On the eve of my wedding, my parents returned from abroad, and my fiancée, Seraphina Vale, went into the kitchen to host them, preparing her specialty—passion fruit tea—for everyone.

My parents, Edward and Eleanor Blackwood, and I had barely taken our first sip when the bodyguard, Alaric Sterling, standing beside her, burst into laughter.

“You really are a family,” he said.

“All of you drinking toad eggs as if they were passion fruit, savoring every mouthful.”

Nausea rose instantly, and my parents and I retched uncontrollably, after which I swung my fist and went straight for him.

But Seraphina shoved me away.

“You were the one who called Alaric a toad before,” she said.

“I was just helping him get even.”

Alaric looked at me smugly.

“Aren’t your parents biologists?” he said.

“You should be thanking me for the hands-on experiment.”

I lifted the scalding soup and splashed it at Alaric.

Seraphina screamed as she ordered the other bodyguards to break my hand.

“You insulted Alaric first,” she said.

“That’s why he retaliated. What right do you have to lay a hand on him?

“If anything happens to Alaric, you won’t get away with it.”

I watched Seraphina hurriedly escort Alaric away, her face tight with concern.

I turned to my parents.

“Can you ask her if she’s still willing to marry me?”

The soup splashed all over Alaric Sterling, and his skin reddened instantly.

Seraphina Vale’s parents, Harold and Margaret Vale, froze in terror, so frightened they couldn’t utter a single word.

Alaric was Seraphina Vale’s lifeline.

If anyone so much as hurt a single hair on his head, she would lose her mind.

Even I, her fiancé, had to step aside.

Alaric braced himself against the table, his eyes bloodshot.

“So what if you and your parents drank some toad eggs?” he said.

“It’s not like it kills you.

“Sera, am I going to be disfigured?”

Seraphina roared at the other bodyguards.

“Break his hand for me!”

The bodyguards surged forward together, slammed me to the floor, grabbed a chair, and smashed one of my hands.

They gave me no chance to react.

Pain drained the color from my face, and my whole body trembled.

Seraphina kicked me in the face, so furious she looked as if she wanted to tear me to pieces.

“Let me tell you this,” she shouted.

“Forget toad eggs—even if Alaric told you and your parents to kneel and lick his shoes, you’d have to do it!”

The slimy sensation of the toad eggs still clung to my mouth, making waves of nausea roll through me.

My parents, Edward and Eleanor Blackwood, looked even worse, their faces deathly pale as they clutched the table and retched uncontrollably.

Seeing them suffer so much because of me filled my chest with pain.

Seraphina followed my gaze and sneered.

“Don’t blame me for being harsh. If you want to blame someone, blame your precious son for humiliating Alaric!

“All Alaric did was help me organize my underwear, and he called Alaric a toad!”

I laughed hysterically in response.

Organizing underwear?

Alaric had been tidying up in a very different way!

Now he pretended to mediate, though he was really just fanning the flames.

“I’m just your bodyguard,” he said.

“How could I dare compare myself to your fiancé, let alone even dream of being with you?

“I overestimated myself today. I’ll apologize to him right now.”

But Alaric had no intention of apologizing at all.

Still, Seraphina already ached for him beyond reason.

“They should be the ones apologizing to you!” she snapped.

“It was just some toad eggs. Why are they putting on such an act?”

I forced myself to lift my head, fury blazing in my eyes.

“My parents rushed here to attend our wedding, only for you to disgust them with this filth and then demand they apologize to someone else.

“Do you even have a heart?”

Seraphina seemed to realize she might have gone too far and hesitated for a moment.

Alaric immediately clutched himself and cried out in pain.

“My skin’s been burned so badly. Will you still want me, Miss Vale?”

Seeing Alaric like that, Seraphina immediately flew into rage again.

“This isn’t over, Cassian!

“You enjoy ruining people, don’t you?” she asked before turning to the other bodyguards.

“Scratch his face to pieces for me!”

My parents rushed forward to intervene, their voices filled with terror.

“We’ll apologize to him! Please, can you let Cassian go?”

Seraphina remained unmoved.

My eyes started to water at the sight of my pleading parents.

Ever since I got engaged to Seraphina, I had lost count of how many times she had humiliated me for Alaric’s sake.

Now, she was humiliating my parents, too.

She hadn’t even considered becoming one family with me, had she?

Alaric suddenly whined in distress.

“Were the toad eggs really that awful?”

Seraphina narrowed her eyes and addressed my parents.

“I can let Cassian go, but you have to finish the rest of the toad eggs.”

A bodyguard clamped my neck and pressed a knife close to my face.

My parents hurriedly lifted their glasses.

“No! We’ll drink it!”

I struggled violently, trying to stop them, but the bodyguard kept me pinned.

I could only watch as my parents downed every last disgusting egg.

They even endured the nausea, afraid Seraphina might change her mind.

Seraphina sneered coldly.

“Now… That wasn’t so bad, was it? So why all the fuss?”

“Remember to give Alaric the patents your parents hold as compensation, or I won’t be at the wedding!”

Then she made to leave with Alaric for the hospital.

