After finally calming her down, Nathaniel, as he always did, leaned in to kiss the corner of Sylvia’s lips.

This time, she pushed him away.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and released her. Then, as if nothing had happened, he reached out with a grin. “By the way, where’s my gift? You promised me something.”

“Wait here,” Sylvia said, heading upstairs.

In her room, she retrieved the wedding invitations they had picked out together and pulled out a pen.

She crossed out the original names of the bride and groom and wrote in her own name alongside Bennett Cooper’s. Then, she carefully placed the altered invitations back into the box and sealed it with tape.

When she came back downstairs, she handed the box to Nathaniel.

“What’s this?” he asked curiously, reaching to open it, but Sylvia stopped him.

“Don’t open it until the first of next month.”

Hearing that date, Nathaniel’s hands froze for a moment. Wasn’t that the day he was supposed to marry Vivian?

“Why?”

“Because the first of next month was supposed to be our big day,” she replied with a smile, sealing the box with tape. “Now that the wedding is postponed, I wanted to give you something special. It’ll be a big surprise.”

“Great, you know I love surprises,” Nathaniel said, tapping her nose playfully before pulling her into his arms.

“Sylvia, you’ve made me so happy today.”

Happy?

The light in Sylvia’s eyes dimmed, fading like the withering roses on the windowsill.

But Nathaniel didn’t notice.

What exactly made him so happy? Probably the thought of proposing to another woman while believing Sylvia was blissfully ignorant.

Later that night, as Nathaniel headed to the shower, Sylvia sat on the couch scrolling through her phone.

By chance, she stumbled upon a post from one of Nathaniel’s friends.

The video in the post showed Nathaniel on one knee, proposing to Vivian.

The caption on the post read: "A love I once envied has finally found its happy ending. Let’s celebrate tonight at the usual spot."

Sylvia froze, her finger hovering over the video, ready to click, when a comment popped up below.

"Are you crazy for posting this? Did you block Sylvia from seeing it?"

The reply came quickly: "Do you think I’m that stupid? Of course, I blocked her."

Sylvia stared at the comments, her lips curling into a cold, mocking smile.

She thought back to when she and Nathaniel had first started dating. He had proudly introduced her to his closest friends.

Back then, they had called her "the future Mrs. Sinclair" with unwavering enthusiasm.

One of them had said, “If Nathaniel ever bullies you, just let me know. I’ll make sure he pays for it!”

Another chimed in, “That’s right, Mrs. Sinclair. Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on him. He won’t dare mess around behind your back. And if he ever does, we’ll be the first to tell you.”

And yet now?

Every single one of them was helping Nathaniel cover up the fact that he was about to marry someone else.

The post disappeared within seconds, quickly deleted.

Moments later, Nathaniel came rushing out of the bathroom. His hair was still dripping wet, and he looked flustered.

“Sylvia, you—”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her face expressionless as she glanced up at him, pretending not to have seen anything.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Nathaniel breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing, I just wanted to let you know I’m done showering.”

“Okay.”

Sylvia stood, walked to the doorway, and paused when she heard Nathaniel on the phone with one of his friends.

“Are you out of your mind? Delete that post right now! What if Sylvia saw it? I’ve told you, under no circumstances can she find out about this. Are you trying to ruin everything?”

“It’s already deleted,” the friend replied. “There’s no way she saw it. By the way, shouldn’t you be here by now? Vivian’s already arrived.”

Nathaniel was still hesitating when Sylvia suddenly walked in. “Who are you on the phone with?”

“Oh, just Charles and the guys. They’re asking me to join them for a few drinks.”

“Is that so? It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. I’ll come too. I could use a drink.”

She was curious just how well they could keep their secret with her around.

Nathaniel tried to talk her out of it the entire way, but nothing worked. Frustrated, he resorted to nervously fiddling with his phone, texting his friends to prepare for her arrival.

When they arrived at the private room in the bar, Sylvia immediately spotted Nathaniel’s friends.

