"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I've known Renee for sixteen years and seven months—she's never lied to anyone."

Joel paused, frowning hard as if deciding to end the matter.

"You made Renee cry. Fix it."

Right then, Renee—still fake sobbing—chucked the ring into the pool, gasping dramatically.

"Joel! The ring you gave me... it accidentally fell into the pool!"

She shot Lyra a smug little smile.

"Fine—no apology needed. Just fish it out, and I'll forgive you for everything."

The pool water was freezing—it was early winter, and Lyra's head was still messed up. She glanced at Joel. He just sat there, tapping his fingers, not even looking her way.

It felt like something sharp stabbed right through her heart, splintering into a million tiny aches.

She remembered that night—six months after Joel was diagnosed. Dominic showed up at the hospital, heard Joel might never recover, and started eyeing other successors.

That night, Joel vanished. Lyra found him wheeling himself toward the raging sea, icy water climbing up his chest.

Panicked, she ran to stop him, but he shoved her back.

"Quit acting like you care. You're just my girlfriend, not my wife. If you're so set on controlling my life, the waves are rough tonight—swim a lap around the bay, and I'll listen to you from now on."

Lyra froze, stunned. She wanted to scream that she wasn't pretending—that she wanted to be his wife. So, without thinking, she hurled herself into the sea, even though she couldn't swim.

The waves hit hard, yanking her under. Everything went black.

When she woke up, Joel was right there—face pale, jaw clenched, eyes locked on hers.

"Why didn't you tell me you can't swim? Are you out of your mind? Jumping into the ocean when you don't even know how?"

She looked up at him, voice raspy. "Even if your legs never recover, I still want to marry you. I... I love you more than you think."

After that, he never took her to the beach again. Even the pool at home stayed empty, water drained. It wasn't until she joked about how weird it looked that he finally let the servants refill it—grudgingly—every day.

Thinking about it now, Lyra let out a bitter smile.

"You want me to get the ring? Fine."

She didn't bother taking off her coat—just turned and jumped in. The icy water hit like a shock, soaking through her clothes, making her shiver so hard her teeth hurt. She sank slowly, fear clawing at her chest, but she bit her lip to keep from screaming.

Then the water turned red—dark, blooming like a cruel flower.

Colin's voice shot through the air. "Oh my God, Ms. Lebeau is bleeding from her head!"

Joel's jacket hit the ground as he dove in, grabbing Lyra and hauling her out.

"Enough! Why are you so stubborn? You could've just walked away!"

Lyra tilted her head back, eyes locked on the diamond ring still glittering at the bottom.

"You told me to make her happy. Aren't you satisfied now? Your precious Renee must be thrilled."

Joel frowned, jaw tight. "I've told you a million times—I only see her as a sister.

"Her family's status in Lindale isn't low either. What if people find out what you've done? You know how hard it is to keep public opinion under control these days.

"I just wanted you to calm her down—for your own good."

His tone was soft, like he was doing her a favor.

Lyra just laughed—bitter, hollow.

Public opinion, huh?

Like when the almighty Fenwick heir wrecked himself in a car race for Renee—didn't they cover that up just fine?

Or when Renee bullied half the school, hiding behind Joel's influence—didn't the Slutz family's reputation stay spotless thanks to him?

Even their IVF attempts got buried, him guarding that secret like his life depended on it.

But now? Now it was too hard to handle—just because it involved her?

She'd never come close to Renee's place in his heart.

Without another word, Lyra yanked off her soaked coat and headed for the living room. She barely made it a few steps before dizziness hit, and she crumpled to the floor.

Joel's face changed in a flash—he moved to pick her up—

But Renee dropped down beside her, sobbing.

"Joel... My stomach hurts. Can you carry me upstairs to rest?"

He froze, hand retracting from Lyra, then scooped Renee up without a second thought.

Lyra lay on the cold floor, her head smacking hard as she fell. Joel didn't even look back.

He glanced at Colin and ordered, "Take Lyra to the hospital."

When Lyra woke up, the first thing she saw was a pair of worried eyes.

Joel shot up and called the doctor, finally breathing out when they confirmed she was okay.