“We’re not getting married!” I rasped, my voice hoarse.

…

Alaric stubbornly pushed Seraphina aside, wearing the mask of restrained grievance.

“I’m okay now, Miss Vale. You should comfort Mr. Blackwood.

“No matter what, I can’t be the obstacle to your happy marriage.”

Anyone with eyes could see that Alaric was pretending.

But Seraphina didn’t notice at all and was deeply moved by his words.

“Alaric, why do you always put me first?”

She looked at my parents, tears welling in her eyes.

“Did you see that? Alaric is the one who truly loves me!

“But Cassian keeps trying to bully him.

“This wedding…He’s the one refusing it, so why should I be rushing toward it?”

Then she left, taking Alaric and the bodyguards with her.

Only then did Harold and Margaret speak.

“That was all said in anger, Cassian. We will…”

My parents helped me to my feet, their faces stern as they interrupted them.

“We’re done with you and your family!”

After arriving at the hospital, my parents underwent gastric lavage.

I, however, needed surgery due to the severity of my fractures.

My parents had returned early, happily putting aside work to attend my wedding.

I never expected them to endure such humiliation.

Any remaining feelings I had for Seraphina vanished completely.

When Seraphina arrived at the hospital, her neck and chest were streaked with vivid red marks.

She didn’t bother hiding them.

“I’m not a doctor. I really don’t understand why my parents insisted I come.

“Alaric was feeling guilty and wanted to quit because of you.

“I’ve been busy comforting him, so I don’t have time to waste on you.

“You know what? I’m leaving.”

And she did.

I felt a sudden clarity.

Back when I first noticed her favoritism toward Alaric, she would soothe me, saying that Alaric had saved her countless times and suffered many injuries in the process.

Her kindness toward him had been a form of repayment.

Over time, however, her attention shifted from simple favoritism to letting Alaric trample over me.

In public, she shared intimate moments with Alaric, leaving my dignity in the dust.

Seraphina had secretly swapped the birthday gift I had prepared for my supervisor with a broken clock.

She even sabotaged my research.

Every time I suffered humiliation, Seraphina scolded me for being petty.

She claimed making me and my parents drink toad eggs was for Alaric’s sake.

But after I mocked Alaric, he dragged me, stripped me bare, and threw me into a giant iron vat filled with poisonous toads.

By the time I was rushed to the hospital, my body was swollen from poisoning.

I was unrecognizable.

Yet Seraphina still defended him.

“Alaric handled all those toads without a scratch—only you had a problem. How dramatic.

“You can’t blame Alaric.

“I’ve already told everyone it was your own fault for being so reckless.”

In that instant, my disappointment in Seraphina reached its peak.

After my parents finished their procedure, they were utterly weak.

I insisted they go home and rest.

But no sooner had they left than a video call came through.

When I answered, my father trembled violently, unable to speak a word.

My mother clutched her chest, tears streaming down her face.

Our home had been turned into a funeral parlor, draped in wreaths and white silk.

At the center hung a black-and-white photograph of my parents.

Alaric motioned to the bodyguards, and they began playing a funeral march for my parents.

Seraphina stood to the side, smiling indulgently at Alaric.

I shook with rage and yelled at the screen.

“Are you insane?”

Hearing my voice, Seraphina approached, clearly displeased.

“What’s with all the shouting? Alaric is performing, don’t interrupt him!”

I ground my teeth.

“You let Alaric treat my parents like this, and you tell me not to interfere?”

Seraphina defended herself with absolute confidence.

“Oh come on, Alaric was just practicing in advance.

“Consider yourself lucky. If Alaric hadn’t been feeling guilty and wanted to make amends, your parents wouldn’t even have had a chance to witness their own funeral.”

She had gone completely mad.

Anger filled my body.

“Take down the funeral setup immediately!”

Seraphina refused.

“No way,” she said.

“Alaric and the others worked so hard putting them up.

“Besides, it’s not even over yet. Why should we tear it down?

“Behave yourself for the next few days. Stop bothering Alaric.

“And maybe I’ll be there at the wedding.”

Alaric wrapped his arms around Seraphina from behind and kissed her cheek.

“Didn’t you say you wanted a little thrill? Do you think doing it here counts as thrilling?”

Seraphina flushed and hung up immediately.

For a moment, my mind went blank.

They had no shame left.

The phone rang again.

I answered mechanically.

“Mr. Blackwood, the welcome display for the wedding is ready. Would you like to see it?”

I forced a smile.

“Change the bride’s picture. I’ll send a new one.”

After hanging up, I ignored the nurse and left the hospital.

I couldn’t let my parents be bullied like this.

Back at the villa, my parents leaned on each other, struggling to stand at the doorway.

From the living room came the unmistakable sounds of Seraphina and Alaric’s lovemaking.

…

I kicked the door open.

The two of them scrambled up, clutching at their clothes to cover themselves.

Seraphina caught sight of me, a flicker of guilt crossing her eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.

“You just had surgery. How did you get out already?”

Alaric wrapped his arms possessively around Seraphina from behind, smirking as if daring me to stop them.

“I’m not done yet,” he said with relish.