The moment I lashed out, Nora, who had been trying to stay calm, lost her composure entirely.

She stormed over in her high heels, yanking the suitcase from my hand and slamming it to the floor.

Clothes spilled out across the room.

As she approached, her heel crushed the dumplings on the floor. I clenched my teeth, fists tightening.

"Maxwell, my patience is running thin. Don't drag innocent people into our problems!"

I never imagined she would humiliate me like this in front of Ethan.

Ethan's eyes welled up with tears, looking at me with pitiful innocence.

"I'm sorry, Maxwell. I just checked the flight info, hoping to pick your dad up. I never thought..."

He trailed off, a grown man now sniffling, his eyes red, tears brimming.

"I was just worried Nora might get scammed. After all, the Peyer family is quite special, and she hasn't had much experience with relationships, nor does she have many male friends, so I..."

My gaze grew colder, my voice devoid of any warmth.

"Nora, do you think I'm lying to you too?"

She didn't answer, her lips tightly pressed together.

Her expression said it all.

I let out a deep breath, feeling my heart shatter into tiny, jagged pieces.

The medical records were real, from a local hospital.

I had gone with my dad for his check-up six months ago—there was no way to fake that.

So Ethan had focused on my father's ticket.

He hadn't taken a flight.

It was too expensive—how could he justify the cost?

To save money for my wedding dowry, he had endured over thirty hours on a hard seat.

Just to attend a non-existent wedding of his son.

Yet, even with just a single line to say, Nora couldn't bring herself to go through with the act and instead chose to abandon me.

Looking back, she had never truly reciprocated my feelings. From the moment we met, our fate was sealed.

I searched for signs of her love, deceiving myself at every turn.

This deception lasted for five years.

But from the moment Ethan appeared, the fragile balance shattered.

Nora began acting like a typical girl in love.

She'd ask me what medicine to give Ethan when he had a stomachache.

When Ethan had migraines from overworking, Nora would take on his tasks, telling him to rest.

She'd bring him to every company event, introducing him as her perfect work partner.

Compared to them, I felt like a rat in the gutter, reeking of filth.

Even when I sacrificed my dignity, offering it up for her and her lover to trample, I wasn't granted a ticket to this twisted game.

But now, I didn't want what I could never have.

The spot where I had hit Ethan began to swell quickly, but he bit his lip and bore the pain.

Nora was furious, cursing me out.

Yet her hands didn't stop. She expertly pulled out some ointment from her bag, dabbing it on her fingers to apply to Ethan's forehead.

She turned to me, her voice laced with threat.

"Maxwell, don't be ungrateful. Ethan is innocent. His first thought after waking up in the hospital was to rush to the wedding and find you."

"He worked tirelessly for your fake wedding. Look at yourself now—you're acting like a complete lunatic! How can you repay his kindness with this behavior?"

"Maxwell, this is the last time I'm saying this—apologize to him!"

"If you cause trouble again, you can get the hell out of here!"

I acted as if I hadn't heard her, focusing on packing the belongings scattered on the floor.

Minutes ticked by, and Nora's patience finally ran out.

She stomped over in her high heels, grabbing a fistful of my short hair and yanking my head back. Her delicate features twisted into something terrifyingly grotesque.

Pain shot through my scalp, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to cry out. Bloodshot eyes locked onto Nora's.

She snarled, "Didn't you hear me? Or have you forgotten how to apologize? Maxwell, you've really disappointed me this time!"

"You want those dumplings your dad made? Fine, how about you try them right now?"

I bit down hard, trying to control myself as she forced my head down, grinding it against the floor.

All I could see were her high heels, now covered in flour.

I hadn't eaten in too long, not since my father's funeral and the wedding preparations. I didn't even have the strength to stand.

My lips were pressed so hard against the ground they were starting to bleed, tears mixed with flour sticking to my face.

But even this wasn't enough for Nora. She yanked my head up to her face, slapping me hard across the cheek.

I tasted blood, the wound on my forehead blurring my vision.

"You didn't shave this morning? Trying to cut my hand open? Open your mouth! You're such a big shot now, huh? Come on, open up so I can feed you!"

She bent down, picked up a dumpling that was still somewhat intact, and smashed it against my face, grinding it into my stubble, grease sticking to my skin.