Four men sat rigidly, sipping their drinks in silence. Not a single waitress was in sight.

As soon as they saw Sylvia, they scrambled to their feet in unison.

“Good evening, Mrs. Sinclair. Don’t worry, there’s no one else here tonight—just us guys.”

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. “So, what you’re saying is, I don’t belong here because I’m not one of the guys?”

The group froze awkwardly. Nathaniel quickly gripped her hand and said, “That’s not what they mean. They just thought you might find it boring, that’s all.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just been a while, so I thought I’d stop by for a drink. Since it’s a guy’s night, I’ll leave after this.”

She picked up a glass from the table, downed the drink in one go, and ignored the fleeting smirks that flashed across their faces.

Then, without another word, she turned and left.

Nathaniel, pretending to be reluctant, wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, I’ll be home early. If you’re tired, don’t wait up for me.”

Sylvia walked downstairs and stopped in a hidden corner near the entrance, waiting.

Sure enough, she soon spotted Vivian strutting toward the private room, her high heels clicking loudly against the floor.

Vivian sauntered in, her hips swaying, and Sylvia positioned herself discreetly to observe the scene inside.

Vivian wasted no time. She perched herself on Nathaniel’s lap and pouted.

“Why did you even bring her here? I had to hide because of her! You owe me. I want that bag I showed you today as compensation.”

Nathaniel slipped an arm around her waist and chuckled. “I’ll get you two.”

Vivian laughed, wrapping her arms around his solid frame, and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Wow, wow, wow! You’re really making all of us jealous, Mrs. Sinclair. With you around, us poor single guys don’t stand a chance.”

"Cut it out! What’s there to be jealous of? Don’t all of you have women around? Call them over. Let’s have some fun!"

Before long, a group of women joined them. Some poured drinks, others played drinking games, and the room soon buzzed with lively chatter.

They kicked off a round of Truth or Dare, and as luck would have it, Nathaniel was the first to lose.

One of his friends grinned mischievously and asked, "Nathaniel, between Vivian and Sylvia, who do you like more?"

Hearing the question, Vivian didn’t seem angry.

Instead, she looked at him with a playful smile. "You better tell the truth. And don’t use my illness as an excuse."

"Sylvia," Nathaniel replied without hesitation.

Vivian’s smile stiffened. "I’m sitting right here, you know!"

Nathaniel shrugged, utterly unconcerned. "I like you too, but that’s in the past. You were the one who ended things so decisively back then. Marrying you now is just about granting your last wish. The one I’ll grow old with is Sylvia. We’ve already agreed on this."

Turning to his friends, he added casually, "And don’t let this kind of situation happen again. Just make sure Sylvia doesn’t find out."

Sylvia didn’t tolerate ambiguity. If she found out he was being affectionate with another woman, she’d probably demand a breakup.

But he couldn’t ignore Vivian either. She got gravely ill after returning from abroad, and her dying wish was to marry him. He couldn’t turn her away because she was someone he had once loved deeply.

As long as he kept Sylvia in the dark, he could wait until Vivian passed away and then marry Sylvia, taking care of her for the rest of his life.

This way, no one would get hurt.

It was a perfect plan.

Vivian buried her head in his chest, biting her lip, and pretended to remain calm. "It doesn’t bother me. I was the one who left you first. Just having this time with you now makes me happy."

She looked around the room and added sweetly, "I love Nathaniel, and I’d never want to hurt his girlfriend. So, you all have to help keep this a secret, okay?"

Outside the door, Sylvia stood frozen, her face drained of all color.

Their words cut through her like knives, each one slicing deeper than the last.

The pain was unbearable, leaving her feeling as if her very soul had been gutted, her insides drenched in blood. Hearing Nathaniel’s choice made her stomach churn with disgust.

She wanted to vomit.

She couldn’t believe that the man she had loved wholeheartedly for five years was rotten to the core.

Sylvia leaned against the wall, her entire body trembling uncontrollably as waves of pain wracked her.

