7
531words
I didn't love him.
I was only playing along to ease Mrs.Carter's pain as a dying woman.
In exchange,Ethan would help me reclaim the shares my mom left me in the Reed family business.
"Sophie,I know I messed up.Why won't you forgive me?"
"Is it because you're in love with Lucas?"
I hadn't spoken to Lucas since that day at the police station.
Ethan was right about one thing.
Lucas and I were from different worlds.
Being together would only exhaust us.
Did I like him?
Of course.
I liked his passion,his sincerity.
He was like a sunny, shining warm light on me
But it could only be “like”.
My drama with Ethan was no secret among the riches.
The Hayes family knew too.Why would they let a"reckless"woman near their only son?
I stared at my phone,at a headline about Lucas being invited abroad for further studies.
Silently,I turned off the screen.
Be it the Reeds,Carters,or Hayes,I refused to be anyone's accessory.
If it meant being alone,so be it.
When it's all over,I'd leave this place.
Leave Coastal City.
The wedding was packed,a who's-who of guests.
Mrs.Carter sat in a wheelchair up front,smiling warmly at me.
I walked down the aisle with Ethan.
As the chapel bells rang,he took my hand to slip on the ring.
Then Chloe burst in.
"You can't get married!"
Disheveled,wild-eyed,she staggered toward us.
"Ethan,I'm pregnant with your child!How could you abandon me?"
Her words were a bomb.Ethan's smile froze.
The guests erupted in whispers.
"Is that Ethan's mistress?"
"Mistress?That's the daughter of the Reed family's mistress.How could the Carters let this happen at such an event..."
...
I yanked my hand back,staring at Ethan , the look in my eyes ice-cold.
I bet he had no idea why Chloe was here.
Truth is,I had arranged it.
Chloe was ruthless,her mind set to marry into a rich family, no matter what the cost.
If she wanted my scraps,she could have them—if she had the guts.
And she did.
She got Ethan drunk,slept with him,and got pregnant.
She thought it was her ticket into the Carter family.
She didn't know it was the ticket to a dead end.
Ethan finally came to his senses, calling for security.
Chloe wailed,"Ethan,you're abandoning me and our baby?Ethan!"
He ignored her,gripping my hand tightly,his voice shaky."Sophie,listen,that night..."
"Mr.Carter,you don't expect me to play stepmom,do you?"
His face went pale.
He didn't let go,knowing I was done for good.
This wedding was his masterpiece.
He had genuinely repented.
But he didn't know Chloe would show up,or that she was pregnant.
It was over, for good.
I loved him once,but even he couldn't accept this.How could I?
Chloe,dragged by security,suddenly broke free with a surge of strength.
Eyes blood-red,she charged at me with a knife.
"If I can't have him,neither can you!"
The blade gleamed under the lights.
Everyone froze.
"Sophie!"
A strong arm shoved me aside.
It was Lucas,whom I hadn't seen in ages.
Still in a white shirt,the knife plunged into his chest,blood blooming across the fabric.
Sirens wailed as police stormed in.
Chloe was hauled away,screaming,"I'm the real Mrs.Carter!You can't do this to me!"