Lyra glanced at her left wrist—a bracelet with a cross. Looked just like Joel's.

The assistant nearby smiled. "You were out for so long, Mr. Fenwick gave you his bracelet. Even prayed last night that if you woke up, he'd give up drinking and smoking for good."

Lyra frowned, sliding the bracelet off and holding it out. "Don't change your habits for me."

Joel didn't take it, just slid it back onto her wrist. "Didn't you make vows like that when you prayed for me back then?"

Her heart clenched.

Back in Joel's second year of being disabled, she'd heard that making a wish at Everlight Cathedral in Lindale was supposed to be especially powerful. One night, she took him there.

They wrote their wishes on paper slips. Hers said: [I'd give up everything to make Joel healthy again.]

Joel's slip said he wanted to marry her in five years. When she saw it, her eyes burned with tears. Joel pulled her into his arms and held her for what felt like forever. Those were the rare moments when his eyes were only on her—when Renee wasn't around.

But now that Renee was back in Khelmark, she knew his focus would never be on her again.

She glanced at Joel's eager expression, like he was waiting for praise, and looked away. "I'm a bit tired."

***

When Lyra woke up, it was already afternoon.

She sat up, ready to ask the doctor about getting discharged, but froze when she caught voices from the hallway.

Evelyn sounded curious. "So, when's the wedding with Lyra?"

Joel's voice was flat. "End of the month. I told her before."

Evelyn nodded. "Make it grand. The gifts better be top-tier—nothing cheap. Lyra gave her bone marrow to your little sweetheart, remember? You owe her that much."

Then her tone shifted, like something just clicked. "Weird coincidence—your wedding's this month, and I heard the Windsors are planning one too. The bride's name's Lyra... crazy, right?"

Lyra didn't let them keep talking—she shoved the door open and cleared her throat, making them both shut up immediately.

That evening, the doctor gave the all-clear for discharge.

Back home, Lyra got a friend request—Weston Windsor.

Must be the guy she was supposed to marry. She hit accept, and almost instantly, he sent over a gift list.

The document was packed—line after line of meticulous details. Just skimming made her head spin.

Two more messages popped up.

[Here's the wedding gift list. Let me know if it's satisfactory.]

[Mrs. Lebeau said your flight is the day after tomorrow, and you'll arrive the morning after that. I'll be at the airport with her to pick you up.]

Lyra thought for a second before typing back.

[The gifts are enough. Thank you.]

He didn't respond, and she didn't bother checking again.

That night, Joel kept trying to chat her up, but Lyra barely gave him the time of day. Figuring she was still mad about earlier, he decided to fix it by planning a pre-wedding bachelor party. He had his assistant spread the word, and by evening, the place was packed.

As soon as Lyra showed up, Joel wrapped his arm around her waist and handed her a car purchase contract, his eyes fixed on hers.

"I kept thinking that last supercar didn't really suit you, so I ordered a new one."

Then he hesitated, shooting a quick glance at Renee, who looked all delicate and pitiful by the sidelines. Reluctantly, he handed her the original Lamborghini contract.

"Renee, this car was originally for Lyra, but since she's got a new one now, you can have it. Sorry if it's a bit lacking."

Renee's face lit up; she was trying to play humble.

"It's okay—today's all about Lyra."

But anyone could tell she was thrilled. The Lamborghini was a limited edition from Khelmark, while Lyra's new car was just a regular, though pricey, model.

Guests nearby couldn't help but whisper.

"Is Joel really marrying Lyra? This is supposed to be their bachelor party, but he's giving gifts to Renee?"

"Yeah, right. Just an excuse to hand that limited edition car to Renee."

"Everyone knows Lyra's obsessed with cars. Total slap in the face."

"Shh, I heard Renee's some kind of racing prodigy. Rumor has it she's Vesper—saved Joel's life on the track. That's how he fell for her in the first place..."

Lyra, sitting in the corner, frowned.

Vesper?

Wasn't that... her?

Before Lyra could wrap her head around it, people started flocking to Renee, drinks in hand, piling on the compliments.