Her strength drained away, leaving her weak and powerless. She slowly slid down to the floor, her mind a chaotic blur. She didn’t know how long she sat there before finally pulling herself together.

With hollow eyes, she pushed herself up and started making her way downstairs.

She hadn’t gone far before her legs gave out beneath her.

Unable to steady herself, Sylvia collapsed and tumbled down the staircase.

“Help! Someone fell down the stairs!”

Shouts echoed in her ears as a crowd quickly gathered around.

Before she lost consciousness, Sylvia caught a glimpse of Nathaniel and his friends. One by one, they slipped away.

They noticed the commotion, gave it a casual glance, and walked off. How could they possibly know that the person lying there, surrounded by the crowd, was Sylvia—the woman they thought had already left?

When Sylvia woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed.

A nurse was tending to her wounds. “You’re awake?”

“Why am I here?”

“Oh, you fainted from low blood sugar. A stranger brought you in and left after making sure you were safe. What’s your family’s number? I’ll call them for you.”

“There’s no need,” Sylvia said, shaking her head.

The mere thought of Nathaniel Sinclair’s name was enough to make her stomach churn.

Dragging her heavy steps, she left the room and headed to the billing desk.

She hadn’t gone far when she overheard two nurses chatting nearby.

“Did you hear? Early this morning, they brought in a man and a woman from a bar. Apparently, they fell off the couch during... you know... and landed on broken beer bottles. They were covered in cuts.”

“I saw it! It was crazy. Who knew people could get that wild these days?”

“And the guy looked really familiar. I think I’ve seen him on TV!”

“Yeah, he does look familiar. What’s his name again? I think his last name is Sinclair—”

Sylvia froze mid-step, her body stiffening. Before she could ask for details, she caught sight of two familiar figures walking toward her from a distance.

The young nurse noticed them too, quickly ducking her head as she whispered, “That’s them! They’re good-looking, but seriously, what a mess.”

Sylvia stared at Nathaniel and Vivian as they approached. Her legs felt like they were rooted to the ground, refusing to move.

At that moment, Nathaniel spotted her.

The instant he saw her, he released his grip on Vivian’s arm.

“Sylvia, what are you doing here?”

Nathaniel quickly rushed over, scanning Sylvia up and down with concern etched across his face. “You don’t look well. Why didn’t you call me?”

“And you?” Sylvia asked calmly, stepping back to avoid his touch. “What are you doing with this woman?”

Vivian stepped forward confidently and extended a hand to Sylvia. “Hi, I’m Vivian Hayes. I’m Nathaniel’s—”

She deliberately dragged out her words but left the sentence hanging.

Nathaniel hastily interjected, “Just a friend.”

Vivian’s expression faltered, but she refused to back down. Smiling sweetly, she added, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m getting married on the first of next month. I hope you can make it to the wedding.”

At her words, Nathaniel’s face darkened, his sharp gaze cutting toward Vivian.

“Vivian, Sylvia doesn’t know you well. Why would you invite her to your wedding?”

“Well, she doesn’t know me, but she knows you, and you know me, so doesn’t that make us all connected?” Vivian replied with a provocative smile.

Sylvia, catching the blatant challenge, turned to Nathaniel with a small smile. Her voice was light, almost teasing. “Nathaniel, wasn’t our wedding originally scheduled for that day? You said you had something important. Don’t tell me it’s to attend her wedding?”

Nathaniel panicked, his composure slipping entirely. He shook his head frantically. “Of course not! I have a business trip that day. I’ll be out of the country. Don’t overthink it.”

“Is that so?” Sylvia replied, her voice indifferent as his guilty demeanor spoke louder than his words.

She didn’t press further, her patience long worn thin. “Well, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it that day. I’ll be busy.”

“Busy? What a coincidence.”

Sylvia smiled faintly, her eyes sharp as she replied, “Yes, it’s such a coincidence that I’m getting married on that day too.”

Her words hit like a thunderclap.

Nathaniel froze, his face filled with shock as he stammered, “What are you talking about, Sylvia? Our wedding was postponed—”