My sister accompanies me when I go for my premarital medical checkup. When I'm preparing a urine test, I hear embarrassing sounds coming from the cubicle next door.

I'm about to leave when I hear the conversation.

"Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out."

The voice belongs to my fiancé, Zachary Hilton. The woman to whom he's speaking is Willow Langley, my sister.

I dial his number hysterically to see whether it really is him, but my calls go unanswered. All I hear is the incessant ringing of a phone next door and moans alongside it.

I'm rooted to the spot, too stunned to do anything. Zachary once vowed to love me for life, yet he's doing something like this with Willow prior to our wedding.

The moans and pants next door take a long time to subside. Once I hear them leave, I call home, my face wet with tears.

"Mom, change my husband-to-be to Thomas Hilton, Zachary's youngest uncle. I don't want to have anything to do with Zachary anymore."

Mom's voice on the other end of the phone was brimming with joy, her tone light and cheerful.

"Honey, I told you that illegitimate son can't be trusted! You're not lying to me, are you? You really agreed to the arranged marriage with Thomas?"

I gave a bitter smile. "I'm not lying. I'll do what you want."

When I walked out of the hospital, my fiancé, Zachary Hilton, and my younger sister, Willow Langley, were waiting for me in the lobby downstairs.

They were quite far apart from each other.

Willow looked like she had just had a big fight with someone. Her face was flushed, but I still caught a glimpse of the mottled red marks hidden beneath her collar.

How I wished this was all just a nightmare.

Panicking, I shut my eyes and pinched my arm hard. The sharp pain confirmed the truth—my fiancé had cheated on me with my sister.

They had always acted like they couldn't stand each other in front of me.

Willow always told me that my fiancé had no status, no inheritance rights, and that even his business ventures relied on my family's connections.

"How can an illegitimate son of the Hiltons be worthy of my sister?"

Zachary complained that Willow was too clingy, always tagging along and giving us no privacy for proper dates.

"I've never seen a younger sister who's so protective to the point of being annoying."

I almost couldn't hold back my tears anymore as a wave of dizziness and ringing in my ears hit me.

Willow quickly reached out to steady me, her tone laced with mock scolding as she snapped at Zachary.

"This is all your fault! Is this how you take care of Eve? Look how exhausted she is!

"I'm warning you, Zachary! I won't let you marry Eve if you can't prove yourself!"

She held me close, way too close. So close that I could hear a strange buzzing vibration coming from her body.

The words I overheard in the restroom echoed in my ears.

"Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out."

In an instant, I realized where that buzzing came from. I shoved Willow away and started gagging.

Zachary noticed something was wrong and leaned in before tenderly asking me what was going on.

He looked at me with concern, one hand gently rubbing my back while the other reaching into his pocket, fiddling with something.

His hand was dry and warm, but it felt like a cold, venomous snake slithering across my back while flicking its tongue.

Willow was trembling more and more, her face unnaturally flushed.

And then, I couldn't stop the memory from rushing back.

When we were heading out together earlier, the two of them were bickering in front of me, supposedly fighting for my attention.

They were so dramatic they even broke character and started laughing mid-argument.

At that time, I was stupidly happy, thinking the tension between them had finally eased.

It turned out that they were just treating me as a tool in their twisted play—treating me like a fool.

Once we got home, Zachary barely had time to tell me to get some rest before making up an excuse about work and heading out.

If this had been before, I would've been touched—thinking he was so busy yet still took the time to bring me home, so considerate and caring.

But now, that kind of superficial concern felt unbearably fake.

Before I could dwell too long in my sorrow, Mom called.

"Honey, Thomas has agreed to the marriage. I always thought he was a good match, and look—he said yes right away.

"He wants both families to have dinner together the day after tomorrow and make it official. I know you like Zachary, but if he doesn't treat you right, just leave him. Okay?"

Tears streamed down my face in an instant. I forced myself to say "okay" through the lump in my throat.

Zachary, I wouldn't marry you anymore. After such a disgusting betrayal, the sooner things ended, the better.

Looking around my home, I suddenly realized—traces of Willow and him were everywhere. I just never noticed before.

The first time I brought Willow over, she already knew where my bedroom was before I even said anything.

She never once asked me for the Wi-Fi password—she was already connected.

And then there were all those identical bags and makeup items we had.

Some were gifts from Zachary, supposedly to bribe his future sister-in-law, and some she bought herself, claiming that sisters should use the same stuff.

I couldn't stay here anymore.

Everything in this place—every decoration, every item—stabbed at me like knives.

I floored the gas pedal and drove straight to the villa at Halcyon Gardens.

The villa was one of Zachary's properties.

From afar, I could already hear noise coming from the courtyard.

Willow and Zachary were both there.

Work emergency, huh? What a great excuse.

Rage surged through me. So he left me alone despite knowing I wasn't feeling well—just to come see Willow?

