I had loved Lucas for seven years, but he had never loved me back.

Lucas was swept away by floodwaters two years ago. I swam out to rescue him without hesitation, but a tree branch broke my leg during the rescue. Even though it was reattached later, as a rising star in the national swimming team, I could never compete again.

I leveraged this debt of gratitude by obtaining a marriage contract from Lucas' grandfather to force Lucas to marry me. Even so, Anna would always interfere in the nine times we tried to get hitched. Not to mention, Lucas was always fooled by her poor acting skills.

This repeated farce turned me into the biggest joke in Riverville, yet I never cared about that. It didn't matter to me what others said or how they criticized me. I only wanted to be with Lucas.

Now, however, I was truly getting tired. I had a fever all night and only recovered the next morning.

Even after I woke up, Lucas still hadn't returned home. I opened my phone and scrolled through my feed, coming across Anna's social media post.

"I'm so happy! A mosquito bit me, and my brother was so concerned that he spent the whole night catching mosquitoes. Now, he's making breakfast for me."

The caption accompanied a photo showing a man's back as he worked in the kitchen. I recognized Lucas immediately. The comments flooded in below.

"OMG! Can I have a brother like that, too? My brother only treats me like a workhorse!"

"That's so sweet! I'm so jealous."

Anna replied to the comment shortly after: "He often rides me like a horse, too, especially when he's drunk. It always leaves me in so much pain…"

No one understood the subtle meaning behind her words, but I did. My heart ached dully, and I found it difficult to breathe.

Lucas and Anna had no blood relation. They appeared to be siblings on the surface, but their relationship transcended that.

During my two-year relationship with Lucas, he would rush to Anna's side anytime she called. He would buy her feminine products, pills for cramps, blow-dry her hair, and sleep in the same bed holding her until she fell asleep.

I had foolishly believed they were just close siblings. But thinking about it carefully, what siblings would go to such lengths?

Lucas returned home at noon. Seeing me busy in the kitchen, he walked in and embraced me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Viv, are you feeling better? Why are you cooking?" he asked while reaching to touch my forehead. "You're still a bit warm."

As he spoke, his hands began to wander. He whispered with a smile, "Let me check if you're just as hot inside..."

A wave of nausea hit me. I pushed him away and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

Lucas frowned, clearly displeased. "Do you need to reject me so dramatically? I noticed it last night, too. Why do you feel sick every time I touch you?"

I avoided his gaze. After cleaning up, I skipped the meal and said quietly, "I need to go to work now."

Lucas was startled by the coldness in my eyes. He quickly grabbed my arm, his voice softening, "Viv, what's going on with you? Why have you been acting so strangely these past two days?

"It's not like this is our first failed wedding attempt. We can just have another one next time. It's just a ceremony! Is it really that important to you?"

"I'm seriously going to be late!" I pushed his hand away and fled from the suffocating house.

I had been working at Lucas' company after I left the national team, helping him manage it. I always worked diligently without ever asking for a promotion or raise.

Plus, Lucas had always been cold toward me. Even though the employees knew I was his fiancée, they never respected me.

"Did you hear? Vivian West got dumped by Mr. Yearwood at the altar again!"

"She's been dumped nine times already. Can this marriage even happen? If it were me, I wouldn't want to live anymore after being humiliated so many times."

"Don't you know? Vivian has skin thicker than a rhino! She's been fawning over Mr. Yearwood for nine years without giving up. A mere runaway groom isn't going to make her quit."

Before they could finish, I walked out of the bathroom stall and casually approached the sink to wash my hands. The women turned pale when they saw me.

"Vivian, we didn't mean to talk about you..."

I gave them a cold glance and left without looking back. I had been hearing gossip about me for nine years and had grown used to it. Perhaps loving Lucas had also just become a habit.

In the afternoon, Anna came into the office carrying coffee and pastries. When she entered, she smiled and said, "You've all been working so hard.

"Lucas asked me to bring everyone some afternoon treats. Please, don't be shy—eat and drink as much as you like."

Everyone cheered immediately at her words.

"Anna, you're too kind!"

"Exactly! You're not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. Unlike certain people..."

Someone stole a glance at me, their tone turning nasty.

Upon hearing this, Anna smiled and placed a drink and a snack on my desk. "Vivian, you've been working hard, too. Why don't you have something to drink and take a break?"

My eyes darkened as I raised my hand to decline, but she fell backward before I could even touch her.

"Vivian, even if you don't like the drinks I bought, you didn't have to push me!" Anna's eyes reddened as she stared at me pitifully.

The commotion immediately drew Lucas out of his office. Seeing Anna on the floor, Lucas's anger flared.

"Who pushed Anna? Do you have a death wish?"

Everyone turned to look at me. Lucas followed their gaze and met my eyes. I quickly explained, "I didn't push her. I didn't even touch her!"

Everyone began speaking at once.

"Ms. West! Stop making excuses. I just saw you push Anna!"

"I can't believe Ms. West is this kind of person. I saw her shove Anna hard, and now she won't even admit it!"

