I stared at Niel and tightened my grip over the stroller’s handlebars so much that my knuckles turned white.

When my parents were still alive, they had spoken to the Stalner family about my engagement with Niel. The party was supposed to be on July 7th, three years ago.

Later on, my parents passed. But to fulfill their promise, Abraham Stalner, Niel’s father, still threw the engagement party for both of us.

I could tell that Niel was indifferent about it. In fact, there was even indignation in his eyes.

Despite that, I did not dwell on it. I came up with the interior design for the party as I waited eagerly for the day to arrive.

On July 7th, I arrived at the venue feeling bashful and nervous. But when I opened the door, I was stunned.

The pink interior that I ordered had been changed to orange. Even my favorite tulips had been switched out to red roses.

Then, I looked at the screen. When I saw my name and Niel’s, I ran over to demand answers from him.

However, with a devil-may-care attitude, he just dismissed me with a wave.

“Cloud says she prefers this style, so I asked the staff to change it. It’s just an engagement party, not a wedding. I’ll get the staff to go along with whatever you want during the wedding.”

Tears of sadness immediately filled my eyes. “But this is my engagement party…”

Niel frowned in displeasure.

“You’re so annoying. You cry on a whim. Seriously, you’re not sensible like Cloud at all.”

He did not comfort me in the slightest and went off to exchange words with his business partners.

Noticing that I was feeling down, Iris quickly dragged me backstage to touch up my makeup.

“Calm down, Yelena. I’ll teach that brat a lesson. The engagement party will start soon. You won’t look presentable if your eyes are swollen.”

Iris was like a mother to me. When she comforted me, I felt even more aggrieved.

If my parents were still around, would Niel stop mistreating me like this?

Once I touched up my makeup, I held Iris’s arm and returned to the engagement party.

However, after looking around, Iris asked in puzzlement, “Strange. Why isn’t Cloud here yet? I told her to arrive earlier. She seriously just does whatever she wants…”

For some reason, this triggered a violent wave of anxiety within me.

Still, the engagement party began on schedule, and everything went smoothly.

When the emcee asked Niel to put the engagement ring on me, a sad voice suddenly came from the entrance.

“Niel…”

I looked over and saw Cloud wearing the same gown as mine. Even her hairstyle was similar.

Surprised, I turned to Niel, only to find him staring at Cloud with pain and sorrow.

“Niel, I love you, and I know you love me too.

“You even changed the interior of the engagement party for me!”

As Cloud spoke, tears started falling from her eyes.

“Won’t you leave with me? We aren’t related by blood, so we can be together.”

I instinctively held Niel’s hand tightly and looked at him in panic. “Niel, please don’t…”

Yet, his entire world seemed to zero in on Cloud. He did not even look at me.

The guests looked at me like they were listening to some hot gossip. Some looked at me with pity, though.

Abraham, Niel’s father, snapped. “Enough with this nonsense! Drag Cloud out!”

The security guards immediately stepped forward.

However, Cloud suddenly grabbed a utility knife and stared at Niel with teary eyes.

“Niel, if you won’t leave with me, I’ll die right here.”

Abraham glared at the security guards, who stopped moving, and roared, “What are you still waiting for?! Drag her out!”

But Niel said, “Don’t you dare touch her!”

Then, despite all of my pleading, he pried my fingers off of him and rushed toward Cloud.

He grabbed the utility knife from her hands and hugged her tightly.

Cloud cried even louder. “I knew it. You love me.”

“I’ll leave with you.” Completely ignoring my feelings, Niel fled the scene with her.

The guests could no longer sit still and started gossiping about me.

A breeze blew past, and I felt as if I had returned to the day of the engagement party. I started trembling nonstop.

Niel’s voice traveled into my ears along with the wind and dragged me out of my memories. “Does your boss treat you so badly that he won’t even buy you a jacket?”

I spared him a look but refused to talk to him.

Just then, Cloud tugged at his shirt. “Niel, since Yelena’s living such a horrible life now, shouldn’t we help her?”

She looked at me as if she found my entire situation regretful. But I did not miss the scorn in her eyes.

Niel raised an eyebrow in amusement and smirked. “Yelena, as long as you apologize, I’ll marry you.”

When those words came out of Niel’s lips again, I gave him a mocking look. “It’s been three years, and you still haven’t married Cloud?”

She had been looking all pitiful, but after what I said, she immediately started crying.

Iris rolled her eyes at her and grabbed my hand again. “Yelena, I won’t let any random person join the Stalner family,” she said earnestly.

Cloud choked in response, and her face turned even paler.

She cast a pleading look at Niel, but he did not respond.

So, she wore a tragic smile instead.

“Yelena, don’t be a nanny anymore. Get back with Niel. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Niel’s expression changed, and he suddenly yanked my arm.

“Yelena, why must you insist on making Cloud sad? I already told you that I would marry you. What else do you want? Why are you putting her on the spot?!”