How many times had he lied to me over the past three years?

Through the fence, I could see them by the pool.

Zachary's close friends were there too—the people who were supposed to be our groomsmen and bridesmaids.

Zachary looked drunk, eyes unfocused, half-lying on Willow while biting her neck. The people around them cheered teasingly.

"Zachary, come on now. We know Yvonne has the title, but Willow's the real deal!"

"Exactly! Look at how pretty and sensible Willow is!"

"If it weren't for Yvonne forcing him into marriage just because of her family's status, who would even want her with her stuck-up attitude?"

One of the groomsmen popped open a champagne bottle and laughed heartily as Willow playfully shoved both him and Zachary into the pool.

"She's my sister! You guys better not badmouth her in front of me!"

Zachary resurfaced, water dripping down his body as he pinned Willow down and kissed her.

Everyone kept laughing and teasing. It was obvious that Willow pulled this kind of joke often. She never took me seriously.

The groomsman in the water slicked back his hair and brought me up again. "Zachary, you're getting married to Yvonne next week. Don't you think kissing her sister today is a bit much?"

"Haha, come on. If we don't say anything, even if he sleeps with Willow tonight, Yvonne wouldn't know a thing."

Zachary finally ended that passionate kiss, letting Willow help towel him off.

Someone then asked, "Zachary, are you going back home tonight?"

Willow crouched in front of him, looking up with big, pitiful eyes.

Zachary patted her head like she was a pet dog.

"Yvonne loves Willow more than anything. Now that Willow's pregnant, of course I'm staying to take care of her."

Then, he picked up his phone and fiddled with it casually before grinning at the others.

"Alright, phone's off. Now nothing can ruin the mood."

I was just about to lose control and completely break down when my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Zachary.

"Darling, I have to work overtime tonight. I miss you so much.

"We're getting married in just a few days. I'll finish everything up soon so I can take you on our honeymoon."

I had no idea how many times I drove around the riverside highway in Santerra City. The sky had already begun to turn bright with the first light of dawn.

I thought about so many things.

Willow wasn't my biological sister.

Her mother used to work as a housekeeper in our home. She passed away suddenly from a severe illness, and no one could reach any of Willow's other relatives.

She was just a little three-year-old back then, always chasing after me and calling me "Eve".

Eventually, my parents just decided to raise her. They thought she could be a companion for me.

We grew up together with the children from the Hiltons, and over time, I had come to see her as my real family.

So, I never imagined—not once—that the two of them would betray me. That my little sister was now pregnant with my fiancé's baby.

As I drove with nowhere to go, lost in uncertainty, my phone rang.

It was the hospital.

"Ms. Langley, your premarital medical checkup results are in. You are currently five weeks pregnant."

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. This baby had come at the worst possible time. I couldn't bring it into a world like this.

I returned home to get my ID, preparing to have an abortion. But when I walked in, Zachary was sitting on the couch.

Seeing me, his eyes lit up with joy.

"Yvonne, where did you go? I've been waiting forever. I finished working late and came straight home to wait for you.

"I didn't sleep all night, and I even brought your favorite cake."

If he truly loved me, he would've noticed the bed was still perfectly made.

I looked worn out and exhausted, like someone who had been out all night. Compared to him, I was the one who looked like they'd been working overtime.

He pulled me down to sit with him on the couch and cut a slice of cake for me.

"We're getting married next week. Today marks exactly one week before our wedding."

The way he looked at me, so full of emotion and attention—it was nothing short of ironic. But maybe this was a fitting end. A perfect close to a rotten chapter.

The cake touched my tongue—cheap cream, greasy and cloying, sticking to the roof of my mouth. Just like this relationship—cheap and sickening.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. Cold sweat broke out all over my body, and it felt like something was lodged in my throat. Red rashes began to break out across my hands and body.

Zachary panicked and quickly apologized.

"Yvonne, I'm sorry! I forgot you're allergic to peanuts! I'll take you to the hospital right now!"

He grabbed the car keys and was about to rush out, but at that moment, a call came through.

"Zachary, my stomach really hurts. I think something's wrong with the baby. Can you come check on us?"

Zachary froze.

After a moment of hesitation, he leaned toward me and said softly, "Yvonne, the project data is all messed up. I'll call you a ride. Just go to the hospital yourself, okay?"

My face was ashen, the severe allergic reaction twisting my stomach into knots. I was quickly losing strength.

"Zachary, save me. Take me to the hospital..."

Then, from the phone, Willow's voice suddenly grew louder. "Zachary, I'm bleeding!"

Zachary didn't hesitate anymore. He looked at me once, dropped a quick "I called you a car," and disappeared from sight.

Two silent tears slid down my cheeks.

I wanted to live. I had to!

I would never let that vile pair keep humiliating me—openly or in the shadows—ever again.