Noelle's body went rigid, and her face drained of all color. She threw all her strength into shoving Simon off her and curled up at the head of the bed.

He frowned at her before lifting a brow. "Are you still mad?"

He rubbed his temples, his mannerisms exactly like Chester's. Even his voice, soaked with alcohol, was indistinguishable.

If Noelle hadn't heard that Chester had kept himself chaste for Winona, she wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.

Simon leaned in again, caging her in with his arms on either side of her, their noses nearly touching. "I already told you that if I had feelings for Winona, you and I would never be getting married."

He moved to kiss her. Her eyes widened, and she jerked aside, gagging.

She retched until her eyes turned red; she couldn't stop. She shoved Simon away and ran for the bathroom.

He watched her, his brows knitting and eyes glinting.

In the bathroom, Noelle slid down the wall, ending up in a squat on the floor. Outside the door, Simon's voice cut in abruptly. "You guys heard that, right? She's gagging. Don't tell me she's pregnant."

A burst of startled chatter followed. One of his buddies shouted, "Don't let this get out of hand, Simon! What if she clings to you after the truth is out?"

Noelle stiffened, and her blood ran cold. It hit her that Simon's phone had been on a call the whole time.

Winona's voice came through. "Chester, Simon, this is too much…"

"Too much?" Chester's tone was icy. "She's been targeting you for ages. This is the punishment she deserves."

Winona sounded worried. "But what if she really is pregnant?"

After a beat of silence, Chester and Simon said in unison, "That's impossible!"

Chester sounded merciless on the other end of the line. "Even if she is, we'll make sure it's taken care of. Right, Simon?"

Simon's Adam's apple bobbed. "O-Of course."

For some reason, he felt a sudden, sharp twist in his chest. The next second, he saw Noelle open the door and stare at him, her face as white as a sheet.

His heart sank. He hurriedly hung up and stepped forward. "What's wrong, Elle? You look awful. Are you feeling okay? Are you… Pregnant?"

Noelle held his gaze and curled her lip. "No. My stomach's just acting up."

…

The following morning, Noelle went to the hospital for her scheduled abortion.

The attending doctor knew her and tried to persuade her otherwise before the procedure. "Elle, the baby already has a heartbeat at seven weeks, and all the indicators look good. Are you sure you want to terminate?"

Noelle nodded, looking steady. "I'm positive."

It was noon by the time she left the hospital. Chester called, and his car pulled up at the entrance moments later. He hopped out and guided her into the passenger seat. "Come on, I'm taking you to lunch."

They rode in silence, a small smile playing on Chester's lips the whole time. The song playing in his car was Winona's favorite from their college days. It was also the one Noelle hated most.

As soon as they reached the restaurant, they saw Winona and Simon already waiting for them.

Winona pointed at the cake on the table. "Elle, I crossed the line yesterday, so I queued for this trending cake to apologize. You have to try it."

During the meal, she kept reminiscing about her, Chester, and Simon as kids.

"Chester and Simon have always spoiled me. When we played house, they'd fight over who got to be my groom!

"Once, I climbed a tree and couldn't get down. Chester sprawled on the ground to be my cushion.

"In middle school, some boys cornered me, and the two of them got hurt badly trying to protect me. They were in the hospital for ages."

Chester and Simon laughed along. The three of them chatted warmly, while Noelle stayed silent.

Winona suddenly turned to her. "Elle, why aren't you saying anything? Do you have a problem with me? I know we had misunderstandings in college, but I hope we can be best friends now that you're marrying Chester."

She lifted her glass and smirked at Noelle.

Noelle didn't move for a long moment or even look at her. She suddenly clutched the front of her blouse as her breath came in gasps. Angry red hives spread across her forearm, forming a shocking and raw sight. She fumbled for her bag.

"You're having an allergic reaction!" Chester shot to his feet, reaching for her bag.

Noelle had a severe peanut allergy. She was usually careful, but in case of accidental exposure and no time to get help, she always kept an EpiPen in her bag. It was something that could save her life when seconds mattered.

She'd already grabbed the EpiPen when Winona said weakly, "Chester, I feel awful…"

She also clawed at her chest, her face looking pale as she fell back.

"Winona!" Simon, who was beside Winona, caught her. "Chester, Winona looks like she's having an allergic reaction!"

Chester froze mid-stride, remembering that Noelle had ordered seafood broth during the meal. His expression went cold in an instant as he turned and stormed over to Noelle.

She'd already hitched up her skirt and was about to inject herself. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her wrist without warning and yanked the EpiPen out of her grip.

She looked up in disbelief and met Chester's icy gaze. "You caused Winona to have an allergic reaction. She needs the medication first!"

With that, he marched straight to Winona and swiftly administered the injection without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Sensing Noelle's stare, Simon said coolly, "You're a doctor, Noelle. You should have other ways of saving yourself. Winona doesn't know anything—she needs the EpiPen more."

Chester finished the injection, scooped Winona into his arms, and rushed out. Simon chased after them. "I'll get the car!"

Noelle collapsed to the floor, her bloodshot eyes locked on their retreating figures. From beginning to end, none of them looked back.

As her consciousness blurred, she saw a waiter rush in. "Miss, are you okay?"

