I was caught off guard by how smooth everything had gone. Nodding blankly, I watched as the woman walked away.

When my eyes fell on the name printed on the marriage certificate, Jayne Cooper, it sounded strangely familiar.

…

Night had fallen by the time I got home. Adeline was in the kitchen, busy making a pot of soup for Everett.

When she saw me walk in, her smile stiffened on her face. "Why are you back? I only made enough for Everett and assumed you ate out…"

Her eyes were guarded, looking as if she was afraid I would try to steal the soup she had made for him.

Bitterness welled up in my chest.

Adeline had grown up pampered and never had to lift a finger for chores. She had learned to cook three years ago, when I was hospitalized after a car crash.

Back then, she kept complaining about how unhealthy takeout was and insisted on bringing me home-cooked meals.

I remembered that her early attempts to cook were barely edible, but when she offered to throw the dishes away, Everett would pretend to be sensible and thoughtful.

"You're way too ungrateful, Mr. Reeve. Adeline cooked everything herself, and if I were you, I'd finish every bite."

Adeline had instantly seen through his attempt to sow discord. "You're just Aston's blood donor. Know your place and don't overstep."

Now, it had been almost three years since I last tasted her cooking.

Everett playfully requested to be fed and looked at me with a sneer. "I figured you'd be too busy spending the night with your fisher wife to eat."

At the mention of the wedding, Adeline's expression darkened. "You're being utterly childish, Aston! I told you this morning that it was just a show, and I can't believe you actually walked off with her! You've completely embarrassed the Reeves!"

Wasn't that exactly what she had planned, to set me up with a prank and see me make a fool of myself? Now that I had played along, why was I suddenly an embarrassment?

I let out a cold laugh and was about to retort when Tracie's icy voice drifted over. "He didn't just embarrass the family, Adeline; he's embarrassed me, too!

"Aston, are you finally realizing that your little reverse psychology act isn't working, so you switched to playing hard to get? You're quite a piece of work, aren't you?"

She looked at me with cold contempt.

When Everett beamed and stepped forward to slip his arm around hers, a smile bloomed across her face.

"Have you picked out the suit and wedding gown? Let's go!"

Outside, a long line of stylists and photographers was waiting. Tracie and Everett were clearly heading out for a pre-wedding photoshoot, though none of that concerned me anymore.

Still, Tracie acted like I was bound to cause trouble and warned, "You ran off with the widow and left me at the wedding, so you don't get to complain about me taking wedding photos with Everett.

"Let's each take a step back. I'll forgive you, but you have to let me vent a little."

Her entitled attitude made my heart cold, and I bitterly asked, "Wasn't the widow your idea to amuse Everett? I just went along with it, so how is it my fault now?"

Tracie knew how much the wedding meant to me and how deeply I loved her. Yet, she and Adeline chose to humiliate me on such an important day.

Though I had given up on her, my scarred heart still throbbed in pain.

Tracie frowned and shot back, "In that case, why didn't you refuse on the spot? The worst that could have happened is that you run off alone and get ridiculed for a few days.

"You clearly don't care about our engagement, and now you're trying to blame me for everything."

I tugged at the corner of my lips and refused to argue further.

As I turned around to head upstairs, she grabbed my arm hard and ordered, "Get the brooch your mom left you and give it to Everett. He needs someone presentable since we're taking wedding photos."

My eyes widened in disbelief, and my voice turned sharp with pain. "That's my mom's dying gift!"

She answered impatiently in a matter-of-fact tone, "So what if it is? You don't like it anyway, so hurry up and get it. Otherwise, our engagement is off!"

I scoffed and gritted my teeth. "Fine! Let's call it off! It should've ended a long time ago anyway!"

"Are you serious?" she yelled. "Don't you dare regret this or come crawling back, begging to marry me again!"

…

The night before the wedding, I decided to move out.

I was a married man now, so I wouldn't allow my wife to live under the same roof with Tracie, Adeline, and Everett.

