Considering the unknown dangers of the war zone I was heading to, I decided to bury my grandmother in a cemetery on Long Island.

I bought a sterling silver cremation pendant and placed a lock of Grandma's silver hair along with a small amount of her ashes inside, wearing it close to my heart.

The rest of her ashes were laid to rest underground.

I knelt before the damp tombstone, clutching the pendant tightly in my palm. The cold metal pressed painfully against my skin.

"Grandma, rest easy. I will take your love with me and do something truly meaningful."

"I will live on, for both of us."

It was evening by the time I returned to the Johnson estate.

Before I even entered, I could hear elegant violin music and laughter drifting from the living room.

Gavin was hosting a small family dinner tonight to celebrate Elena's return.

I pushed the door open, bringing the damp chill of the rain and the cemetery with me, looking completely out of place in this warm, luxurious world.

"Ivy, you're back?"

Gavin was standing by the fireplace, holding a wine glass. Seeing my disheveled state, he frowned slightly, as if I had embarrassed him.

He walked over quickly and gentlemanly took my wet coat, though his tone carried a hint of reproach.

"Look at you. Go change your clothes quickly. There are two important people I want you to meet."

I followed his gaze.

On the leather sofa sat the man I hated to my core, Kalen.

And the woman surrounded like a star, Elena.

Even though I knew the truth, seeing that face right in front of me still triggered an uncontrollable physical tremble.

Gavin's voice sounded in my ear, filled with a self-righteous warmth:

"Elena is a childhood friend I grew up with. Kalen is my twin brother. They just got back from Switzerland specifically to attend our wedding."

Elena was wearing an expensive white Chanel couture gown, looking like a proud swan.

Seeing me, she set down her glass and walked over gracefully in her high heels.

"Hi, Ivy."

She smiled sweetly, but her eyes glinted with malice.

"Long time no see. Thanks to your 'care' back then, I've always wanted to thank you in person."

She emphasized the word "care."

As she spoke, she affectionately linked her arm through mine, leaning close to my ear like a best friend.

The cloying scent of her perfume made me want to retch.

"Cat got your tongue? You were pretty loud back in the school bathrooms."

My body went stiff, and I instinctively tried to pull my hand away.

"Don't touch me."

Just as I pulled my hand back.

"Ah!"

Elena suddenly let out a cry.

The red wine in her hand splashed violently all over herself.

The dark red liquid instantly stained the pristine white couture gown, looking shocking, like a winding, bloody scar.

"My dress... Gavin gave this to me as a welcome gift..."

Elena's eyes turned red instantly. Tears swirled in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

"Ivy, I know you don't like me... but today is my welcome party. Why would you humiliate me like this?"

"Is it because you're jealous that Gavin treats me well? If that's the case, I can leave..."

The surrounding guests fell silent instantly, their gazes piercing me like sharp swords.

Kalen sat on the sofa and whistled, looking like he was enjoying the show. "Tsk tsk, sister-in-law's jealousy really lives up to its reputation."

Gavin's face darkened completely.

He strode over, took off his suit jacket, and draped it over Elena, covering her mess.

Then, he turned to look at me.

In those deep eyes, there was no anger, only a bone-chilling disappointment.

"Ivy."

His voice was low and powerful, carrying an undeniable pressure.

"You need to apologize."

I looked at the three of them.

I saw the smugness at the corner of Elena's mouth, the mockery in Kalen's eyes, and the sanctimonious "I'm doing this for your own good" look on Gavin's face.

In the past, I would have cried and explained, begging him to believe me.

But now, I just found it laughable.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?"

I straightened my back and looked Gavin in the eye coldly.

"She threw it on herself."

"Enough!"

Gavin rubbed his brow, seemingly heartbroken by my "obstinacy."

"Elena is a guest, and she is my savior. As the future mistress of this house, instead of being magnanimous and tolerant, you publicly embarrassed her."

"Ivy, where are your manners?"

"It seems the easy life these past few years has made you forget how to be a decent person."

With that, he grabbed my wrist. His grip was firm but didn't hurt me.

He dragged me all the way to a lounge off the side of the first-floor hall.

It connected to the underground wine cellar and was usually very quiet.

Gavin let go and adjusted my slightly messy collar, his tone returning to that lofty, suffocating gentlemanly demeanor.

"Ivy, you've disappointed me."

"You're too emotional right now to be in the banquet hall. Stay here and calm down."

