lips curled in a mocking smile.

"Yves, I am your fiancée. You want me to kneel before your friend? Don't you care about your own dignity? We may not have much affection between us, and you clearly side with Nina, but I am not someone you can order around like a servant. And besides, I'm not the one at fault. Why should I apologize?"

At that, Yves's anger doubled. The air thickened under the weight of his presence.

"Even if you're not at fault, you'll still apologize. This marriage exists only because your parents begged for it."

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

He gave a cold, gritted laugh. "Stop pretending, Lucy. Everyone knows you're desperate for me—so desperate you'd die to marry me. But I can't even look at you without disgust."

I clenched my fists and drew a sharp breath, denying him flatly. "That's impossible. We met through a blind date. I'm not so desperate that I must marry you."

His voice dropped, heavy with weary finality. "Don't lie. If becoming heir to the family didn't require me to marry you, I'd never give up the woman I truly love."

As he said it, his apologetic gaze shifted toward Nina.

At last, I understood. They were in love… and I was the interloper.

What a ridiculous farce. Had I known he already had someone he loved, I wouldn't have wasted a single glance on him.

"If you don't like me, then don't marry me," I said.

The staff nearby chimed in at once.

"You should be grateful you can marry Yves. Don't be ungrateful."

"Just yield and apologize, then this ends."

"If the wedding falls apart, you'll regret it forever."

I rubbed my temples, exasperated by their hypocrisy.

After a pause, I spoke the truth, so no one could accuse me of shamelessness again.

"Yves, I chose to marry you because you seemed decent. But clearly, I was wrong. I don't have to marry you, and this engagement doesn't need to continue."

The onlookers gasped.

"What? She really doesn't want to marry him?"

"She's pretending, right?"

"Impossible! Yves is perfect. Which woman wouldn't want him?"

"With the Laurent family's wealth and power, she'd never want for anything. She must be a fool."

"Young lady, why not endure this and apologize first? Get the marriage secured, then worry later. A woman without a man can't have much of a future."

Their words left me speechless. What twisted values.

So what if Yves was exceptional? To me, he wasn't. I had simply been blind. And I had never relied on any man for survival.

I had only agreed to this marriage to put my parents at ease. Now that I saw the truth, it seemed wiser to cut my losses.

Yves sneered, unconvinced.

"Lucy, kneel and apologize to Nina, or the wedding is off."

I met his eyes. "Then call it off."

Shock flickered across his face, his expression turning dark. When he realized my determination wasn't a bluff, a trace of helplessness clouded his eyes.

Nina, however, was radiant with joy. Clutching his arm tightly, her voice brimmed with expectation.

"Yves, she doesn't want to marry you. You don't have to marry her anymore."

Yves hesitated. The conflict in his eyes betrayed the calculations running through his mind.

Nina pressed anxiously, "Don't worry, it's not that you refused to marry, it's that she didn't want you. Your parents won't blame you. And besides, you're the only heir. You're clever; you'll inherit the family business no matter what."

Her words swayed him. His gaze cleared with sudden realization. "You're right. I can marry you, Nina."

Then he turned to me, his look filled with disdain.

"A woman like you—pretty on the outside but shallow within—is nothing more than decoration in a household. You'll just be an embarrassment in public."

I forced down the storm rising inside me, turned without expression, and walked away.

I wouldn't marry him. Let him marry whomever he wished—it had nothing to do with me.

Thankfully, I didn't love this man. If I had, my heart would have shattered.

The truth was, it had been my father who first proposed the match, though Yves initially refused. Later, his father learned of my secret work in a classified department, with influence and authority that could benefit the Laurent family's business. Coupled with the existing ties between our families, my father's involvement promised further profit.

Thus, after negotiations, the marriage was settled. The blind date had been for appearances, and I hadn't thought much before agreeing.

Now that the wedding was off, so too was the cooperation between our families. Had I married Yves, my superiors would certainly have bestowed a lavish gift—immense manpower and resources that would have brought his family unprecedented advantage. Losing me meant losing all of that.

Back home, I had just finished bandaging the wound on my arm when a knock came at the door.

Opening it, I found Yves and Nina standing outside with a group of bodyguards and construction workers, their presence oppressive and hostile.

Confused, I frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Yves shot me a sidelong glance, his voice cold.

"My father gave you this villa as a wedding house. Since the marriage is off, get out."

I froze, incredulous. "You're mistaken. This house was bought by my parents, not given by your father."

Nina suddenly burst out laughing, the malice in her eyes plain.

"Lucy, don't cling to what isn't yours. If you get too greedy, you'll choke on it."

My irritation flared; I snapped back, "Then you'll be the first to choke."

Her eyes reddened instantly. She leaned toward Yves, pitiful and accusing.

"Darling, did you hear? She cursed me."

Yves's face hardened, his tone sharp and severe. "Lucy, apologize to Nina at once, or I'll make sure you regret it."

I looked at him coolly, impatience in my gaze. "This is a society ruled by law. What exactly do you think you'll do to me?"

He fell silent, his brow lowered, lost in thought—as though weighing how best to deal with me.

Then Nina's lips trembled, and she began to cry, fragile and pitiful.

"Lucy, we're getting married. This is our home. Please, give it back to us."

Yves, distressed, hurried to wipe her tears. "Don't cry. I'll get the house back for you."