In the third year of chasing the famously untouchable Hayden Lane, I still hadn't managed to marry him.

The Lane family had an old rule. Any woman who wanted to marry into the family had to personally draw a fortune stick and receive a supreme blessing.

I tried ninety-nine times.

Every single time, the result was the worst possible omen.

Before my hundredth draw, I personally saw Hayden replacing every fortune stick inside the cylinder.

"No matter how many times she tries, she can only draw the worst omen."

At that moment, I finally understood that he truly didn't love me.

But that was fine. I didn't want to marry him anymore either.

I tossed the fortune cylinder aside and turned away. Then I called my parents.

"I accept the marriage alliance with the York family."

As I left the temple, I ran into Hayden Lane again.

His gaze lingered on my swollen, red eyelids for a brief moment before he calmly looked away.

It was Samuel Langley beside him who broke the awkward silence.

"Ms. Johnson, are you heading back?"

My throat was hoarse from crying. Speaking hurt, so I simply nodded.

Then I walked to the ticket counter, planning to take the cable car down the mountain.

Samuel's puzzled voice came from behind me.

"Ms. Johnson, you're taking the cable car down? You're not walking?"

I turned around and met the confusion in both Samuel's and Hayden's eyes. A bitter feeling rose in my chest.

For three years, ninety-nine visits to draw a fortune stick. Every time, I had climbed the mountain on my knees. Then I limped all the way back down. All of it was to show heaven how sincere I was.

I thought if I was sincere enough, I would eventually receive a supreme blessing.

But no matter how sincere I was, I could never receive the blessing Hayden had no intention of giving me.

If that was the case, why should I keep suffering like this?

I scanned the code and bought my ticket.

"I'm tired. I don't feel like walking," I said casually.

My hoarse voice had barely faded when Samuel lifted the car keys in his hand.

"Perfect timing. Hayden and I are heading down the mountain too. Want a ride with us?"

Before I could refuse, Hayden coldly said, "We're picking someone up. There's no time to drop her off."

As he brushed past me, he suddenly paused. He glanced at my pale face, then spoke anyway.

"If you know you're tired, stop climbing up on your knees next time."

He had always been a cold person. Even his voice carried a low, distant tone.

Back then, no matter how harsh his words were, I still thought his voice sounded nice. I used to think that if he ever spoke to me with care, or breathed my name in passion, it would sound even better.

Now that I thought about it, it would probably be nothing special.

After I got down the mountain, I went straight to a barbecue restaurant.

For the past three years, all for that ridiculous "supreme blessing," I didn't dared touch any meat. I had forced myself to live like a vegetarian.

Halfway through devouring my food, the door opened.

A familiar voice I hated rang out.

"Wow, just smelling this makes my mouth water. I've been overseas for years, and this is the one thing I've missed the most!"

I looked up and saw Selena Johnson standing at the condiment counter.

My mood instantly worsened. I only wanted to finish eating and leave as soon as possible.

The next second, I heard Hayden's voice. It carried a hint of helplessness, but also clear affection.

"Go easy on the spice. Your stomach can't handle it."

My heart skipped. I looked up.

Hayden stood by the condiment table, holding out a bowl in his hand.

Selena.

So the "supreme blessing" Hayden had been waiting for was meant for Selena.

Of all people, it had to be her.

A bitter ache spread through my chest. I suddenly lost my appetite. I set down my fork and stood to leave.

The moment I grabbed my bag and turned around, I ran straight into Selena, who was carrying a bowl of sauce.

"Ah!"

Selena let out a sharp cry and immediately fell into Hayden's arms.

The impact knocked me off balance, and my hand slammed onto the still sizzling grill pan.

I sucked in a sharp breath from the burn. By the time I steadied myself, the back of my hand was already bright red. Pain shot through me, and I instinctively wanted to run to the sink for cold water.

Just as I moved, Hayden grabbed my wrist.

"Sydney, apologize to Selena!"

The burn on the back of my hand hurt so much it made my heart ache too.