His questions made me look at him in surprise.

Before I could retort, Michael started bawling.

I quickly picked him up and patted his back with familiar motions as I looked at him lovingly.

Iris suddenly asked, “Yelena, is that really your son?”

She was a mother too, so she knew how mothers treated their children.

I smiled at her and nodded.

Niel just scoffed. “Mom, are you senile? Yelena is clearly someone’s nanny.

“When she ran away, she was diagnosed with severe depression.

“Besides, Lewis Corporation is an empty shell now. How can she still think about marriage?”

I did not want to talk to Niel. Whatever his thoughts were, they were not important to me.

Iris ignored him too. Instead, she looked at me with a mix of pity and other complex emotions.

After I calmed Michael down, I put him back in the stroller. Then, I bade Iris farewell and attempted to leave.

However, Niel grabbed me again. “Yelena, I said that I would marry you. What else do you want?

“I’m pulling you out of the dumps and making such a huge sacrifice for you. You should be grateful to me.”

I squashed my anger but still sneered at him. “You’re going to marry me? What about your Cloud?”

Cloud gave Niel a hopeful look and treated him as her savior.

Yet, he simply cast her a deep look before he sighed. “I told you many times before that Cloud… is just my sister.”

His words made her tear up, and ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.

She had finally managed to wear down Niel’s defenses. But Yelena just had to come back and cause him to start hesitating again.

At the sight of her losing her composure, his heart was filled with pity. “But after we get married, you have to treat Cloud better. No matter what, she’s our sister,” he immediately said.

I scoffed and replied, “You don’t have to worry about me. You can start treating Cloud nicely now. Then again, that’s exactly what you’ve been doing over the past twenty years or so.”

While I was dating Niel, he would always prioritize Cloud.

A memory in particular stood out: It was his twenty-fifth birthday.

I had gone shopping with my best friend for an entire day before picking out the best watch for him.

When I went to our date with the gift, I found Cloud with him.

Forcing a smile, I said, “Niel, didn’t we agree that we were going to be the only ones celebrating your birthday?”

Cloud immediately started crying. “Should I just go back, Niel?”

Even as she said that, she did not attempt to get up. She just kept crying.

Niel scowled at me. “I can have whoever I want celebrating my birthday! It’s none of your business! If you don’t like it, leave!”

I froze up and tightened my grip on the gift.

Although I saw the smugness in Cloud’s eyes through my peripheral vision, I could not do a thing about it.

I loved Niel too much and did not want to miss out on celebrating his birthday. So, I shamelessly sat down next to Cloud.

Niel and Cloud acted really affectionately with each other. It was as if they were the couple there.

They talked about the anime she loved, and I could not join in the conversation at all.

While Cloud drank her juice, I took out the gift I had prepared.

I then handed the watch to Niel. “Happy birthday.”

Before he could even look at it, she snatched it away. “Let me see!”

Not caring that it was for Niel, she put it on and started admiring it. “It looks so nice.”

“Have it, then,” Niel said coolly. He seemed completely unbothered.

I maintained my stiff smile and said, “That’s my gift for you.”

Niel just cast me a glance. “What about it? Cloud likes it, so let her have it. You’re about to become her sister-in-law. Are you saying you can’t even give up on a watch?”

…

“Yelena, I’m asking you a question! When did you become like this?”

Niel’s voice dragged me out of memory lane once again.

I thought that our connection ended after the engagement party. To think that the world would be so small…

I looked at him. “Neil, there’s nothing between us anymore. Mind your manners.”

Cloud held his hand in pity. “Calm down, Niel. I’ll make Yelena apologize to you!”

She must have lost her mind because she suddenly rushed over and shouted, “Apologize!”

She tried to grab my shirt, but I avoided her.

However, she was actually targeting the stroller. When my guard was down, she snatched it.

“Wah!” Michael immediately started crying.

I shoved her away and held my son as his cries made my heart hurt.

He grew up pampered and had never been mistreated this badly before.

“Ah!” Cloud cried out and fell to the ground.

I looked over with a scowl and saw that Niel was already checking on her “injured” knee.

There was not even a single scratch on it, but she was already crying.

Iris could not bear watching this any longer and mocked her, “Your cut healed up so quickly.”

Niel hurried over to me and yanked at my arm so harshly that I nearly fell over with Michael.

“Apologize to Yelena now!”

Just as I was about to yell right back, I heard a familiar voice.

“Who’s apologizing to who now?”

…

I turned and saw Saul walking over. Despite the scholarly air about him, it did not hide the ferocity in his eyes.

Behind him was a Lincoln limousine, and beside him were a dozen security guards in suits.

Before everyone’s gazes, Saul walked right up to me and hugged me.

With a fake smile, he looked at Niel and repeated, “Well? Who’s apologizing to who now?”