Jaylin went up the mountain to pay his respects to his mother, and he forbade me from going with him.
He said, “Rae, you’re being disobedient. If you dare run away, your family will be the ones to suffer!”
As punishment, he locked me in a dark basement.
I was like a bird with broken wings, completely losing my freedom.
Suddenly, the basement door was kicked open, sending dust flying everywhere.
A girl stormed in, full of fury, and without saying a word, had her men restrain me.
She was Mollie Sharpe, Jaylin’s arranged fiancee.
Mollie slapped me across the face, gritting her teeth. “Rachel, you, a disgraced daughter from a fallen family, dare to compete with me for a man?”
I swallowed down the bitterness rising in my throat. “Miss Mollie, you’re the one he personally chose to marry. Are you still worried he’ll back out?”
Even if the Bennetts hadn’t gone bankrupt, I no longer had the right to love him.
Mollie, filled with jealousy and resentment, grabbed my hair and yanked it hard.
A knife in her hand brushed against my cheek, the cold metal sending shivers down my spine.
She glared at me maliciously. “Just because you’ve slept with Jaylin, don’t think you can replace me and marry him. Once I ruin that pretty face of yours, let’s see how you’ll seduce him then!”
A chill spread from my feet to my entire body.
My voice trembled. “Miss Mollie, you give me too much credit. Jaylin despises me. There’s no way he’d ever marry me.”
“He keeps me around just so he can torment me whenever he wants. Once he tires of me, he’ll discard me.”
Mollie had no intention of letting me go. She was ready to give me a harsh lesson.
“All these years, he’s kept himself clean-never a single scandal. Any woman who gets close to him must have some tricks up her sleeve. You clearly seduced him!”
My eyelashes fluttered, and my body trembled uncontrollably. “Miss Mollie, whether you believe it or not, I never intended to steal your man.”
The sharp edge of the knife grazed my skin, bringing a stinging pain.
Mollie sneered. “I don’t believe for a second that Jaylin would like a disfigured freak!”
I went pale, like a sheet of paper. “Miss Mollie, I’m just an insignificant nobody. If you let me come between you and Jaylin, it’s not worth it.”
Her hand paused mid-air, and Mollie hesitated.
Even though she wanted nothing more than to slash my face into ribbons, she knew Jaylin would come after her.
If they started off with conflict before even getting married, things would only get worse afterward.
“Rachel, I admit you’re smart. I suggest you put that cleverness to better use and stop thinking about seducing men!”
Relieved, I slumped to the ground, barely escaping the ordeal.
Watching her leave, I could no longer hold back the tears of humiliation.
By the time Jaylin returned, it was already the early hours of the morning.
When he saw the scratches on my face, his brow furrowed deeply. “What happened to your face?”
I didn’t want to escalate things, so I lied, saying I had fallen.
Jaylin’s gaze locked onto mine, his expression terrifyingly dark. “Do I look like a fool to you?”
“Tell me the truth!”
I bit my lip hard, refusing to speak about what had happened during the day.
Jaylin’s eyes blazed with fury. “I hate people who have no spine, who just silently endure when they’re bullied.”
He said, “You weren’t always like this!”
I used to be bright, bold, and dazzling-always the center of attention wherever I went.
Now, I was timid, careful with my words, and bowed to everyone.
I smiled bitterly, mocking myself. “It’s been years. Everything’s changed.”
Jaylin quickly pieced it together. “It was Mollie, wasn’t it? She dared to barge into my territory and hit one of my people. She’s got some nerve!”
His voice was low and hoarse, sending a chill through me.
My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly said, “Jaylin, don’t do anything reckless!”
This man was capable of anything when he lost his mind.
Jaylin said indifferently, “In my dreams, my mother tells me not to act impulsively.”
Would he really turn against the Sharpes for my sake and call off the engagement?
The thought flashed across my mind, and I found it laughable.
Rachel, you’re just delusional!