Chapter 1

"Kevin, do you dare to run away from the wedding?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "Why not?"

"Even if I run away a million times, she'll always track me down, get on her knees, and beg me to marry her. Besides, she's already pregnant."

Kevin Hendrix had bailed on his wedding five times, once even abandoning me to throw a birthday party for his ex-lover, a pampered "golden bird." He shipped me off abroad for three whole months to make it happen.

When I returned to the airport, Kevin greeted me with his signature smirk, teasingly coaxing me:

"Spending three months with me was Annie's birthday wish. But now that you're back, we'll have the wedding in a week."

What he didn’t know, however, was that this time, I came back only to say goodbye.

Because I was about to marry someone else.

The airport.

Kevin Hendrix was holding me tenderly, murmuring apologies in a low voice, trying to win me over.

I took a small step forward, effortlessly slipping out of his embrace.

His expression darkened instantly, displeasure evident in his eyes. In a cold tone, he said, "I thought you’d understand me. Besides, spending three months abroad? You could’ve treated it as a vacation. Was it really worth getting upset over?"

I was just about to tell him I wasn’t angry when his phone rang, a distinctive ringtone meant for someone special.

The moment he saw the caller ID, his furrowed brow smoothed out, and a hint of joy flickered in his gaze.

He quickly moved away to take the call, chatting for a long while.

When Kevin returned, he waved the phone in front of me. "Guess what Annie said? She’s planned a welcome-back party just for you."

"That’s something you could never match. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to still be so petty," he added with a faint smirk.

Before I could decline, he grabbed my luggage and started heading toward the parking lot.

On the way, he asked about the baby I was supposedly carrying but spent the rest of the time on a call with Annie Sylvie.

Inside the private room at the venue.

Annie dashed toward Kevin like an excited little bunny and naturally looped her arm around his.

"Kevin, tell me something. Everyone’s saying my diamond ring is fake, claiming you’d only give the one-of-a-kind Azure Star to Rosalie. Is that true?"

The moment she finished speaking, the room fell silent. All eyes were on Kevin, waiting for his answer.

He hesitated briefly before affectionately patting her head with a soft chuckle. "You’re such a good girl. How could I possibly give you something fake?"

Annie’s face lit up with triumph. She glanced at the others smugly before her gaze landed on my hand.

"In that case, Rosalie, the ring on your finger must be fake. What a pity. Maybe you should take it off to avoid being ridiculed."

Her words made every gaze in the room shift to me.

Instinctively, I covered the ring with my other hand, curling my lips into a faint smile. "It doesn’t matter. I like this ring very much."

Kevin, sitting closest to me, caught the subtle tension in my voice, his brows twitching slightly. But he said nothing further.

Although the party was supposedly in my honor, Kevin and Annie were the undeniable stars of the show.

As I stood to make an excuse to leave, Annie suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground.

Kevin sprang up instantly, crouching down beside her with a panicked expression, sweat forming on his brow.

Annie’s voice was faint and trembling. "Rosalie, do you find me such an eyesore? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have overstepped or even existed. Maybe then you wouldn’t hate me so much…"

I hadn’t said a word, yet suddenly, I became the target of everyone’s scorn.

Their accusing gazes bore into me, sharp and disdainful.

They said I was petty, incapable of tolerating Annie, and had driven her to a heart attack.

Hurriedly, I tried to explain, "I didn’t—"

But before I could finish, Kevin’s icy voice cut through the room.

"Rosalie, apologize to Annie immediately, or I’ll never forgive you!"

His unyielding roar left no room for argument, drawing a collective gasp from the crowd.

What followed was a chorus of people urging me to apologize.

"Just apologize to Annie already! She has a congenital heart condition. If you really upset her, Kevin Hendrix won’t let you off easily."

"Exactly, exactly! Kevin has already decided to marry you. There’s no need to let such a small issue ruin things," another chimed in.

Chapter 2

Seeing that I had no intention of apologizing, Kevin’s face darkened, the veins on his forehead bulging in anger. Without another word, he scooped Annie up in a princess carry.

As he passed by me, he stopped momentarily, his eyes cold and piercing, radiating fury. With a dismissive snort, he carried Annie out of the room.