I forced my wrist out of Hayden's grip and said nothing, heading toward the sink.

Hayden stepped in front of me and coldly said, "Apologize."

I looked up at him, fighting back the tears. My voice sounded stiff.

"Why should I?"

Selena lifted her head from Hayden's arms. She looked fragile and pitiful.

"Hayden, I'm fine. It was my fault. I accidentally bumped into my sister."

My eyes turned cold.

"Who said you could call me your sister?"

Selena shrank into Hayden's arms, looking frightened.

Hayden seemed a little stunned.

"You two..."

Selena grabbed Hayden's hand.

"Hayden, please don't ask, okay? I..."

I didn't want to watch Selena's act any longer, so I turned around to leave.

Hayden grabbed me again.

"I don't care what your relationship is. You bumped into someone, so you should apologize. Selena is a doctor. Her hands are very important, and they almost got hurt just now."

The burn on the back of my hand throbbed like tiny bites. The pain spread all the way to my chest. I raised my hand and showed him the bright red skin.

"The aisle is this wide. I was standing next to my own table. She was the one who walked over and bumped into me. And I'm hurt too. This wasn't my fault, so I won't apologize."

Hayden's gaze fell on the back of my hand, and his calm eyes wavered for a brief moment.

I pushed past them and asked a staff member for an ice pack.

As I walked out, I turned back for a quick glance.

By the window, Selena sat there looking unhappy. Hayden sat beside her. His expression was gentle as he grilled meat for her himself.

The ice pack in my hand chilled me all the way to the core, and the last trace of hope inside me vanished completely. The cold and distant man everyone treated like a saint was grilling meat for Selena himself.

In this chase, I had completely lost.

The moment I got home, my mom pulled me into the bedroom. She asked if it was true that I had agreed this morning to marry into the York family.

When I met her worried eyes, my nose stung. The bitterness in my chest rose again.

Everyone in our circle knew that I had fallen for Hayden at first sight. I once swore I would marry no one but him.

No matter how cold he was to me, I kept chasing after him.

Mom wrapped her arms around me, her voice full of concern. She asked if someone had hurt me.

I forced a smile.

"Mom, I'm serious. I've been throwing myself at Hayden for too long. It's clear now it's pointless. I need to walk away."

Not long after, voices came from downstairs.

Mom stood up. Soon she came back and quietly closed the door, her face pale.

I heard Selena's voice.

When I finally went downstairs, Dad was sitting on the couch. Selena was holding his arm and telling jokes, making him laugh nonstop.

Hayden was sitting beside them.

Selena flinched the moment she saw me.

Dad awkwardly called my name.

I kept my face cold, my eyes fixed on Selena.

"Who allowed you into my house?"

The color drained completely from Selena's face. She looked like she might cry, but didn't.

Dad scolded me sharply.

"That's enough, Sydney! She's your sister!"

I lifted my chin and retorted, "My mom only ever had one daughter. I don't have some random sister!"

Slap!

Dad stood and struck me across the face, and my cheek swelled instantly. Mom stumbled down the stairs and threw herself in front of me.

"Who gave you the right to hit Sydney?"

Dad's chest heaved in anger. Since there were guests present, he slammed back into the chair, still fuming.

Mom held me tightly, tears streaming down her face. For the first time, she didn't hold back.

"You cheated on me while I was pregnant! You said she would never step foot in this house, and now you dare to bring her back!"

My parents' marriage was arranged, with little real affection, but life had been stable enough.

When Mom gave birth to me, she discovered that Dad had a previous girlfriend and that he'd gotten back together with her while she was pregnant.

When I turned one, that woman had a hard time giving birth to Selena. For my sake, Mom made Dad promise that Selena would never be acknowledged.

And now, Selena was walking into the house as if she belonged.

I straightened from Mom's embrace, my voice cold and hard.

"Either you kick your illegitimate daughter out, or both of you get out!"

Hayden had been silent the whole time, listening to this secret no outsider was supposed to hear. His expression stayed cold. Only after I spoke did he look at me, with a flash of displeasure in his eyes.