"Once you've thought it through and learned how to respect Elena, I'll have someone come get you."

He gave me one last deep look filled with "tough love" disappointment, then turned and strode out of the lounge.

The door wasn't locked.

He didn't restrict my freedom; he was just acting like a strict parent punishing an unruly child.

I stood in the empty lounge, listening to his fading footsteps, a sarcastic smile curling on my lips.

That was Gavin.

Even when punishing me, he had to maintain his facade of decency.

However.

Moments after Gavin left, the lounge door was pushed open again.

This time, it was Elena, who had changed into casual clothes.

The grievance and frailty on her face had vanished, replaced by a chilling maliciousness.

"Tsk tsk, Ivy, Gavin sure is 'gentle' with you."

Elena approached step by step, playing with a spare key she had stolen from the butler.

"Just reflecting in the lounge? That's letting you off too easy."

I stepped back warily. "What do you want?"

"I want you to relive some old memories."

Elena smiled eerily and suddenly lunged, shoving the unprepared me toward the side door at the back of the lounge.

It was the entrance to the deep underground wine cellar!

"Get in there!"

Caught off guard, I tumbled into the dark, cold space.

*Bang—!*

The heavy soundproof door slammed shut behind me.

Then came the sound of the lock turning.

"Elena! Open the door!"

I rushed over and pounded frantically on the door, terror drowning me like a tidal wave.

"Gavin only said I had to stay in the lounge! You have no right to lock me in!"

Elena's triumphant laughter came from outside, muffled by the door.

"This *is* Gavin's idea."

She lied without skipping a beat, her tone filled with the thrill of revenge.

"He said the lounge is too comfortable for you to truly reflect."

"He said since your heart is so black, you should stay in a pitch-black place to wash it clean."

"Enjoy yourself, Ivy. I chose this spot specifically because I know you're claustrophobic."

"Don't expect Gavin to save you. Tonight, he'll be in my room, comforting my poor, frightened heart."

The sound of high heels faded away.

The world fell into a dead silence.

This was the second basement level. No windows, no light, only the low hum of the central air conditioning.

The absolute darkness instantly awakened the nightmare buried deep in my heart.

"No... don't go..."

I slid down against the door to the floor, shaking violently.

Breathing became difficult, as if someone was strangling me.

I curled into a ball, clutching the ash pendant against my chest, my nails digging deep into my flesh.

I rushed to brace against the door, my voice cracking with fear.

"I have claustrophobia! You know that! It's too dark... please don't lock the door!"

The memory of being locked in the equipment room by Elena for two whole days back in school was the nightmare of my life.

Since then, I had to sleep with the lights on and couldn't handle closed, dark spaces.

Gavin knew this.

When I told him, he had held me with heartache, promising to be my light.

But now, no one heard my cries for help.

I curled up, gripping the pendant, sinking gradually into despair.

I don't know how long I lay unconscious in that cold, damp wine cellar.

A heavy, dragging pain throbbed in my abdomen, as if a hand were viciously tearing at my uterus.

I curled up on the moldy carpet, my clothes soaked in cold sweat, my consciousness fading in and out.

Until a click sounded—the lock turning.

Harsh light flooded in, and I instinctively shielded my eyes with my hand.

Standing at the door was Elena.

She was dressed in a bright, glamorous dress, covering her nose and looking at my disheveled state with pure disdain.

"Oh my, sister-in-law, I'm so sorry."

Though she apologized, her eyes danced with malicious glee.

"I was having so much fun these past two days, I accidentally forgot you were down here. Gavin kept thinking you were sulking in your room and refusing to come out for meals."

I struggled to stand up, bracing myself against the wall, the cramping in my lower abdomen making it nearly impossible to straighten my back.

Not wanting to conflict with her again, I weakly pushed past her and stumbled out.

As soon as I reached the living room, I ran into Gavin, who was just about to leave.

Seeing my filthy, pale, and wretched appearance, Gavin's brows instantly knitted together, a flash of surprise and displeasure crossing his eyes.

"Ivy? How did you get like this?"

Before I could speak, Elena, right behind me, rushed forward and clung to Gavin's arm, acting all aggrieved.

"Gavin, don't blame Ivy. She might still be mad at me, so she's been hiding and refusing to show her face for the last two days. It's all my fault."

Gavin's eyes turned cold instantly.

He looked at me and sighed, that familiar expression of disappointment and "tough love" reappearing.

