The day I was trying on my wedding gown. My sister, Olivia, still bandaged from her car accident, bolted out of the hospital and burst into the bridal salon. “Sophia, you can’t marry Kevin Blackwood!” Olivia clung to my arm, her face a mask of frantic urgency. “Sophia, please believe me. I’ve been reborn. Kevin doesn’t love you at all. The one he truly loves is your best friend. He’s only marrying you to spite Clara Evans.” “Three years from now, he’ll torment you relentlessly to force a divorce, making your life a living hell. Mom, driven by worry, will fall ill and pass away from grief. Dad, trying to protect you, will be beaten into a cripple by Kevin’s bodyguards. And I… I’ll die in a car accident orchestrated by Kevin and Clara!” Olivia cried out, heedless of her surroundings, tears brimming in her eyes. My first thought was that she had lost her mind. Reborn? How could that be? And as for Kevin loving my best friend? They didn’t even know each other. My best friend and I had known each other since high school. After college, she moved abroad. She wouldn’t have returned to the country if she hadn’t heard I was getting married. In fact, her whole reason for coming back was to be my bridesmaid. We had been best friends for five years, and I’d never once heard of any interaction between her and Kevin. “Olivia, darling, did the accident hit your head? You need to go back to the hospital and rest.” I patiently coaxed her, biting back my irritation. Olivia’s grip on my hand loosened, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. “Sophia, given another chance, I won’t let you step into that hellish marriage again.” She was my sister, my own flesh and blood. Even with doubts, I needed to get a clear explanation before dismissing her. So I asked Olivia, “You say you’ve been reborn. Do you have any proof?” Olivia’s gaze darkened. She slowly said, “Sophia, at five o’clock this afternoon, a fire will break out here. Kevin will abandon you to save your best friend, Clara Evans.” My pupils abruptly constricted. I was about to speak, but Clara Evans’ sudden appearance cut me off. “Sophia!” It was Clara, my best friend. She walked over and hugged me tightly. Olivia seemed terrified of Clara. Her face instantly went ashen the moment she saw her. Noticing Olivia’s unusual reaction, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you feeling unwell?” “Sophia, my head feels a bit dizzy. Could you please call a cab to take me back to the hospital?” Olivia interjected. I nodded. “Of course.” I pulled out my phone and called a cab for Olivia to return to the hospital. After Olivia left. Clara teased me. “Sophia, I can’t believe you’re getting married so soon! Congratulations, finding a fiancé who cherishes and loves you like Kevin does.” I replied, “What about you? All these years abroad, didn’t you find a boyfriend you liked?” Clara chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I’m all alone, a permanent singleton. I doubt anyone will ever love me…” As Clara finished speaking, I was about to offer some comfort. My fiancé, Kevin Blackwood, suddenly emerged from a corner. “Sophia, how’s the wedding dress fitting going?” As he spoke, Kevin came over to me. Dressed in a sharp suit, he exuded an air of elegant handsomeness. Kevin was born into a prominent family; his parents were the CEOs of a publicly traded corporation. He came from a privileged background but lacked the notorious womanizing habits often seen in wealthy families. Kevin and I fell in love at first sight. After we became official, he was incredibly devoted to me, showering me with affection as if he wanted to place the entire world at my feet. Everyone in our circle said Kevin had fallen head over heels for me. Kevin and I had been together for five years, and he had proposed countless times. I only finally said yes to his proposal a month ago. When I accepted, he even cried, telling me, “Sophia, I’ll be good to you for the rest of my life.” Five years of shared life made it impossible for me to believe that the gentle, refined Kevin standing before me would, in the third year of our marriage, torment me to the point of wishing for death. Snapping back to reality, I said to Kevin, “I haven’t tried it on yet…” “Go on, try on your dress, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you in your wedding gown.” Kevin leaned in and kissed my cheek. Today, Kevin was… exceptionally mushy. It wasn't quite like him; it was almost as if he were deliberately trying to provoke someone. I glanced at my best friend. She stood silently, her gaze lowered. Kevin quickly scanned her, but there was no strange emotion on his face. Was I overthinking this? Just then, Clara also urged me, “Go on, try on your dress. I’m really looking forward to seeing you in your gown too.” With a soft hum, I walked into the bridal shop’s fitting room, both of them watching with anticipation. As I tried on the dress, I deliberately pulled open the curtain to glance outside. Kevin and Clara were standing in separate corners. Kevin was on the phone, while Clara sat lost in thought. They weren’t doing anything suspicious while I was trying on the dress. Maybe I really was imagining things. Closing the curtain, I slipped into the wedding gown I had carefully chosen. The gown was quite intricate to put on, taking a considerable amount of effort. Just as I finished changing and was about to emerge, I pulled back the curtain, and a thick, suffocating smoke billowed in, stinging my eyes shut. It was actually on fire? And it was exactly five o’clock. My heart turned to ice. The thick smoke blurred my vision. Kevin and Clara, who had been waiting outside for me, were nowhere to be seen. “Kevin! Clara!” I cried out, struggling to move through the smoke, dragging