"Does it taste good? Are you enjoying yourself? Now apologize to Ethan!"

"Or I'll send your father right back to wherever the hell he came from!"

Nora's face was flushed with anger, the foundation unable to hide it.

Ethan, still holding his head, looked on with eyes filled with humiliation and restraint.

Seeing his expression, Nora turned back to me and snapped, "Maxwell, do you not understand what I'm saying?"

My gaze grew colder, blood continuing to drip down my face.

Noticing something off in my expression, Nora's eyes flickered with a hint of panic, though she still scrutinized me with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes.

Ethan, still playing the weakling, tried to mediate. “Please don't fight because of me. I'm really fine.”

"I'm sorry, Maxwell. I should've stayed away. I thought coming back with Nora to explain everything would help…"

He slowly approached me.

Bending down and reaching out to help me up, he had just touched my arm when I forcefully pushed him away.

The force sent him crashing into the cabinet behind him, eliciting a pained grunt.

Nora immediately rushed to him, checking his hand, making sure nothing was seriously wrong before turning her furious gaze back to me.

"Maxwell, don't be ungrateful!"

"Do you even know what Ethan sacrificed for your fake wedding? If you keep acting up, I'll expose your lies right in front of your father at the wedding!"

My wedding?

I couldn't help but laugh, a cold, bitter sound escaping my lips.

"What did he sacrifice? Does he want to be the groom instead of me? That's truly noble."

I clapped for Ethan, blood trickling down from the corner of my mouth, tracing the line of my mocking smile.

"Nora, another wedding? Don't you think that's ridiculous? It won't be necessary—none of it will be necessary."

My voice was colder than it had ever been.

She stared at me, her eyes full of hatred as if she wanted to bore a hole through my face.

She still thought I was just upset about her not coming home last night.

Gritting her teeth, she spoke slowly, each word laced with venom.

"Maxwell, my patience is running out. Think carefully before you speak."

"Don't forget—you begged for this! There won't be another chance like this again!"

"You wanted to marry me because it was your father's dying wish. Or has that changed now? Who are you trying to fool—me or him?"

I looked at her, my eyes filled with scorn. "When did you ever have patience with me? I've thought it over. Thank you for your generosity, but neither my father nor I can accept it. Save the wedding for someone who needs it."

Then I turned and gave Ethan a cold smile.

Hearing the sarcasm in my voice, Nora squinted her eyes and asked.

"Can't accept it? Or are you afraid your father's terminal illness is just a sham?"

"I know missing the wedding was wrong, and Ethan has already scheduled an appointment with the top specialist for your father. Why are you suddenly calling off the wedding? What kind of illness is so afraid of being exposed?"

In an instant, all the blood in my body coagulated, the veins on my neck bulged, and I clenched my fist with all my strength, my knuckles trembling.

"Nora, shut up! What right do you have to even mention my father's dying wish?"

"My father's wish was for me to be happy, not to go through with this sham of a wedding with you!"

"What do you think you are? You think my father should have to use his life to put on a show for you? What a joke! I don't need your fake hospital consultation, and neither does my father! I don't need your false kindness, you pair of hypocrites!"

"Starting today, we have nothing to do with each other! We won't ever need to meet again!"

With every word I spoke, Nora's face grew darker.

Until it was as black as coal.

She spat out her words through clenched teeth.

"Maxwell, I'm warning you—think carefully before you speak! Your father's got a terminal illness, but have you inherited dementia? Or has your brain just taken a vacation?"

Watching her sharp tongue lash out, I felt the love I once had for her disintegrate into nothing but deep-seated hatred.

Nora picked up her phone and called the wedding planning company.

"Cancel the reservation for the wedding venue that I rebooked yesterday. And from now on, don't let any man named Maxwell hold any event at your location! Whether it's a wedding or a funeral, refuse it!"

"If you don't, you can kiss your business goodbye—shut it down and go back to farming!"

She hung up and immediately dialed another number.

"Cancel the specialist consultation I booked last night for Maxwell."

There was a pause on the other end before the voice on the line responded.

"I'm sorry, but Maxwell's consultation was canceled yesterday. The patient has already passed away."