"Renee, Joel's so good to you—just handing over a supercar like it's nothing."

"That white dress is gorgeous—you look like a princess."

"Heard you're killer at racing—sweet and fierce. You and Joel are perfect together!"

The crowd around Renee kept growing, completely forgetting the party was supposed to be for Lyra.

An hour later, the place was buzzing—singing, games, people having a blast. Joel stayed glued to Renee's side, eyes never leaving her. When Renee reached for some crab, he stopped her, his voice low and gentle.

"Be good. You're pregnant—you can't eat that. Once the baby's born, I'll get it for you."

Renee pouted like she was about to throw a fit, so Joel sighed and pulled out an Amex Black Card, pressing it into her hand. The move sent another wave of whispers through the room.

"He's still stuck on Renee, huh?"

"Yeah... guess no one tops the first love. Poor Lyra."

Lyra just sat in the corner, messing with her phone, acting like none of it bothered her.

Renee scanned the room and spotted Lyra alone in the corner. Smirking, she strutted over in her heels. "This is your and Joel's bachelor party, but I stole the spotlight.

"Everyone's flocking to me, showering me with praise. You must be so pissed. But no matter how much it bugs you, all you can do is grit your teeth and take it.

"Stuck by Joel's side for five years—so what? The second I show up, I'm still the one he loves most."

Lyra didn't bite. She'd run out of tears the day she left the hospital.

When Lyra stayed silent, a chill flickered in Renee's eyes. She zeroed in on the chain bracelet around Lyra's wrist, jealousy flashing across her face. Suddenly, she yanked it off and gripped it tight.

Lyra snapped. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

She reached to grab it back, but Renee held on, knuckles white, rubbing the bracelet with a look of pure envy.

"I heard this was from Mrs. Fenwick—a gift for the future daughter-in-law, huh?"

Before Lyra could react, Renee shoved the bracelet into her mouth, yanking so hard at her lips that blood streaked down her chin. Red droplets hit the floor as she crumpled, the bracelet slipping from her hand.

Tears welled up as she looked up, sobbing.

"Lyra, I just thought Mrs. Fenwick's bracelet was pretty. Why did you shove it into my mouth? It hurts... it hurts so much..."

A dark blur shot past, shoving Lyra hard. She couldn't keep her balance and crashed into the table holding the giant celebration cake. Pain ripped through her head as the wound reopened, fresh blood trickling down. The cake toppled over her, sticky icing smearing everywhere.

Dazed and fighting back tears, she looked up just in time to see Joel rushing over—but not to her. He didn't even look her way, just pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from Renee's mouth, his eyes soft with worry.

Lyra finally got it—Renee was putting on one hell of a show.

Wiping frosting off her face, Lyra spotted the bracelet on the floor. She picked it up and walked over to Renee, catching Joel's glare like he expected her to snap. Instead, she calmly grabbed Renee's wrist and fastened the bracelet on.

"It's from Mrs. Fenwick. You like it, right? Keep it."

Renee just stared, totally forgetting to keep up the whole helpless act.

Joel frowned, clearly not getting what Lyra was up to.

"That's Mom's birthday gift to you. Only the Fenwick daughter-in-law's supposed to wear it."

Lyra pushed herself up, voice cold.

"She touched it. It's dirty now. I don't want it."

She didn't bother looking back, just limped out of the room. Behind her, Joel watched her leave, confusion clouding his face.

Later that night, he finally got home, cleaned up, and slipped into bed, sighing when he saw Lyra still turned away.

"Don't be mad. Stop picking on Renee. She really respects you, you know? Said she wants to patch things up, so... she'll be staying with us for a few days. Just... don't bully her, okay?"

Lyra kept her eyes shut, staying quiet for a beat. Then, in a calm, almost detached voice, she asked,

"If... and I'm just saying if... Renee wasn't 'Vesper,' would you still treat her like this?"

Joel brushed his fingers through her hair, his voice low and rough.

"She's like my sister. I'm good to her because she's Renee. Has nothing to do with being 'Vesper.'"

Lyra just hummed faintly, gaze dropping. One more day—she just had to hang on one more day.