The party ended on a sour note.

Outside the restaurant, I flagged down a taxi, only to notice Kevin’s car still parked nearby.

Driven by curiosity, I moved closer.

Annie’s coquettish voice floated out. "Kevin, just give me a kiss, and I’ll feel better."

What followed was the unmistakable sound of a deep, forceful kiss.

Kevin sighed helplessly. "Next time, don’t scare me like that. You have no idea how worried I was."

Annie quickly burrowed into his chest, pouting as she whined, "I know, I know. You’re the best, Kevin..."

The sounds of intimacy that followed made my stomach churn.

I turned to leave in a hurry but stumbled on the steps, the loud thud of my fall echoing through the quiet night.

The noise startled the two in the car.

Through the rearview mirror, Kevin spotted me. He quickly stepped out, rushing over to crouch beside me.

"Rosalie, what happened? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Though it wasn’t directly related to me, remembering what I’d overheard moments ago made my stomach twist. I pushed his hand away as he tried to help me up.

His expression shifted to one of complex emotions, but he raised his voice, scolding me. "This is no time to be stubborn!"

He knelt and rolled up my pant leg, revealing a scraped knee with a bleeding gash.

Seeing this, Kevin’s face filled with guilt as he turned to Annie. "Annie, take a cab home. I need to take Rosalie to the hospital."

Annie stomped her foot in frustration, her face twisting into a pout, but eventually huffed off.

Kevin hesitated for a moment but didn’t follow her. Instead, he carried me to the front passenger seat.

On the way to the hospital, he attempted to probe, masking his concern with a calm tone. "When did you leave the restaurant?"

I kept my gaze fixed out the window, replying coldly, "I didn’t hear or see anything."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his frustration boiled over. He slammed his hand against the wheel, his breath heavy and uneven, but he said nothing more.

At the hospital, Kevin silently registered me at the front desk, his phone ringing just once before he answered it.

I couldn’t hear what was being discussed, but he ended the call quickly, handing me over to the doctor.

"There’s an emergency at work. I have to go."

Before I could respond, he grabbed his coat and left in a rush.

Watching his retreating figure, I stayed silent as the doctor tended to my knee. Once it was bandaged, I limped outside to hail a cab home.

Just as I got into the car, I refreshed WhatsApp and saw Annie’s latest post.

An update popped up on Annie’s WhatsApp—a close-up shot of a man’s neck with a faint, pink lipstick mark.

"My boyfriend drove 30 kilometers to fix my pipes, so of course, I rewarded him with a kiss~"

The post was tagged with a specific location, undoubtedly intended for me to see.

In the past, I might have broken down, sobbing over my phone. But now, I didn’t feel the need to.

When I arrived back at Hendrix Manor and opened the door, I was startled to find Kevin sitting on the couch, casually flipping through a magazine.

As soon as he saw me, he stood up and approached quickly.

"I shouldn’t have left you alone at the hospital. I had an urgent matter at the office and just got back myself."

"How’s your knee?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of genuine concern.

I shook my head lightly, brushing it off. Kevin seemed relieved, but as I turned to head upstairs, he suddenly grabbed my right hand, inspecting the ring on my finger with a furrowed brow.

"Rosalie," he said with an edge in his voice, "where’s the one I gave you? Why did you switch it out?"

I had already made my decision about this man, so why would I cling to his diamond ring?

Calmly, I withdrew my hand and looked him in the eye.

"Because I like this one better."

I made a move to leave, but Kevin grabbed me again, his emotions growing colder by the second.

"Rosalie!"

"How can you act like a completely different person after just three months? What did I do wrong?"

"Or is this who you’ve always been—someone who tramples on others’ sincerity and pretends to be indifferent?"

His self-righteous and hypocritical words grated on my nerves. My voice rose as I snapped, "Kevin Hendrix, you know exactly what you’ve done. There’s no need to lie to yourself."

With that, I broke free and ran upstairs.

Chapter 3

Moments later, the crashing sound of his prized auctioned vase shattering echoed from downstairs, followed by Kevin’s beast-like roar of frustration filling the empty manor.

