Amber's POV

> Three Years Ago-The Sinclairs' Mansion <<

My mother and I watched nervously as my stepfather spoke urgently on the phone. Although we could barely hear him since he was standing almost at the door, from his expressions and gestures, we could tell that something was wrong-his stance was as nervous as ours.

I squeezed my mother's hand comfortingly. "Everything is going to be fine," I encouraged her.

"She's been gone for two days," Mom sniffed. "No calls from her yet, not even a text. And we don't even have a clue about her whereabouts. What if something bad has happened to her?"

"Nothing is going to happen to her," I told her. I wasn't confident in my words, but we had to stay hopeful.

"You don't understand. We..." Her words were cut off when she saw my stepfather approaching. His brows were furrowed, deep frown lines appeared on his face, and his once-clear eyes were now red... as if he was trying to stay strong.

My mother got up quickly. She rushed to her husband and grabbed his right arm. "Who was that?" she asked in a shaky voice.

There was a pause. My stepfather stared at my mother for a moment, then took a deep breath. "It's a call from the hospital."

A call from the hospital? That can't be good. My eyes settled on my mother, worried about how she was going to take whatever news my stepfather was about to break to her.

"It's Chloe." He shut his eyes as he said his next words. "She's been involved in an accident!" he dropped the bombshell.

My mother let go of him and fell to the ground. I rushed forward immediately to help her.

"Mom..."

"Crying won't solve anything," my stepfather interrupted me. "Pick yourself up. Let's go to the hospital." He turned away from us, rushed to the table, grabbed his car keys, and hurried out.

My mouth parted as I watched my mother. Why would she allow her husband to talk to her in such a manner? He could have at least comforted her, encouraged her, and told her that it might not be a fatal accident. I sighed deeply and decided this was not the time to argue.

I helped my mother up. "Let's go," I told her.

She couldn't speak; she simply nodded, and we headed out.

> St. Mark's Hospital <<

The drive from our house to the hospital was only twenty-five minutes, but it felt like five hours because my mother was fidgeting in her seat.

As soon as the driver found a space in the parking lot, my mother pushed her door open and jumped out of the car. Her eyes searched around frantically. I alighted quickly, rushed to her side, and held her right arm reassuringly.

"Calm down, Mom. Chloe is going to be fine." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's go inside," my stepfather said as soon as he came near us.

>>>>

"Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair?" a nurse asked immediately after we stepped foot into the hospital.

That's weird. In a hospital as big as this and filled with so many people, how did she know we're Chloe's family? I didn't ask any questions, though.

"Yes," my mother answered urgently.

"Come with me," she said.

We followed her. After walking for a moment and taking a few turns, we finally made it to a ward, but it was in a slightly isolated area. Only a few wards and patients were there-maybe this was a private ward. The nurse pushed the door open and entered while we quickly followed.

The moment my mother saw Chloe, she cried, "Oh, my baby!" then rushed to hug her.

My mouth hung open as confusion washed over my face. Wasn't she involved in an accident? Why was she looking healthier than me?

Chloe was peeling an orange when we entered, so she didn't notice us at first. Although her left leg was in a cast, she folded her legs while casually peeling the orange. It wasn't until my mother cried, "Oh, my baby!" that she quickly dropped the orange, lifted her casted leg up, and began crying.

"Mom, Dad..."

I looked around to see if anyone noticed what just happened, but nobody did. My mother and stepfather simply seemed worried about her injured leg-fake injured leg, to be precise.

"What happened? Why were you in an accident?" my mother asked worriedly.

Chloe pulled away from the hug. "I was trying to get away," she sniffed.

"Trying to get away from what?" my stepfather asked for the first time since we entered the ward.

"Vincent," she said.

I frowned. Why would she be trying to get away from Vincent? Aren't they supposed to be lovers? Something's not adding up here.

My mother gave her a confused look. "What do you mean you were trying to get away from Vincent?"

Chloe gave us a scared and conflicted look. "I can't marry him."

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself. My stepfather gave me a side-eye, but I wasn't fazed because I wanted to know why she wouldn't want to marry the man she claimed to be in love with since childhood.

I raised my brows, waiting for her answer.

"There's something about Vincent that I haven't told anyone," she paused briefly, gulped, and continued. "He abuses me."

"What?!" my mother exclaimed.

Chloe nodded and continued. "He pretends to love me and showers me with so much love, but he abuses and threatens me behind closed doors." To prove her point, she raised her arms, and we saw multiple bruises that had turned purple. "I've been hiding these from you all. I thought I could handle it, but I can't anymore."

My mother reached for her hands with teary eyes. I almost rolled my eyes at how easily Chloe was fooling our mother, because I knew for a fact that my stepfather, who, by the way, is Chloe's father, was skeptical about her story.

"Oh my goodness. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" my mother lamented, then turned to my stepfather. "The wedding..."