Hayden stood up and moved in front of Selena, who was crying, her face streaked with tears.

"Ms. Johnson, mind your words."

I looked at Hayden's displeased expression, and I suddenly recalled a memory.

The first time I met him, he had bent down with a blank expression, staring at my swollen ankle and asking if I was okay.

I couldn't help thinking Hayden was like a robot.

After that, I almost threw away the scriptures he had been copying for half a month, and his expression didn't change a bit.

I even learned some cheesy pickup lines online to flirt with him, but he still barely reacted.

I thought he really was detached from everything.

And now, he got angry over something I said about Selena.

Dad heard my words and jumped up, slapping me across the face again.

"You don't get to decide anything in this house!"

Then he ordered the servants to throw out all of my and Mom's things.

I tried to stop them, but Dad grabbed my hand and shoved me outside.

"If you can't stand Selena and me, then you and your mother can move out!"

The door slammed shut. Mom crouched on the floor, crying quietly.

Soon, the door opened again. Selena came in carrying my things, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"My dear sister, why bother? Look at this. You're kicked out of your own house now!"

My eyes caught the small clay jar she was holding. My eyes narrowed, and I barked, "Give me that!"

Seeing how panicked I was, Selena suddenly smiled, then let it go without warning.

The jar hit the floor with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.

My eyes burned with fury. I lunged at Selena and slapped her.

"Was that on purpose?"

Selena screamed and immediately apologized, her voice pitiful.

I just wanted to kill her.

That jar was something my grandmother and I had made together when I was in elementary school. It was the only keepsake she had left me.

The door behind me flew open, and Hayden appeared. Seeing Selena's bruised and swollen face, he stormed forward and yanked me away fiercely.

I was standing at the top of the steps. Hayden's pull sent me crashing down to the floor.

Pain shot through my ankle.

Hayden's gaze was icy. "Sydney, Selena didn't do anything wrong."

He didn't even flinch at the broken pieces on the floor.

"They're just broken, worthless things. Do you really need to blame Selena for it?"

I was sweating from the pain, unable to speak a word in protest.

Hayden didn't glance at me again. His eyes were full of concern as he carried Selena into the house.

Mom came up crying and hugged me. I forced a weak smile and grabbed my phone to call a cab.

The rain had started to fall, and I lost track of time. Finally, the door opened, and Hayden stood there holding an umbrella.

"I've already pleaded for you. All you have to do is go in and apologize to Selena, and you can come inside."

I lowered my gaze and stayed completely still.

After a long moment, Hayden walked down. He placed an ointment for burns in my palm, handed the umbrella to my mom, and got into the Lane family's car.

I looked down at the ointment in my hand, then without a second thought, tossed it straight into the trash.

In the cab, Mom gradually stopped crying and pulled out her phone. She looked at me and said, "Sydney, the York family agreed to the marriage. They want to meet as soon as possible to set a date."

Mom took me to my grandmother's house. After explaining today's events to my grandparents, she glanced at me.

"Dad, Mom, I've decided to divorce. I used to tolerate everything for Sydney, but now, I won't hold back anymore."

When Mom said that, the whole family broke down crying again.

My uncle's eyes were red.

"Rose, Sydney, don't worry. I'll make sure you both get justice."

He got up and went to call a lawyer immediately.

I stayed home for over a week, recovering from my ankle injury.

During that time, the York family and Mom had finalized the engagement plans. Once my foot healed, they would hold the engagement party.

On the weekend, I went with my best friend, Helena Campbell, to look at dresses.

The moment we met, my best friend pulled me into a tight hug, clearly worried for me. Seeing that I was really determined to let go of Hayden, she finally let out her frustration.

"You have no idea. The whole circle has gone crazy. They're saying that the illegitimate daughter kicked you out, and that she's the only daughter of the Johnson family from now on!

"And it gets worse," she said, fuming. "Hayden pampers Selena completely, does whatever she wants, and everyone who wants to see you fail is laughing at you!"