When I returned home with the movers to pack my belongings, Adeline and Tracie were around, busy decorating the house for Everett's three-year-anniversary party.

Ironically, they had forgotten my birthday just a week earlier.

Before I could climb the stairs, Tracie barked, "The second floor's converted into Everett's room. He doesn't like people touching his belongings, and your stuff is in the servants' quarters!"

I froze.

Since when did I even lose the right to a room in the house?

Forcing down the sting in my chest, I pointed upstairs. "Mom and Dad left me that room, so what gives you the right to hand it to him?"

"Forget it," I added. "I'm done arguing over that. Dad's paintings and my trophies are still in there, and I'm taking them with me."

Adeline's gaze nervously flickered before she started stammering. It was Tracie who answered and calmly told the truth. "Everett found that junk an eyesore and threw it out ages ago. There's nothing else you own in the room."

Fury erupted in my chest. The family photos, paintings from Dad, and trophies I had with Mom at the kindergarten fairs were some of the few tangible memories they had left me.

For countless sleepless nights, I had clung to these objects as I missed Mom and Dad, but to Adeline and Everett, they were just trash!

That was when Jayne texted to ask when I would be home, so I took a deep breath and decided that this wasn't worth delaying what actually mattered.

"Fine! If nothing's left, at least give me the five million dollars Mom and Dad had left me."

Adeline immediately looked guilty, while Tracie dared not respond either.

"What inheritance? Do you have any idea what three years in the hospital comes to? Everything's spent on your medical bills!"

"Exactly! Think about how much we spent on the caregivers! Everett never had that kind of luxury!"

That was when Everett smugly sauntered over. "Oh, inheritance? Are you talking about the five million dollars you all gave me for my birthday?"

Looking at his tailored suit and limited-edition watch, everything finally clicked.

"Did you give my share of Mom and Dad's inheritance to Everett?"

Tracie flared up with defensive anger and shot back, "So what if we did? Everett gave you his blood for three years! Without him, you'd be dead!

"How could you be this ungrateful, Aston? You deserved to be a vegetable for three years!

"This is the least you owe him as compensation!"

Adeline looked at me with the same disdain as if I were an ingrate.

They had probably forgotten that I had gotten into the car crash in the first place because I had been trying to save them, and that was how I ended up being a vegetable for three years.

My voice came out rough with bitterness as I shot back, "I paid him a million dollars three years ago, so what exactly do I still owe him?

"Do you think I wanted to be in a coma for three years?"

For a fleeting second, guilt flickered in their eyes before Everett sniffed and ran out the door.

"This is all my fault! I shouldn't have taken the money, even if my dad's surgery depended on it!

"I'll take it back, Aston! Even if my dad dies because of it, I won't owe you a single penny!"

The guilt in Adeline's eyes instantly vanished as she shot me a resentful glare. "Why did you have to say that in front of Everett?"

Then, she turned and ran after him.

Tracie stayed behind, but when I tried to leave, she blocked my way. "We do owe you for the car crash back then, but we can't change the past.

"Apologize to Everett, and the engagement can still happen. You'll be my husband, but don't expect to own my heart again."

I shook her off hard and coldly snapped, "I don't need it."

…

Adeline and Tracie waited all night for me to come home with an apology.

By morning, Tracie finally lost her patience. "He's probably out hiding at Azure Villas! I'm going to find him and drag him back to apologize to Everett!"

"I'm coming too!" Adeline added. "He's the reason Everett hasn't slept a wink all night!"

When they sped to Azure Villas, they were met with a massive convoy of Rolls-Royces delivering a bride, who stepped out and entered one of the villas.

Tracie panickedly pushed through the crowd and asked, "Who's getting married? This is such a grand spectacle!"

"The heiress of the Coopers and the Reeve family's son, Aston Reeve. I heard they fell in love at first sight and got registered for marriage even before hosting the wedding."

Both she and Adeline stared wide-eyed. "Are you talking about… Aston Reeve?"