The Garcia family's notorious illegitimate son — violent, obsessive, and dangerously unstable — had sent out a public marriage summons.

One of us, my sister or I, was to become his bride.

My father, with his career in ruins and his influence dwindling, had no choice but to agree.

In desperation, I begged my boyfriend Eric Jordan to return home and make our engagement official.

He did rush back, travel-worn and anxious — but only to ask for my sister's hand in marriage. Shattered, I demanded to know why.

Eric frowned, his voice icy. "You're just a foster daughter of the Lynch family. You've eaten their food, lived under their roof for years. And if it weren't for Willa, you would've frozen to death on the street. Now's your chance to repay her. Don't be ungrateful."

I refused to stay silent. He shoved me aside in frustration.

"I told you — Willa and I are only pretending. Once she's out of danger and that lunatic forgets about the proposal, we'll divorce. I'll come back for you. However, stop embarrassing yourself like this — it's pathetic."

What Eric did not know was… Willa Lynch escaped the marriage. However, I did not.

Later, on the day of the wedding, as the bridal car passed the Jordan family estate, I looked out the window — and locked eyes with Eric.

His face turned pale as a sheet.

My adoptive dad, Patrick Lynch, was getting crushed by his rivals, and his influence was being blocked at every turn. With no other options, he sent my sister and me off to be pawns in a marriage alliance, at the mercy of whoever would take us.

The word on the street was that the illegitimate son we were being offered to had been messed up by a rough childhood. He was a real piece of work, a cruel sadist who got his kicks from hurting others.

I could not stomach the thought of marrying that monster, so in a desperate move, I called my boyfriend Eric Jordan across the ocean, hoping he would come back and save me by tying the knot.

However, that call, that one call, was like stepping off a cliff into a never-ending fall.

Eric came flying back that very night. I thought he was racing to stop me from being snatched up by someone else, all worn out from his journey.

However, he did not even flinch before he stood in front of my adoptive dad and asked to marry my sister instead.

"Mr. Lynch, please give your blessing to me and Willa."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks.

I confronted him, my voice shaking, "Eric, why!"

Eric's frown was a stranger to me, his voice icy, "Sylvia, you're the Lynch's adopted kid. They've treated you like their own flesh and blood. If it hadn't been for Willa, you'd be a goner, frozen on some street corner! You owe them big time, and now's your chance to pay it back!

"Plus, it's all just a show with Willa, just a sham marriage. Cut the drama, will you? Willa's been sickly since she was little. If she ends up with that brute, can you even imagine what she'd go through? We've been like siblings, and I can't stand to see her suffer like that."

"And you're okay with me walking into a nightmare?" I shot back.

I screamed at him, my tears betraying me and flooding down my face.

Eric's lips tightened, his eyes dodging mine, while Willa, witnessing the whole scene, stepped in front of me, her head bowed.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she pleaded, "Sister, stop fighting with Eric. It's all my fault. My being here has come between you two. Dad and Mom may have taken you in as their own, but the Lynch company is still family business, and it was meant for me to join through marriage!"

"That's enough, Willa! I won't stand for it!" Eric's eyes were filled with pain as he quickly lifted her into his arms.

Eric's expression turned to one of anger as he faced me, his voice icy, "Sylvia, you really don't trust me, do you? My dad's been rubbing elbows with some heavy hitters in the capital lately. Give us a few days to work our magic, and with just a word, that illegitimate son won't even think about marrying you."

I could not help but laugh bitterly at his words, "If you're so sure of your plan, why not send Willa instead?!"

Eric looked at me with revulsion, his voice frosty, "Sylvia, I can't believe you'd turn on us like this. The Lynch family has been good to you all these years. You had everything Willa did. And now, when Mr. Lynch needs help, you turn your back. How could you be so cruel!"

I clutched my mouth, watching Eric shield Willa, feeling as if my heart was being crushed in a vice.

Eric and I were childhood sweethearts. When I first came to the Lynch family, I was an outsider, but Eric was always there to have my back.

He insisted that being adopted did not make me any less than anyone else.

With him by my side, I was untouchable.

Ever since Willa came into the world, he was petrified that the Lynchs would start to overlook me, not shower me with the love I was used to. He would make excuses to check in on them three times a day, just to make sure I was not left out or pushed aside.

However, at some point, Eric began to change.

I could have never imagined that he would twist the Lynchs' kindness into a weapon, guilt-tripping me over Willa.

So, if that's how it was going to be, I figured I might as well go through with that arranged marriage.

What I did not see coming, though, was the immediate spark between that outsider and me, sealing the marriage deal on the spot.

"Sis, are you okay?"

The moment I stepped back into the house, there was Eric, and Willa.

Eric, following close behind, was full of assurance. "I've talked to Dad. She's in the clear. That guy doesn't stand a chance with her."

His words hung in the air, and a hush fell over the room, everyone's gaze locking onto the marriage certificate he was holding.

I was shaking with fury. "Eric, you promised it was all just for show!"

Willa burst in then, "Sister, please don't be mad at Eric. It wasn't his fault. It was me. I got scared we'd be found out, so I... I let the act become real."

The anger inside me roared to life, and I did not care if our foster parents got upset—I slapped Willa right across her face.