"Ivy, when did you become so manipulative?"

"Have you stopped caring about your own body just to garner sympathy?"

I clutched my stomach, cold sweat dripping from the pain, my voice trembling, "Gavin, I don't feel well... I want to go back to my room and rest..."

"No."

Gavin glanced at his watch, and his previously cold expression suddenly softened.

He walked over, his tone becoming exceptionally gentle, as if coaxing a child: "Come on, my little darling, just hang in there a bit longer, okay?"

"I know you're not feeling well, but today is the appointment to try on wedding dresses. You know how important this is to us. You've been looking forward to this day for so long, haven't you?"

"Be a good girl, don't be willful."

Looking at his tender demeanor, the hardened defenses in my heart traitorously softened once again.

Maybe... he really did care about the wedding, about our future?

I gritted my teeth, enduring the severe pain in my abdomen, and nodded: "Okay, I'll go."

However, when I was led like a puppet to that top-tier luxury bridal shop, all my illusions shattered in an instant.

It wasn't just the two of us.

Kalen and Elena had come along too.

As soon as I stepped into the shop, I felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the soles of my feet.

It turned out that his gentle coaxing and pleading just now weren't for our wedding at all.

It was just to get me, the official fiancée, to be there so Elena could humiliate me to her face and satisfy her vanity.

Elena flitted through the rows of wedding dresses like a social butterfly, while Kalen and Gavin, the twins with supposedly distinct personalities, circled her like two loyal knights, never leaving her side.

"Gavin, do you think this mermaid dress suits me?"

"Kalen, does this one with the veil look good?"

Elena held up haute couture wedding dresses meant for the bride, posing with them one by one.

Gavin stood behind her, his gaze focused and tender. "This one makes your skin look fair. It suits your temperament."

Kalen chimed in from the side, "Our Elena looks good in anything. You'd make the most beautiful bride!"

The shop assistants looked at each other, then surprisingly, all flocked around Elena, serving her attentively.

"This lady really is a natural clothes hanger..."

Meanwhile, I, the actual bride, sat alone on a cold bench in the corner, my face pale as a sheet.

The dragging pain in my belly was getting worse.

No one looked at me.

No one even cared if I tried on a wedding dress.

In their world of three, I was like a superfluous intruder, a prop that existed solely to complete the wedding procedure.

After a long time, a shop assistant finally remembered me.

At Elena's signal, she awkwardly walked over holding a dress.

"Miss... this is what Elena 'hand-picked' for you."

I took it with trembling hands.

It was a bridesmaid dress made of cheap material and a dull color. Even the size was wrong; it was huge, like a sack.

"Are you sure... this is for me?"

"Yes." The assistant dared not meet my eyes. "Elena said your temperament is more simple and you couldn't pull off those elaborate main gowns. This minimalist style... suits you better."

I turned to look not far away.

Gavin was bowing his head to help Elena adjust her skirt hem, his movements careful as if he were holding a rare treasure.

As if sensing my gaze, Gavin looked back.

Seeing the shabby dress in my hands and the dead silence in my eyes, he frowned slightly. He seemed to sense that something was off.

"Ivy..." He hesitated, his tone probing. "If you don't like this one, I can pick another—"

"I love it."

I cut him off, a mocking smile curling on my lips.

I was leaving soon anyway. What did it matter what I wore?

Perhaps, in his heart, the love I had guarded with my life for so many years was just like this cheap dress—ill-fitting and unpresentable.

Holding the rag-like dress, enduring the excruciating pain in my abdomen and the bleeding in my heart, I forced out a smile uglier than crying.

"Fine. Since you chose it, I'll wear it."

After trying on the dresses, they wanted to go choose rings.

I couldn't hold on any longer and used feeling unwell as an excuse to stay in the car.

Gavin didn't insist I stay; he even seemed somewhat relieved. "Then rest in the car. Don't go in and spoil the mood."

Watching the three of them leave, I took out my phone.

Elena's social media had indeed been updated.

[Some things are mine without me even having to fight for them.]

The photo showed the priceless pink diamond ring, "Heart of Eternity," sparkling on her slender finger.

That was the ring Gavin had won at an auction with a high profile, promising it would be my wedding ring.

Now, it had become a toy to make Elena happy.

Back at the estate, Gavin came to my room.

He handed me a blue velvet box.

"This is your ring."

I opened it to find a plain band with only tiny diamond chips.

