Beneath the swirling lights, Lorelei clung to Ryan, appearing like the perfect couple everyone envied. No one seemed to notice that I wasn't the bride, nor did they care about my absence. It was as if all the guests had agreed that Lorelei was the woman Ryan intended to marry. But soon, my mother sensed something was wrong. With the murmurs of the crowd around her, she rushed forward, her voice ringing out in accusation. "Where's Alexis? Why are you with this woman?" All eyes turned to her, focusing intently on the confrontation. Lorelei feigned concern, grabbing my mother's hand. "Mrs. Harding, Alexis didn't show up. You can't blame Ryan for that!" My mother, however, didn't buy her flimsy excuse. She immediately pulled her hand away, fury lighting up her eyes. "You've tried to sabotage Alexis more than once! You must have done something to keep her from coming! What did you do with my daughter?" My mother's urgent questions ignited whispers among the guests. "
Everyone immediately covered their mouths and noses, yet they still couldn't suppress their nausea. "Why does it smell so bad? It's like something died in here!" Lorelei said, her voice tinged with disdain. Ryan frowned but pressed on deeper into the basement. The room remained shrouded in darkness, yet I felt no fear. To me, there was nothing scary about the dark. People were the true source of terror. A beam of light slivered through the gap in the door as they approached until the assistant flipped on a light switch nearby. The sudden brightness made Ryan squint, while Lorelei gasped in shock. "Ah!" she exclaimed, her trembling finger pointing at something in the distance as her eyes widened with feigned terror. But her act was too transparent; the corners of her mouth twitched upwards despite her horror. Ryan followed her gaze and froze in place, staring at the sight before him. I instantly recognized my body. The lifeless form lay shriveled and pale, d
He tightened his grip on my hand slowly, then suddenly let go. I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. "Ryan, I really didn't do any of this! It wasn't me!" I pleaded while carefully tugging at his shirt, but he shrugged me off with a swift motion. "Alexis, I'll marry you, but don't expect anything else!" He threw that line at me before slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone on the cold floor, where I sat for the entire night. And it just so happened to be my birthday. I had prepared dinner, lit candles, and bought a cake, eagerly waiting for Ryan to come home and celebrate together in a warm, cozy atmosphere. But his words shattered all my expectations, leaving me with nothing but a feeling of foolishness. I thought we loved each other enough. I didn't realize that our trust was as fragile as glass when it came to Lorelei. But looking back now, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would; there was only a slight ache in my heart. Perhaps this was a good omen.
Thud! The club struck my head with a brutal force, instantly plunging me into darkness. When I finally came to, I found myself under the bright white lights of a hospital room. I tried to sit up, but Scott, rushing to my side, gently pressed me back down. "Don't move! You need to be careful with that head injury!" Glancing around, the reality of my situation settled in, but thoughts of Ryan made me anxious. I grasped his sleeve, pleading, "Where's Ryan? Is he okay?" Scott let out a resigned sigh, patting my hand. "He's fine—better than fine! Why are you still worrying about him?" Despite his reassurance, my concern for Ryan was overwhelming. I insisted on seeing him. He guided me to a hospital room, but when I caught a glimpse inside, my heart seized painfully as my breath hitched. Through the small opening of the door, I saw Ryan sitting by Lorelei's bedside, carefully feeding her soup. The tenderness in his expression twisted the knife deeper into my alread
Scott's expression shifted in an instant, and he grabbed Ryan by the collar, demanding, "What did you do to Alexis? Where is she? Answer me!"But Ryan seemed trapped in a nightmare, frozen in place. In a fit of rage, Scott slammed his fist into Ryan's face. "Alexis nearly got killed by those thugs, trying to save you, and you didn't even ask if she was okay. You're a monster!" With that, Scott hit him again. Ryan fell to the ground, disbelief written all over his face as he stared up at Scott. "Alexis was the one who saved me? I thought it was Lorelei. It can't be Alexis! No way!" "Meeting a scum like you was the worst thing that's ever happened to her!" Scott straddled Ryan, raining down punches with relentless fury. Ryan made no attempt to fight back, allowing Scott to kick and strike him until he had no strength left. "Don't ever let me see you again! Leave!" Scott shouted, then rushed out the door. Ryan slowly pulled himself up from the floor, looking utterly def
I still couldn't understand how we had ended up like this. When I was younger, my mother and I moved into a basement apartment. It was one of the hardest times of our lives, and I couldn't even go to school. Instead, I would sneak outside to a big tree by the schoolyard to watch the kids inside attending class. One day, I accidentally fell from the tree and landed on the ground below. Seeing that I was sobbing, a boy around my age came up to me, holding out a transparent bag filled with candies. "Don't cry, okay? Here, have some candy!" I sniffled and glanced at him, and despite my tears, the candies looked too tempting to resist. I slowly stopped crying and began to enjoy the sweet treat. He stayed with me for a long while, telling me stories I had never heard before. Later, he took my hand and walked me home. At the time, I didn't know his name; I only remembered the label on his shirt. It wasn't until I grew up that I realized those letters spelled Ryan Wolfe. What was a