Tears streamed down Willa's face as she looked at me, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Sister, please, no more anger. It's all my fault. I'll go and get a divorce from Eric right now."

She tried to drag Eric out, but he was having none of it. His brow furrowed, he yanked back Willa, her tears falling like raindrops on pear blossoms.

"Go where? Divorce? Over my dead body!"

Eric's eyes bore into mine, disappointment etched across his face. "Sylvia, when did you start making such a fuss over nothing? It's just a marriage certificate, meant to make things look more real, more believable. Tell me how many you need, and I'll make them for you. You've become so petty, almost like a shrew who's lost all sense of reason!"

Willa's eyes brimmed with tears. "Eric, sister's right. You two haven't split up yet. I wasn't thinking straight, this isn't right. We should go through with the divorce."

"No way!"

Eric's grip on Willa's waist was unyielding.

Willa squirmed in his embrace, not caring about his hold on her. "No, no, this will upset my sister. If word gets out, everyone will say the Lynch family did sister wrong. It was my oversight, my mistake."

"It's not your fault!" Eric protested.

Then, right in front of me, he pressed his lips to Willa's.

I stood there, petrified, as the world around me seemed to freeze.

I could only watch as they kissed passionately before me, as if I were the punchline to some cosmic joke.

Eric, still clutching a breathless Willa and catching my stunned look, went pale for a split second.

"Sylvia, haven't I been there for you? If not for me and my dad, you could've been the one chosen. What's got you so mad? I did this for both Willa and you, a win-win. Can't you see that?!"

His words struck me as completely ludicrous.

However, I could not be bothered to explain anymore.

At that moment, the nanny walked in, interrupting us with a knock.

In her hands, she carried a pristine white wedding gown.

"Miss, this is the wedding gown the mister sent over for you. You've got your big day the day after tomorrow, go on, give it a try."

Eric let out a scoff when he heard that. "Big day? Sylvia, you're tying the knot?"

Willa was just as shocked. "Sis, who's the lucky guy? How come I'm the last to know?"

I kept silent, and Eric's face lit up with realization. "Sylvia, you've got some nerve. To get me to split from Willa, you're staging this whole wedding farce with the Lynches? They're really bending over backward for their adopted daughter—you. You don't seriously think this will make me leave Willa, do you?"

I watched Eric muttering to himself and could not help but sneer. "Eric, you're not worth the headache anymore. You want a breakup? Fine by me. I can walk down the aisle guilt-free."

I reached for the wedding gown the nanny had brought. "You all should head out, I've got a dress to try on."

However, in a flash, Eric grabbed the gown and chucked it to the floor.

"Sylvia, when will you drop the act? You've turned down every guy for me since we were kids, dead set on 'no one but Eric.' Who else would you even marry?"

His words sent a chill through me.

Eric knew it all. That's why he was so shameless.

My mom, Natalie Hawkins, came in just then and caught sight of the crumpled gown. "Sylvia, that dress is from the Garcia family's son. You're getting hitched in two days—what are we going to tell them? "

Natalie's words hung in the air when Eric came to a dead stop.

"Sylvia, you're actually going to tie the knot with that love child? Have you lost your mind?"

I did not even get a chance to answer before he blurted out again, "No way, Sylvia, you've got to be kidding me. My dad said everything was cool, you're just trying to get back at me, aren't you? Acting all this out just to get a rise out of me!"

I lifted the wedding gown, dusting it off, "Please, just go. I'm worn out."

Once Natalie had shown them out, my tears broke free. From that moment, Eric meant no more to me than any random flower or weed.

With the wedding day nearing, Yale Garcia, the so-called illegitimate son, had sent over a generous array of engagement gifts, and our villa buzzed with festive decorations.

I never expected Eric to show up, especially not alone, without Willa in tow.

"Sylvia, I get it, you're ticked off at me. Let's drop it, okay? Willa and I were just playing parts.

"I know you're dying to be with me, but imagine the talk if we split right after saying 'I do.' Give it some time, I'll break it off with Willa and then I'll be back for you, deal?

"Sylvia, you know I can't stand losing you."

His words were full of drama, but inside, I felt nothing, maybe even a bit queasy.

"Sylvia, cut the act. You've gone through all this trouble just to get me to sweet-talk you, right? Well, I'm here now, so can we stop this nonsense?"

I just gave a light laugh, keeping my thoughts to myself.

"Eric, you're reading too much into it. This has nothing to do with you."

Eric would not have it, stubborn as ever, "Sylvia, I know you're upset. Let's talk when you've cooled off."

I watched him walk away, a smirk hidden in my thoughts.

Come morning, Yale lifted me into the wedding limo, and we set off for the hotel.

Driving past the Jordans' place, I caught sight of Eric, his arm around Willa, at the front door.

Eric, eyeing the grand procession of wedding cars, teased Willa, "Sylvia's quite the fibber. Garcia's little secret is tying the knot today, but I'll confront her later and see what kind of scene she'll try to stir up with me then."

Willa, peering at the limo, seemed unsure, "However, ... that looks like my sister in there."

Eric, startled, then annoyed, retorted, "Willa, you must be mistaken. There's no way that's Sylvia in the car..."

He did not get to finish. I rolled down the window, and our gazes locked.