…

Noelle was unconscious for a full day. When she woke, Chester was seated at her bedside.

He took her hand, his voice soft with concern. "Elle, you're finally awake. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

She pulled her hand free and closed her eyes.

Chester didn't get mad. He brushed a stray lock from her temple. "Elle, I know you're mad at me, but the Gray and Johnson families have deep ties. We can't let anything happen to Winona on our watch.

"I had no choice. You're about to become a member of the Gray family—we have shared interests. You should be more understanding. You know I love you most, don't you?"

Simon appeared in the doorway. "Come on, Noelle. Chester had no choice. Affluent families like ours have our own problems; we have to put the bigger picture first. As your family, we can only ask you to bear with it for now."

Noelle's hands balled into tight fists under the blanket. She opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on the two men as she sneered inwardly. They were leaving no stone unturned to sweet-talk and brainwash her.

She didn't want to argue with them, so she shut her eyes again. "I want to rest."

Only when their footsteps faded did she open her eyes. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello, am I speaking to a live-streaming company? I'd like to place an order…"

After hanging up, her hand moved on instinct to the pendant at her chest, only to grasp at nothing. The pendant containing Marie's hair and ashes was gone!

Panic surged. Noelle hurriedly searched the area around the hospital bed to no avail. She was about to go find a nurse when she received a text.

Winona had sent a photo of her necklace. "If you want it back, come now. Otherwise, I'll dump what's inside into the toilet."

A crushing fury washed over Noelle, almost making her vision go dark. Her chest heaved with rage as she rushed to Winona's hospital room.

Inside, Winona stood by the window, the necklace dangling from her fingertips. It swayed just outside the windowsill, ready to drop at any moment.

"Winona Johnson, give me back my necklace!"

Winona's lips curled into a nasty smile. "You saw my social media updates, right? And here I thought you would keep putting on that holier-than-thou act. You wanted me dead so badly in the past, yet here you are, putting up with anything just to marry into the Gray family."

Noelle kept her gaze on the necklace dangling from Winona's hand. She dug her nails into her palm and snarled, "Give me back my necklace!"

Winona shifted it a bit further past the windowsill. "Get on your knees and prostrate yourself before me if you want it. Admit you're a pathetic hypocrite."

"Never!" Noelle shook with rage. "Don't push me too far, Winona!"

Winona laughed meanly. "Is this the first time you've realized just how far I can push? That stubborn attitude of yours and your refusal to bend to anyone's will is what I hate most about you. If you'd just kneeled to me back then, I wouldn't have kept targeting you for years.

"You've seen how much I mean to Chester. Here's the deal—grovel at my feet and beg me for mercy. Not only will I return the necklace, but I'll also help you get a solid foothold in the Gray family."

"I won't kneel!" Noelle clenched her fists tightly and stalked toward Winona, one measured step at a time. "You couldn't break me before, and you never will! I will never bow to someone as vile as you!"

"You—" Winona barked out an irritated laugh. "Fine, then. Since you don't want the necklace, let's just toss it."

Her fingers flicked down. Silver flashed, and the necklace slipped, dropping fast.

"Give it back!" Noelle screamed, lunging to catch it.

But she was too late. The necklace fell from more than ten floors up as she watched.

Her eyes turned bloodshot. She whirled to run downstairs, but Winona yanked tight on her clothes, holding her back. She sounded like she was about to cry as she pleaded, "I'm sorry, Elle. I won't go near Chester again. Please don't push me off…"

At the same time, a chorus of furious voices erupted behind them. "Noelle Rutherford! What are you doing?"

A hand clamped down on Noelle's wrist, squeezing hard enough to crush bone. The next second, she was flung aside. Her tailbone slammed into the floor. Her face went white from the pain, and sweat poured down her back.

Chester and Simon rushed to Winona, scanning her anxiously. "Winona, are you okay?"

She wept delicately. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Chester, we should stop contacting each other from now on…"

"What are you talking about?" Chester pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry. I won't let you suffer in silence."

With that, he turned to Noelle, glaring at her with white-hot fury. "I can't believe you're still bullying Winona after all these years, Noelle!"

Noelle's face was ashen with pain. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her voice shook as she protested, "I didn't… She threw my necklace, and I—"

"That's enough!" Chester cut her off with a roar. He stared at her, disappointment clouding his eyes. "Even now, you're making excuses. Winona has always been gentle and timid—how could she ever bully anyone? You're the one who's at fault! Someone else bullied you, yet you took it out on her!"

Noelle's eyes widened. At last, everything snapped into place. "I didn't! She's the one who's been bullying me! She's tormented me this whole time—"

A brutal slap cracked across her face before she could finish. Her right cheek went numb, and the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth.

"You still won't see sense!" Rage and disgust burned in Chester's sharp eyes. "If you aren't taught a lesson now, who knows what you'll do? You'll push someone out a window today, so will you start committing murder tomorrow?"

He and Simon grabbed her by the wrists, one on either side, and dragged her out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Intense panic surged up inside Noelle. Her face turned white as she struggled.

No one answered. No matter how she fought, Chester and Simon just hauled her forward in silence, their tight jawlines carved with fury.

In one last glance back at the hospital room, Noelle met Winona's eyes. They were smug, vicious, and triumphant.