"Where is Alexis Harding? Is she playing the missing trick again?"As my consciousness slowly returned, Ryan Wolfe's furious voice was the first thing I heard."Mr. Wolfe, we've looked everywhere. There's no sign of her. Do you think something might've happened to Ms. Harding?" his assistant spoke hesitantly, standing nearby.Ryan's response was to slam his glass onto the table, shattering it against the floor."What could possibly happen to her? She's doing this on purpose to humiliate me! All because I gave her a lesson for Lorelei's sake!" His chest heaved with rage, his expression twisted in fury.At that moment, a soft voice crept into the room from the doorway."Ryan, I think I just saw Alexis! And... I took a picture!"Lorelei Floyd, acting as if she had discovered something precious, held out her phone for Ryan to see.In the photo, it was unmistakably me, standing with my childhood friend, Scott Caldwell.Ryan's eyes locked on the image, and he gritted his teeth. "How
I still couldn't understand how we had ended up like this. When I was younger, my mother and I moved into a basement apartment. It was one of the hardest times of our lives, and I couldn't even go to school. Instead, I would sneak outside to a big tree by the schoolyard to watch the kids inside attending class. One day, I accidentally fell from the tree and landed on the ground below. Seeing that I was sobbing, a boy around my age came up to me, holding out a transparent bag filled with candies. "Don't cry, okay? Here, have some candy!" I sniffled and glanced at him, and despite my tears, the candies looked too tempting to resist. I slowly stopped crying and began to enjoy the sweet treat. He stayed with me for a long while, telling me stories I had never heard before. Later, he took my hand and walked me home. At the time, I didn't know his name; I only remembered the label on his shirt. It wasn't until I grew up that I realized those letters spelled Ryan Wolfe. What was a
Scott's expression shifted in an instant, and he grabbed Ryan by the collar, demanding, "What did you do to Alexis? Where is she? Answer me!"But Ryan seemed trapped in a nightmare, frozen in place. In a fit of rage, Scott slammed his fist into Ryan's face. "Alexis nearly got killed by those thugs, trying to save you, and you didn't even ask if she was okay. You're a monster!" With that, Scott hit him again. Ryan fell to the ground, disbelief written all over his face as he stared up at Scott. "Alexis was the one who saved me? I thought it was Lorelei. It can't be Alexis! No way!" "Meeting a scum like you was the worst thing that's ever happened to her!" Scott straddled Ryan, raining down punches with relentless fury. Ryan made no attempt to fight back, allowing Scott to kick and strike him until he had no strength left. "Don't ever let me see you again! Leave!" Scott shouted, then rushed out the door. Ryan slowly pulled himself up from the floor, looking utterly def
Thud! The club struck my head with a brutal force, instantly plunging me into darkness. When I finally came to, I found myself under the bright white lights of a hospital room. I tried to sit up, but Scott, rushing to my side, gently pressed me back down. "Don't move! You need to be careful with that head injury!" Glancing around, the reality of my situation settled in, but thoughts of Ryan made me anxious. I grasped his sleeve, pleading, "Where's Ryan? Is he okay?" Scott let out a resigned sigh, patting my hand. "He's fine—better than fine! Why are you still worrying about him?" Despite his reassurance, my concern for Ryan was overwhelming. I insisted on seeing him. He guided me to a hospital room, but when I caught a glimpse inside, my heart seized painfully as my breath hitched. Through the small opening of the door, I saw Ryan sitting by Lorelei's bedside, carefully feeding her soup. The tenderness in his expression twisted the knife deeper into my alread
He tightened his grip on my hand slowly, then suddenly let go. I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. "Ryan, I really didn't do any of this! It wasn't me!" I pleaded while carefully tugging at his shirt, but he shrugged me off with a swift motion. "Alexis, I'll marry you, but don't expect anything else!" He threw that line at me before slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone on the cold floor, where I sat for the entire night. And it just so happened to be my birthday. I had prepared dinner, lit candles, and bought a cake, eagerly waiting for Ryan to come home and celebrate together in a warm, cozy atmosphere. But his words shattered all my expectations, leaving me with nothing but a feeling of foolishness. I thought we loved each other enough. I didn't realize that our trust was as fragile as glass when it came to Lorelei. But looking back now, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would; there was only a slight ache in my heart. Perhaps this was a good omen.