Amid the chorus of accusations, Lucas didn't hesitate to take Anna's side. "Vivian! Have I been indulging you lately? How dare you bully my sister!"

Seeing this, Anna fell into Lucas' arms with teary eyes. "Luke, stop getting angry at Vivian. It's my fault for being so fragile, and also..."

She placed a hand on her stomach, her expression suddenly contorting with pain.

"Luke, my stomach... It hurts so much..."

Lucas instantly panicked and scooped her up in his arms. Before leaving, he shot me a glance. "I'll never forgive you if anything happens to Anna!"

I watched his retreating figure with reddened eyes, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. I hadn't touched Anna, nor had I insulted her, but Lucas still wouldn't investigate the truth.

He was always like this. He was always unable to get me. That evening, my phone chimed. It was a message from Anna.

"Sorry, Vivian. Lucas probably won't be coming home tonight."

Two photos followed the text. They showed Lucas sleeping at her bedside.

My hands trembled involuntarily, and my eyes reddened with tears.

Lucas had been the campus heartthrob in high school—handsome and academically gifted.

He saved me when troublemakers bullied me, and I fell for him from then on. That crush then turned into nine long years of devotion.

Now, I'd finally come to my senses.

I called Mr. Yearwood Senior to cancel the engagement, but he hesitated—invitations for the tenth wedding had already been sent out.

After hanging up, it suddenly struck me—Lucas still had a young uncle who had never married.

Clutching my phone tightly, I dialed another number.

The next day, I spotted Lucas with Anna by his side while I was with a client, Caleb Lumber. They entered a baby products store together. When he saw Lucas, he immediately went over to greet him.

"Mr. Yearwood, what a coincidence! What brings you here?" Caleb glanced at the store's name as he spoke, confusion flickering across his face.

When Lucas spotted me behind Caleb, he immediately let go of Anna's hand. A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

"Is... someone pregnant?" Caleb asked curiously.

I walked over, staring directly at them as I waited for their answer.

"Oh! I'm pregnant! I'm three months along!" Anna glanced at Lucas as she rubbed her stomach. She looked blissfully happy.

Three months? My eyes darkened. Had they been together for three months already? Or perhaps it had been even longer?

Caleb grew excited at the news. "So Mr. Yearwood's sister is pregnant. Congratulations! But where's the baby's father? Why is the baby's uncle shopping for things instead?"

Lucas' face froze at these words. Seeing this, Anna laughed and said, "He's busy, so I asked my brother to come with me."

Caleb nodded in understanding. "Then I won't be disturbing you guys. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going now."

He then said goodbye to me and left. I kept staring at Lucas once Caleb was gone, wondering what he would say.

"Vivian, do you like children? Luke loves them. He tells stories to the baby in my belly every night," Anna said, looking at me smugly.

"No, I hate children," I replied coldly. With that, I turned and walked away.

Lucas immediately ran after me upon hearing me. "Why would you say something like that to Anna? She's pregnant now and can't handle that kind of stress!"

I paused, nodding thoughtfully.

"You're right. She's pregnant and vulnerable. Why don't you invite her to live with us? It would be more convenient for you to take care of her," I said, turning back to look at Lucas with a smile.

Even so, the smile on my face couldn't hide its bitterness.

"You don't mind?"

"Of course, I don't mind!"

Since Lucas was so fond of Anna, I naturally wanted to fulfill his wishes. Upon hearing this, Lucas smiled and pulled me into an embrace.

"Vivian, thank you... I've wanted to bring Anna home to live with us for a long time, but I was afraid you would disagree..."

My eyes darkened, and I fell silent. The piercing pain in my heart had left me speechless.

In the following days, I persuaded Mr. Yearwood Senior to change the wedding from being between me and him to him and Anna.

I approached Mr. Yearwood Senior several times, and he was beginning to waver. However, he still refused because even though Lucas and Anna had no blood relation, they were known publicly as adoptive siblings. This scandal would damage the family's reputation.

But that day brought an unexpected turn. After returning from a business trip, Clayton Yearwood quietly sat beside me when I was chatting with Mr. Yearwood Senior.

He sat very close—so close that I could smell the faint scent of his cologne.

I'd heard Clayton was cold and distant by nature. Although I dared to make that call, I didn't dare move with him sitting so close.

"Clayton, weren't you supposed to stay abroad for three months? Why are you back?" Mr. Yearwood Senior asked, looking puzzled.

"I came back to get married," Clayton replied, his thin lips curving slightly.

"Married? To whom?" Mr. Yearwood Senior's eyes instantly lit up. After all, he had been worrying about Clayton's marriage matters for ages.

Then, Clayton took my hand and tilted his head slightly in my direction. He said in a deep voice, "Her."

A flash of shock crossed Mr. Yearwood Senior's eyes, but he immediately agreed after just a few seconds of contemplation.

"Sounds good! Then, Vivian, you will marry Clayton! As for Lucas, I'll give him my blessing to marry Anna since he's so fond of her!"

Everything was developing exactly as I had hoped. But two days before my and Clayton's wedding, Anna came to find me.