Chapter 1

"Forget it—I'll marry him!" Penelope felt a sense of relief as soon as she said those words. Her parents' laughter filled her ears. "It's good that you've figured things out, Penny. Although that fiancé of yours has been in a coma for years, he's still a handsome, capable guy. He'd be taking over their family business if he regained consciousness someday." There wouldn't be any other parents in this world that would persuade their daughter to marry a comatose man—they were even acting as if she got a good deal. Penelope smiled mockingly as she replied, "Don't worry, I won't take back my word on marrying him. I won't let your beloved adopted daughter marry on my behalf." Her father, Robert Carter, said, "What are you talking about? You're our biological daughter, but it's true that we're reluctant to part with Sab. Besides, you know that both Patrick and Gabriel like Sab—it's just not right to marry her off." Her mother, Camila Reed, continued, "The Lamberts are currently preparing for the wedding now. You should start packing up, Penny. They will send someone to take you to Jendale in two weeks." They replied perfunctorily before ending the call. As her phone screen dimmed, Penelope couldn't help but look at the photo on her desk. In the photo, she was dressed in a princess crown and wearing a tiara on her head. Robert, Camila, her brother, Patrick Carter, and childhood friend, Gabriel Shaw, were surrounding and looking at her affectionately. There was a time when everyone had wanted to be Penelope Carter. That was because they were envious of her having parents who cherished her, a brother who adored her, and a childhood friend who was completely captivated by her. Penelope thought she would continue her life happily ever after. It wasn't until she turned eighteen that she discovered that she was bound by an arranged marriage. It was an arrangement made by her grandfather, Henry Carter, before he passed. However, Penelope and Gabriel had liked each other since they were young. As such, the Carters had planned to cancel this arrangement once she grew of age. Unfortunately, her fiancé, Alexander Lambert, fell into a coma after a car accident. To avoid being labeled as heartless and untrustworthy, the Carters had no choice but to honor the engagement. But Robert and Camila couldn't bear to send Penelope, whom they had pampered for over a decade, to care for a comatose man. They were deeply troubled by this situation. In the end, the Carters came up with a solution—they would adopt another daughter to marry on Penelope's behalf. That was how Sabrina Carter, who had grown up in an orphanage and had once been homeless, was brought to the Carter residence. As the Carters felt guilty of making Sabrina take Penelope's place in marriage, they showered her with love and care as much as they could. Robert and Camila would give her a monthly allowance of five million dollars. Patrick would buy her endless luxury goods, and Gabriel did everything he could to fulfill her requests. Even Penelope herself gave up everything she had for Sabrina. She let Sabrina have her room and her trophies—she even donated her kidney when Sabrina had kidney failure. What she didn't expect was Sabrina's crude character. Sabrina had been framing and slandering Penelope after she came to live with the Carters. In just five years, Sabrina had cleverly managed to steal away everyone's attention and affection. Both Patrick and Gabriel had fallen in love with Sabrina. Even Robert and Camila had started persuading her, implying that they couldn't bear to marry Sabrina off and suggesting that Penelope fulfill the engagement herself. Penelope wasn't someone who would go back on her word. It was initially because she and Gabriel had liked each other, and she couldn't bear to be apart from her family. However, since they seemed to want Sabrina to stay now, she figured she might as well go through with the marriage. After all, the arranged marriage had been hers, to begin with. Upon recalling the date mentioned by Robert and Camila earlier, Penelope took a red pen and circled the date on the calendar two weeks from now. She wrote down the word "leaving" on the calendar before heading upstairs. At that moment, the door to the living room opened, revealing Patrick and Gabriel. Both of them hastily got up the stairs and pushed her down before she could react. Penelope screamed as she tumbled down the stairs. She hit her forehead hard against the floor and started bleeding. A sharp pain shot through her torso, making her break into a cold sweat. However, the two men upstairs showed no intention of helping her up. Instead, they took out their phones and started a video call with Sabrina. "Did you see us pushing Penny down the stairs earlier, Sab? That should make you believe that you're more important to us, right? Stop throwing a tantrum and come home, okay?" Upon hearing their words, Penelope, who was lying in her own pool of blood, widened her eyes painfully. She couldn't believe they would strike her out of the blue, all just to prove to Sabrina, who had run away from home, that she was more important than her to them. On the other end of the screen, Sabrina was moved to tears. "I believe you now, Patrick, Gabriel. I'll stop throwing a tantrum and come back now!" Both Patrick and Gabriel let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her words. They only rushed downstairs once Sabrina had ended the call. "Are you okay, Penny? Sab was feeling insecure and wanted us to prove our feelings, so we had no choice but to do this. "We were worried as she had thrown a tantrum and ran out alone. We're sorry you had to take the hit. We'll make it up to you later." Penelope was in so much pain she couldn't speak. Patrick and Gabriel started to panic and were about to send her to the hospital when Sabrina suddenly called again. She said softly, "I'm really clumsy, Patrick, Gabriel. I couldn't find my way home now!" They immediately started to worry and rushed to pick her up as soon as the call had ended. Before they left, they remembered Penelope, who was lying on the floor. "Sab lost her way, Penny. We're worried she might be in danger, so you can go to the hospital on your own." Just like that, Patrick and Gabriel abandoned her without hesitation. Penelope watched helplessly as the both of them left. Amidst the excruciating pain, she struggled with all her might and dialed 911. The wound on the back of her head continued to bleed, quickly soaking through the back of her shirt. There was only one thought on Penelope's mind before she completely lost consciousness—there wouldn't be a "later" anymore. Two weeks later, she would be leaving this city, completely cutting ties with everyone.