"Whose lipstick is that?" Leslie asked.

Denver glanced at it, confused. "Isn't it yours?"

It wasn't.

A sickening thought crept into her mind. 'Have they been here earlier? Did they kiss in my fucking car?'

Her stomach turned. She quickly pulled her hand away from his and said flatly, "I'm tired. I don't want to talk. Just focus on driving."

Her mind was a storm of anger and heartbreak, but after it all burned through, there was nothing left—just a heavy, empty silence.

She and Denver were already engaged. The wedding was only a month away.

Invitations had already been sent out to family and friends. Some guests had even started sending them gifts.

But now… Now, she had to deal with the fact that her fiancé was cheating on her. What was she supposed to do?

She turned her head to look out the window, lost in thought.

On the outside, Denver always seemed so gentle and attentive, but Leslie knew better.

Underneath, he was controlling, the type of man who wouldn't take no for an answer.

If she told him she wanted to cancel the wedding, he'd never agree.

And why should she have to walk away like some brokenhearted fool?

Why should she be the one to lose everything?

A wild, dangerous thought came to her: 'I want revenge'

When they got home, Kiana had already made dinner.

As soon as Denver stepped inside, she rushed to place his slippers neatly by the door and took his coat like she always did.

Before, Leslie hadn't thought much of it. She'd chalked it up to sibling affection.

But now, those gestures looked more like a wife welcoming her husband home.

Kiana must have sensed Leslie's stare because she quickly put on a sweet, innocent smile.

"Leslie, I made your favorite corn chowder tonight!"

Leslie's mind flashed back to the day Denver had first brought Kiana home.

That day, she wouldn't stop crying on his lap and calling him "my brother" over and over.

For the past six months, Leslie had felt sorry for Kiana and had treated her like her own sister.

And now? That so-called sister had been eyeing her fiancé the entire time.

Looking at Kiana's fake, sweet expression made Leslie's hatred flare all over again.

She sat down at the table, her face cold and unreadable.

Travis, Denver's younger brother, stood nearby and noticed her mood. Frowning, he called her out, "Leslie, Kiana's talking to you. Why are you being so rude to her?"

Travis was someone Denver had adopted from an orphanage. He was in his second year of college now.

He and Leslie used to be close like real siblings, but ever since Kiana moved in, he acted like his new sister was the only person who mattered.

Denver tapped the table. "Travis, watch your tone when you're talking to your soon-to-be sister-in-law."

Grumbling under his breath, Travis backed off.

Kiana, of course, tried to smooth things over. "Let's not argue over this. It's no biggie, anyway, plus we're all family here!"

'Family?' Leslie almost laughed. 'The three of you might be a family, but me? I'm just an outsider.'

Kiana picked up a bowl of soup and handed it to Leslie with a smile.

But Leslie couldn't stomach the fake kindness anymore. She raised her hand, lightly pushing the bowl away.

That's when Kiana's hand suddenly jerked, and the bowl tipped, spilling hot soup all over her hands and clothes.

"Ahhh!" she screamed, dramatic enough to quickly draw everyone's attention.

Travis quickly jumped up. "What's wrong with you, Leslie? If you didn't want it, you could've just said so! Why'd you push Kiana?"

Denver immediately grabbed Kiana's hands, examining the burns.

His gaze then shot to Leslie, filled with disbelief. "My love, how could you do that?"

He led Kiana to the sink, running her hands under cold water while Travis scrambled to find burn ointment.

Leslie just sat there, watching the ridiculous scene like an outsider.

She hadn't pushed the bowl. All she did was lightly block it with her hand.

She didn't use any force at all. It was impossible for the soup to spill.

Kiana had done this on purpose!

But who would believe Leslie anyway?

What should've been a nice dinner turned cold and awkward.

Taking advantage of the Dillahunt brothers siding with her, Kiana pretended to be kind, saying, "Denver, Travis, don't blame Leslie. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

That just made things worse. Travis snapped, "If it wasn't intentional, then Leslie should apologize to Kiana. End of story."

Leslie slammed her silverware down. "Me? Apologize?"

'She's the one who started this! Not me!' she wanted to add.

To her surprise, Denver put his silverware down too. His voice was calm but firm.

"My love, you're in the wrong this time. What's so hard about saying sorry?"

Leslie looked at her fiancé in disbelief, only to be met with a cold, distant gaze.

It hit her then—whenever Kiana was around, no matter what happened, Leslie was always the one at fault.

She let out a bitter laugh. "Fine, I'll apologize," she said. "Sorry for upsetting Kiana and ruining your dinner."

Setting the napkin down on the table, she continued, "I'm done. You guys enjoy it."

Without waiting for a response, she got up and left the table.

Just then, Travis pulled out two basketball tickets from his pocket.

"This Friday is the college basketball league. I'm one of the starters for our school's team," he began. "You guys have to come to cheer me on!"

Leslie stopped walking and instinctively reached out for a ticket.

But Travis handed one to Denver and the other to Kiana instead.

"Sorry, Leslie. I only managed to get two tickets," Travis apologized half-heartedly. "Besides, you don't even know basketball, right? I'll invite you next time."

He smirked at her, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

It was true that Leslie didn't know much about basketball.