Everyone immediately covered their mouths and noses, yet they still couldn't suppress their nausea. "Why does it smell so bad? It's like something died in here!" Lorelei said, her voice tinged with disdain. Ryan frowned but pressed on deeper into the basement. The room remained shrouded in darkness, yet I felt no fear. To me, there was nothing scary about the dark. People were the true source of terror. A beam of light slivered through the gap in the door as they approached until the assistant flipped on a light switch nearby. The sudden brightness made Ryan squint, while Lorelei gasped in shock. "Ah!" she exclaimed, her trembling finger pointing at something in the distance as her eyes widened with feigned terror. But her act was too transparent; the corners of her mouth twitched upwards despite her horror. Ryan followed her gaze and froze in place, staring at the sight before him. I instantly recognized my body. The lifeless form lay shriveled and pale, d
Beneath the swirling lights, Lorelei clung to Ryan, appearing like the perfect couple everyone envied. No one seemed to notice that I wasn't the bride, nor did they care about my absence. It was as if all the guests had agreed that Lorelei was the woman Ryan intended to marry. But soon, my mother sensed something was wrong. With the murmurs of the crowd around her, she rushed forward, her voice ringing out in accusation. "Where's Alexis? Why are you with this woman?" All eyes turned to her, focusing intently on the confrontation. Lorelei feigned concern, grabbing my mother's hand. "Mrs. Harding, Alexis didn't show up. You can't blame Ryan for that!" My mother, however, didn't buy her flimsy excuse. She immediately pulled her hand away, fury lighting up her eyes. "You've tried to sabotage Alexis more than once! You must have done something to keep her from coming! What did you do with my daughter?" My mother's urgent questions ignited whispers among the guests. "
"Ryan, what do we do now? There are so many guests outside!" Lorelei blinked her large, innocent eyes, looking every bit the pure angel she pretended to be."It's all my fault! I'm sure Alexis didn't show up because she's mad at me! I'm so sorry, Ryan!" As her eyes began to well up with tears, Ryan immediately softened, his anger fading away. He gently pulled her into his arms, running his fingers through her long, dark hair. "It's not your fault. It's her fault for not showing up to the wedding and running off with some other man! She's the one to blame!"Lorelei snuggled into him, sobbing as if she had suffered the greatest injustice. "Hey, don't cry. I know you're upset about me, but a woman as wicked as Lorelei doesn't deserve to be my wife!" He used nearly every insulting word in the book to describe me, while Lorelei would always be the pure, virtuous one in his eyes. But only I knew the darkness lurking beneath her sweet facade. The day I tried on wedding dresses,
"Where is Alexis Harding? Is she playing the missing trick again?"As my consciousness slowly returned, Ryan Wolfe's furious voice was the first thing I heard."Mr. Wolfe, we've looked everywhere. There's no sign of her. Do you think something might've happened to Ms. Harding?" his assistant spoke hesitantly, standing nearby.Ryan's response was to slam his glass onto the table, shattering it against the floor."What could possibly happen to her? She's doing this on purpose to humiliate me! All because I gave her a lesson for Lorelei's sake!" His chest heaved with rage, his expression twisted in fury.At that moment, a soft voice crept into the room from the doorway."Ryan, I think I just saw Alexis! And... I took a picture!"Lorelei Floyd, acting as if she had discovered something precious, held out her phone for Ryan to see.In the photo, it was unmistakably me, standing with my childhood friend, Scott Caldwell.Ryan's eyes locked on the image, and he gritted his teeth. "How