Chapter 2

Lila bit down so hard on her lower lip that she tasted blood. Her nails dug into her palms, leaving deep, stinging marks that split the skin. When this all started, the engagement between the Wynns and the Steeles had just been a business arrangement. Lila hadn't loved Dominic at all. But for the sake of the family company, she'd followed Kevin's plan and started seeing Dominic. Then, Wynn Group began to slide. Deals fell through, the numbers got worse every quarter, and bankruptcy loomed. It was Dominic who wired in fresh capital and hauled Kevin back from the cliff. He'd even taken the initiative to propose the engagement, just to calm the anxious Wynn Group shareholders. Lila had told herself Dominic only did it for the sake of the overall situation so that people wouldn't say the Steeles were fair-weather friends. Once the Wynn Group stabilized, he'd probably call off the engagement and walk away. However, he didn't do so. He remembered everything about Lila, even her menstrual cycle. Whenever she had cramps, he stayed with her the whole time, hovering at her side and making her hot herbal tea. When Dominic's mother, Beatrice Langford, made things difficult for Lila, he would step in again and again, openly taking Lila's side. When he chose to play the doting fiance, he was everything she'd ever imagined a partner could be. Over time, she really did fall for him. Six months ago, Dominic had been kidnapped by a business rival. To get him out, Lila had gone alone into the enemy's hideout. She had brought Dominic back alive, but she lost her baby. Fear that he'd blame himself, she kept that pregnancy to herself and never spoke of it again. But after the kidnapping, Dominic's attitude toward her shifted overnight. He stopped touching her and hardly came home at all. After that, the scandals kept coming. Lila thought he'd fallen out of love, so she told him they should call off the engagement. But Dominic said people in their business field laughed at anyone who was too devoted. Those women were just for fun. No one could threaten her place as his future wife. To coax her back, he kept raising his paddle at the auction, all so he could win the pink diamond she loved and give it to her. He had gotten behind the wheel in the middle of the night, driven clear across Harborlyn, and come back with her favorite pastries still warm in the box. Years of feelings didn't vanish just because she decided they should. Besides, most of the time, those scandals really were just rumors. She'd never actually walked in on him with anyone. So, Lila softened and let it go. She kept telling herself to give him one more chance. Sooner or later, he'd come back to her. She never imagined that all her patience and all her effort would only make Dominic push things further. He'd convinced himself that she couldn't leave him. That was why he kept testing how far he could push. What he didn't realize was how every disappointment made her feelings for him fade gradually. And now, that very last ember had gone out. Lila's heart twisted with pain. She opened the door and walked straight into a swarm of paparazzi waiting outside. Cameras and microphones were shoved toward her at once. "Ms. Wynn, Mr. Steele just said the woman in there is his new girlfriend. Is that true?" "He also said you two broke up a long time ago. What's really going on?" "Mr. Steele's new flame said you're her sister. She claims he's been waiting for her to grow up and that he was only playing around with you. Mr. Steele didn't deny it. He even smiled at her as if he agreed to it. Do you have anything to say about that?" Lila had no idea how she got out of that hotel. By the time her thoughts caught up, she was already sitting in the back seat of a car, staring blankly out the window. Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Beatrice. "Lila," Beatrice snapped the moment the call connected. "I thought you knew your boundaries. I didn't expect you to indulge your sister and let her seduce Dominic, turning everything into such a disgrace! Get back here immediately and apologize!" The line went dead with a sharp beep. Lila let out a brittle laugh. Every breath burned all the way through her chest. She'd been engaged to Dominic for five years and hadn't had a single day of real peace. Beatrice was strict and controlling. From the day the engagement was set, she'd laid down rule after rule, demanding that Lila be the perfect, virtuous wife. Lila had to be up at 6:00 am every morning to wait on Beatrice and help her wash up. Even the fish soup Beatrice had every day had to be meticulously deboned and prepared by Lila. On top of that, she had to follow Beatrice to every social event with the other wealthy wives in Harborlyn. Lila was never praised for doing things right, yet the slightest misstep would have Beatrice tearing into her. She'd apologize, yet she was punished over and over again. Under the long sleeves and pants she always wore, her skin was bruised everywhere. That night at the Steele family hall, the temperature had dropped sharply. Lila knelt on the freezing stone floor, the chill climbing from her knees into every bone. Regret and resentment pressed hard against her chest. She knelt there the entire night. By dawn, her body was numb, as if her legs no longer belonged to her. While she shivered in the family hall, Dominic stayed with Pearl. He didn't even send Lila a single message. It wasn't until the next morning that Lila was finally allowed to leave. She dragged her exhausted body back to the villa. Before she could even sit down, Kevin called and sounded anxious. "Pearl said she's with Dominic now and wants to break off her engagement with Ethan. What on earth is going on?" He didn't wait for her to answer before barreling on. "You've failed to win Dominic's heart after all this time. Then, you can take Pearl's place and marry Ethan instead." The call cut off a moment later. Lila let out a low, humorless laugh. Just as she'd expected, she was the one who had to marry Ethan instead. But this time, she wasn't going to let anyone slot her wherever they pleased. If it were all just for business, then she'd at least choose someone who actually loved her. She opened her contacts, scrolled to a name she'd once blocked, and pulled him out of her blacklist. "Mr. Porter, I'll end things with Dominic as soon as I can. Does your promise still stand?"