But because her fiancé's brother loved it, she had secretly looked up NBA and CBA games to learn more.

Although her chest tightened, she forced a casual shrug. "No worries. You guys go ahead."

Denver glanced at the date on the ticket and turned to Leslie. "My love, I have a meeting that day. Why don't you go with Kiana instead?"

And that's how Leslie ended up sitting next to Kiana at the basketball game on Friday.

The game was intense.

Travis's good looks and skills on the court made him the center of attention, especially for the girls in the crowd.

Watching him drenched in sweat as he played, Leslie couldn't help but think back to four years ago.

Back then, he was just a high schooler who always lost to Denver when they played basketball. The younger man used to pout and complain to her.

She would laugh, ruffle his hair, and tease Denver for not going easy on his younger brother.

Now, in the blink of an eye, Travis wasn't that kid anymore.

When the halftime whistle blew, Leslie grabbed a towel and a bottle of water and walked toward him.

Kiana followed close behind.

They both handed Travis a water bottle at the same time.

He glanced at Leslie but took the one from Kiana instead.

Before Leslie could react, the towel in her hand was snatched away.

Kiana stood on her tiptoes, using the towel to wipe the sweat off Travis's face.

"Wow, Travis, I didn't know you were such an amazing basketball player!" she said.

"Thanks," Travis replied, blushing and grinning like a kid.

Watching the two of them laugh and chat, Leslie felt an ache in her chest like something was missing.

One of Travis's teammates nudged him playfully, teasing, "Hey, Captain, with so many pretty girls around, why not introduce us to one?"

Travis's expression turned serious as he put an arm around Kiana's shoulders.

"Back off. She's my sister. Don't even think about it."

'She's like my sister…'

Not long ago, Travis had introduced Leslie to his team the same way.

Travis used to rest his head on Leslie's shoulder and say sweetly, "Leslie, you're the only sister I'll ever have in this life…"

As Leslie was lost in the memory, a basketball came flying toward the three of them at full speed.

Travis reacted quickly, shielding Kiana by cupping the back of her head and pulling her into his chest.

Standing behind them, Leslie had no time to dodge and was hit squarely on the forehead by the basketball.

It made a thud, and the sound alone was enough to make anyone wince.

A boy ran over to retrieve the ball, apologizing profusely and asking if she was okay.

Leslie was already teary-eyed from the pain. But after a while, she waved her hand weakly and said, "It's fine. I'm okay now."

Her gaze shifted to Travis, who was gripping Kiana's hand tightly in concern.

"Kiana, are you sure you're okay? Thank goodness it didn't hit you! I wouldn't know how to explain that to my brother."

Not even a glance—he couldn't spare a single look at Leslie, who had taken the hit directly.

To be fair, Leslie didn't hate Travis. He wasn't the one who had cheated. In fact, she used to think, 'Even if things don't work out between me and Denver, at least Travis and I will always be like siblings!'

But right now, watching him fuss over Kiana while completely ignoring her, Leslie felt like a joke.

Bending down, she picked up her knocked-over water bottle without saying a word and quietly left the basketball court.

The autumn breeze brushed against her face, carrying an unexpected chill.

This villa… there was nothing left in it worth staying for.

Leslie's custom-made wedding gown had arrived at the villa.

The design was exquisite, with intricate embroidery and flawless craftsmanship. Ninety-nine diamonds adorned the bodice, making it shimmer brilliantly.

But holding it in her hands, Leslie felt nothing—no excitement, no joy. She tossed it onto the couch as if it were just any other item.

Coming down the stairs, Kiana spotted the dress on the couch.

"Leslie, this dress is stunning! You're going to look like an actual goddess in it!"

Leslie forced a polite smile. "Thanks."

Kiana's fingers gently traced the sparkling diamonds, her admiration plain as day.

"As an orphan, I never dared to dream about wearing something this beautiful," she murmured. Then, she asked, "Leslie, could I try it on? Just for a little while?"

Leslie looked at Kiana, her heart softening. She nodded.

Anyway, she didn't care about the wedding, so she let someone else wear the dress.

Overjoyed, Kiana grabbed the dress and headed into the bedroom.

About 10 minutes later, she emerged, looking distressed.

"What's wrong?" Leslie asked.

Kiana hesitantly opened her hand, revealing a diamond lying in her palm. The front of the dress now had a large, gaping hole where the diamond had fallen out.

Leslie was stunned. "This is a custom dress worth over two hundred thousand. How could it fall apart so easily?"

Could this really not be on purpose?

Before Leslie could question Kiana, the sound of the front door unlocking interrupted them—Denver had just come home from work.

Kiana seemed to be waiting for this exact moment.

With a dramatic thud, she knelt in front of Leslie, pleading with her repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry, Leslie! I didn't mean to! Please, you can hit me or yell at me, but don't kick me out. I can't lose Denver or Travis. Please, I'm begging you!"

Leslie stared at her in shock, about to tell Kiana to get up, when Denver strode over with a dark expression.

Grabbing Kiana by the arm, he pulled her up and glared at Leslie with hostility.

"What's going on here?"

Before Leslie could explain, Kiana cut in first. "Don't blame Leslie! It's all my fault!"