the heavy wedding dress as I desperately tried to find the exit. Every step I took, the smoke choked me, sending me into coughing fits. Thankfully, the next moment, I saw Kevin. “Kevin!” Before joy could even register, I heard Clara’s violent coughing. I turned, intending to help her, but someone was faster. Kevin practically slid on his knees to Clara’s side. At the same moment, a blazing timber suddenly plummeted from above, smashing down on me. The searing pain made me gasp, tears blurring my vision. “Hang in there. Don’t be afraid, I’ll get you out!” Kevin acted as if I didn’t exist, his entire focus solely on Clara. Flames licked at his back, his face flushed red from the heat, yet he still shielded Clara protectively. So, my sister had been telling the truth all along. Clara, it turned out, was Kevin’s true love. The fire continued to spread, the thick smoke stinging my eyes, blinding me. All I could do was watch through tears as Kevin carried Clara away, disappearing into the smoke. My leg was pinned under a fallen pillar, leaving me unable to move. I gazed at the doorway, filled with a desperate hope, fantasizing that Kevin, remembering our five years together, would come back for me. But even as I drifted towards unconsciousness, Kevin never reappeared. … When I woke up again, I was in a hospital room. “Sophia, you’re awake.” I opened my eyes to see Kevin’s anxious face, just as it had always been. “Sophia.” Clara also stood by my bedside, calling my name, her voice as gentle as it had been in high school. My head suddenly throbbed with intense pain. The two people I trusted most had abandoned me in a burning building. “Sophia, I can explain what happened in the fire.” Kevin said, seeing my furrowed brow. He saw my tightly furrowed brows and began to explain: “The situation in the fire was incredibly urgent. I saw your best friend was in a much worse condition. I was afraid if something truly happened to her, you’d be heartbroken too.” “So I rescued her first. But when I tried to rush back into the fire for you, the flames were already too intense. I was blocked at the entrance and couldn't get through. Then, I passed out myself.” “I did want to save you, Sophia.” Kevin looked at me, his face a picture of sincerity. “Yes, the situation was so critical,” Clara echoed, “After Kevin set me down, he turned right back and plunged into the inferno, trying to save you.” “He truly values you more than his own life.” Clara also wore a solemn, heartfelt expression. I was almost swayed by their feigned sincerity. But the image of Kevin carrying Clara away was burned into my mind. Did they really think I was so easily deceived? “I’d like to be alone for a bit.” Using the excuse of needing rest, I sent Kevin and Clara away. “Sophia.” Olivia walked in. “Do you believe me now?” Olivia asked. I softly hummed. “You were right…” Seeing my acceptance, Olivia continued, “Sophia, I want to take you somewhere else.” Olivia brought me to Kevin’s private estate. “Why did you bring me to my own house?” I asked Olivia. This was supposed to be Kevin’s and my marital home. I had never brought Olivia here before. “We’re here.” Olivia stopped in front of a sprawling villa. I immediately recognized Kevin’s car. “Daddy!” A small boy rushed forward and hugged Kevin. Kevin lifted him high, spinning him around. “Leo, did you miss Daddy? It’s been so long, Daddy missed you terribly.” I stood rooted to the spot, utterly bewildered. Daddy? Kevin had a child? Who was the child’s mother? It couldn’t be… “Kevin, you spoil him too much. Didn’t you say you were swamped at the office today? How did you manage to come back?” The familiar voice froze me in place. It was Clara. “I postponed the meeting. Didn’t Leo say he missed Daddy? Of course, Daddy had to come and spend time with you.” Kevin lovingly pinched the little boy’s cheek. Kevin and Clara… they even had a child together? “Then Mommy and Daddy have to sleep together tonight too, okay? Leo will supervise you both.” The child’s innocent voice rang out. Kevin’s expression didn’t change at all; if anything, he smiled even wider. “Of course! We’re a family, so we’ll naturally sleep together.” Kevin’s lips curved into a smile, his gaze fixed intently on Clara. Clara’s face flushed. She feigned a playful scold. “The child’s still here! What are you saying?” Kevin pulled Clara into a fierce embrace, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “What does it matter? Aren’t I just speaking the truth? You’re my wife. What’s wrong with that?” Wife? A bitter, desolate smile twisted my lips. Clara is your wife, then what about me? Kevin had lied to me for five whole years! I trembled with rage. “Once I take everything from the Vance family, I’ll formally bring you and Leo into our home. I’ll give you everything I have.” Kevin looked at Clara, his voice dripping with affection. Everything from the Vance family? My fists clenched uncontrollably, my nails digging into my flesh until crimson blood welled and dripped. The man I had loved for five years had been using me from the very beginning. And he wanted to destroy everything I held dear. It was utterly pathetic. “Sophia, in the third year of your marriage, Clara crippled your hands. She knew what you cherished most. And after my car accident… my legs were crippled too. I became a useless invalid. I couldn’t even avenge you. I truly was useless.” Olivia said, her voice filled with bitter self-reproach. Olivia forced a wry smile. My nose stung. “It’s all my fault. I was a terrible judge of character. I brought ruin upon our family. I won’t make that mistake again, Olivia.” I hugged Olivia tightly, my eyes blazing with a fierce, burning hatred. I would make them pay. …
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