"The wedding is in four days, and we can't call it off!" he interrupted her. "You know we can't call off the wedding."

"But I can't let my daughter get married to an abuser," my mother argued, her voice slightly raised.

"Then we'll find a substitute."

"From where?" my mother asked.

As if they had planned it beforehand, my stepfather and Chloe turned toward me expectantly.

Amber's POV

While Chloe and my stepfather were looking at me, I was staring at my mother in return, waiting for her response-hoping she'd support me and look at me with the same softness she had looked at Chloe with earlier.

"Oh my sweet Amber," she called, her face lighting up in relief. "I know this is too much to ask, but you are our only savior right now." She got up and walked closer to me, then reached for my hands, which were folded across my chest. "Please, marry Vincent."

"I... I should marry Vincent?" My mother nodded quickly. "But she just said he is an abuser. Why should I be the one to marry him and not her? I can understand if he..." I snatched my hands from hers and pointed at my stepfather. "...were the one asking me to marry Vincent. But you, aren't we both your daughters? Why are you protecting her alone?"

Tears brimmed in my mother's eyes as she shook her head, flashing pitiful glances at Chloe, who was trying her best to look as vulnerable as ever. "You have to understand where I'm coming from, Amber. Your sister has always been weak since childhood. She can never survive Vincent's harsh treatment once they get married." Her tears were flowing at this moment.

A disbelieving scoff left my lips. "She has always been weak and can't survive Vincent's harsh treatment, so you think I'm the strongest between us? I can go through anything, right?"

"No, that's not what Mom meant," Chloe chipped in. She jumped out of her bed and came in front of me. "I can't..."

I tuned out whatever she was saying. My mouth parted in astonishment, and my eyes stayed fixed on her acclaimed injured leg, which was standing firmly on the hard tiled floor.

"...please," she stopped talking when she noticed I was staring at her leg. She quickly turned away and began limping back to her bed. I looked at my mother to check if she noticed Chloe's act, but she didn't. She was crying her eyes out-or maybe she saw it but pretended like she didn't.

"You are my only hope, Amber," Chloe said.

"I'm not your only hope!" I screamed, which was a big mistake because a resounding slap landed on my face.

I held my face and looked up, only to come face-to-face with my stepfather. His eyes darkened as he narrowed them and clenched his jaw tightly.

"Do you think you still have a choice?" he asked. He shook his head as he turned away from me and walked towards his daughter. "Whether you approve or not, you must marry Vincent. I cannot afford to call off the wedding." His words were final. He had spoken, and there was no room for argument, but I still wanted to try.

"Mom..." My mother shook her head as she leaned closer to my ear.

"Just do this for us," she said, referring to herself and me. "You remember how we were suffering after your father left with his mistress. It was Richard who came to marry me and rescued us from poverty. Now his business is in trouble and can fold up at any moment, so he really needs this marriage to form a relationship with the Liams."

"But I..." My mother dropped to her knees before I could complete my words. "Mom, what are you doing?" I tried to pull her up, but she wouldn't budge.

"We can't afford to be thrown into the streets, Amber." She took a quick glance at Chloe. "Besides, I can't leave Chloe behind, and if your father decides to throw us out, he won't let me take her with me," she cried.

I wanted to scream that he is not my father. I wanted to walk away from all this manipulation, but what would happen to my mother if I did? Seeing my mother helplessly on her knees brought tears to my eyes. At this moment, I'd be no less than a villain to her if I said no.

Throwing my head back, I took a deep breath to swallow my pain and let out a defeated, "Fine, I will marry him."

My mother's face lit up immediately. She got up and pulled me into a hug, patting my back in appreciation. Meanwhile, I locked gazes with Chloe, and she was smirking victoriously.

> Back To Present <<

And that's how I became Mrs. Liam-through my half-sister's manipulation. I wonder what lies she told Vincent that made him hate me to the core.

A tired yawn escaped my lips, which reminded me that it was late at night and I needed to sleep. I picked myself up and climbed the stairs tiredly. On getting to our room, I tried to push the door open, but it seemed to be locked from the inside.

"Vincent?" I called, knocking on the door gently.

"I don't want to see you tonight," he replied from inside. He sounded sleepy, which meant he would not open the door anymore tonight... well, I guess it's me and one of the guest rooms tonight.

I released a tired sigh and headed towards one of the guest rooms. When I was near one of the rooms, I suddenly felt something rush up my throat. I pushed the door open without wasting time and rushed to the toilet. On getting there, I began throwing up. After throwing up for a while, I became too weak to walk, so I simply sat on the floor and leaned against the wall as I tried to recall what I ate that must have upset my stomach.

While I was still thinking, my phone beeped, and it was a text from Annabelle, my best friend.

"Hey, pumpkin, Ethan is coming back tomorrow. Care to join me to pick him up?" the text read.

My lips curved into a smile. Ethan was finally back. My breath of fresh air.

"Sure," I replied to her.