Back in the guest room, I couldn’t sleep.

I eventually decided to head down for a glass of water, but as I stepped into the moonlit kitchen, a movement outside caught my eye.

Through the window, I saw Annie sitting coquettishly on the hood of Kevin’s sports car. He tilted her chin and kissed her with evident affection.

Midway, Annie seemed to ask him something, but his initial reaction didn’t meet her expectations. Pouting, she weakly punched his chest, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Immediately, Kevin changed his tone, pacifying her until she smiled through her tears. He sealed his words with another kiss.

I pulled the curtain closed, poured myself a glass of water, and retreated upstairs.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I opened my tablet and began designing wedding invitation templates. My thoughts were unusually clear at night, and within an hour, I had completed the design and printed a few copies in the study.

As the printer hummed, Kevin suddenly pushed the door open, his tone a mix of confusion and surprise.

"Still awake? What are you doing in the study this late?"

Before I could answer, an invitation slipped from the printer, drawing his attention.

Perfect.

I picked up a pen from the desk, filled in the names of the bride and groom, along with the wedding date, then handed it to him.

"This is our wedding invitation. It’s for you."

Kevin stared at the invitation in stunned silence before a cold chuckle escaped his lips.

"Rosalie, you were the one putting on airs earlier, and now you’re the one forcing this wedding on me? Aren’t you being a bit too willful?"

With that, he arrogantly tossed the invitation into the trash and leaned back in the chair, utterly composed.

"You think you can just declare we’re getting married like it’s a done deal? What do you take me for?"

"I’ll wait until you come to your senses and realize your mistakes. Then we can talk about the wedding."

Watching Kevin’s self-assured demeanor, I felt no urge to argue further. Without a word, I slammed the door and left.

The next morning, I woke feeling feverish, my whole body trembling, and my temples throbbing.

Summoning all my strength, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, where I found a plate of fried eggs on the counter.

Without thinking, I grabbed one and shoved it into my mouth.

Before I could swallow, a firm grip yanked me back, nearly making me lose my balance.

When I looked up, I saw Kevin glaring at me, a glimmer of disdain in his eyes.

"Those eggs weren’t for you."

"You didn’t even ask. Just grabbed them with your hands and stuffed them into your mouth. Look at yourself—what kind of mess are you?"

Too drained to argue, I leaned weakly against the counter, my energy completely spent.

I watched helplessly as Kevin Hendrix tossed the rest of the fried eggs into the trash, plate and all.

As my vision blurred and I felt the onset of fainting, I instinctively reached out to steady myself on Kevin. Instead, he frowned, turned away angrily, and left the kitchen without a word.

Left to my own devices, I slumped weakly onto the floor. Once I regained a bit of energy, I dragged myself up and called a cab to take me to the hospital.

As I entered the hospital lobby, the first sight that greeted me was Annie Sylvie tightly clinging to Kevin’s arm.

The moment Kevin saw me, his expression faltered, clearly caught off guard. He opened his mouth as if to speak but ultimately said nothing.

I had no interest in engaging with them and focused on heading to the reception desk to register for treatment.

But Annie, as expected, stepped in front of me, her phone raised indignantly to show me a news article.

It was about my wedding. The headline was vague, deliberately leaving the groom’s identity unrevealed.

Tears welled up in Annie’s eyes as she accused me, her voice trembling with grievance.

"Rosalie, what is this supposed to mean?"

"Aren’t you just trying to force Kevin into marriage? Using the baby as leverage to get your way?"

My head throbbed, and my mind was spinning. I tried to gently brush past Annie, but she exaggeratedly stumbled to the ground and began sobbing loudly.

"Kevin, I just wanted to ask Rosalie if she was forcing you to marry her. I didn’t mean any harm, but she pushed me! It hurts so much…"

Kevin quickly helped Annie up, checked that she was okay, and then turned to me, his fury barely contained.

Grabbing my arm, he pulled the invitation out of his pocket and waved it in my face.

"I thought I made myself clear about the invitation yesterday. Why would you leak a story about us getting married?"

"All you’re doing is humiliating both me and Annie!"

I was on the brink of collapse, barely able to muster a faint response. "I didn’t…"