"Where's the pink diamond?" I asked, knowing the answer.

Gavin looked a bit unnatural but quickly recovered his matter-of-fact tone.

"Elena just got back and needs some jewelry to keep up appearances. That pink diamond is too flashy; it doesn't suit you. Besides, she's not in good health, and being in a good mood helps her condition."

"Ivy, be reasonable." Gavin sat down beside me and wrapped his arm gently around my shoulders, his tone as soft as if he were coaxing a petulant child.

"It’s just a ring. It doesn't prove anything. You know you’re the only one in my heart."

"After the wedding is over, I’ll make it up to you with an even better one. Okay?"

I looked at his face, so full of apparent deep affection, and felt a wave of desolation wash over me.

I used to be so pathetically in love with this gentle side of him. In the past, whenever he softened his stance and spoke in that tone, I would compromise without a second thought, abandoning all my boundaries.

Only now did I realize the truth: he simply didn't care about me.

In his eyes, I was just a plaything he could dismiss with a few sweet words. He thought that as long as he tossed me a piece of candy, I would willingly swallow all the humiliation and do the very things I hated.

"Okay."

I accepted the plain band calmly. "I won't make a fuss."

Gavin touched my head with satisfaction. "I knew you were the most reasonable one."

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Elena.

"Gavin... I had a nightmare... I'm so scared..."

Gavin's face instantly turned anxious, a nervousness I had never elicited from him.

"Don't be scared, I'm coming right over."

He hung up and gave me a hurried glance. "Elena has an emergency. I'll come back later."

With that, he turned and left without a shred of reluctance.

It was late at night.

I took some painkillers and lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep.

Half-awake, the door was roughly pushed open.

A strong smell of whiskey approached.

Before I could react, a heavy body pressed down on me, hot, rough hands tearing at my pajamas.

"Mmph... let go..."

I struggled desperately but was pinned down by the wrists.

The man buried his face in the crook of my neck, his movements wild and urgent, without a hint of pity, only beastly desire.

"Elena... my Elena..."

He shouted that name in my ear, lost in passion.

*Boom—*

My mind went blank.

By the moonlight outside the window, I saw the face that was identical to Gavin's but twisted with wickedness and drunkenness.

It was Kalen.

He mistook me for Elena.

Or rather...

In the countless nights over these three years, those crazy moments I hadn't noticed, every time he entered my body, he was thinking of Elena!

This was a complete, filthy game of substitution!

To protect Elena's purity, Gavin directed Kalen's lust towards me.

And Kalen used me as a tool to fantasize about Elena!

Disgusting.

An unprecedented nausea almost suffocated me.

I felt the fruit knife under my pillow.

In that moment, I really wanted to kill him.

But the instant the knife tip pressed against his back, I stopped.

No.

Killing him now would be letting them off too easy.

I let go, allowing the knife to slide under the bed.

I lay with my eyes open, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

My tears had run dry, and my heart was completely dead.

My stomach turned violently.

Even though I was pinned to the bed and overpowered, I used every ounce of strength to shove away the man reeking of alcohol and lies.

I shrank back against the headboard, trembling all over as if I had touched something filthy.

Kalen stumbled back from my push. He didn’t get angry; he just frowned at me for two seconds, then raised an eyebrow and let out a wicked laugh.

"Still mad?"

He rubbed the space between his eyebrows. That gesture, that expression—it was exactly like Gavin’s. Even his voice, soaked in whiskey, was indistinguishable from his brother’s.

If he hadn't cried out Elena's name in his lust earlier, and if I hadn't learned the secret of the twins, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.

He leaned in close again, his hands bracing on either side of me, the tip of his nose almost touching mine.

"Ivy, stop making a fuss. I already explained it to you today. If I really had feelings for Elena, I wouldn't have agreed to marry you."

Kalen lowered his head, intending to kiss me.

My eyes went wide, and I violently jerked my head to the side.

"Ugh—"

An intense wave of nausea surged up my throat.

I pushed him aside, ran barefoot into the bathroom, and retched violently into the toilet.

Physiological tears streamed down my face. My stomach was empty, but it felt like I was trying to vomit up my internal organs.

Dirty.

Everything was just so dirty.

Kalen watched my back, his brow slightly furrowed, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Inside the bathroom, I slid slowly down the cold tiled wall and collapsed on the floor.

The door wasn't fully closed.

Outside, Kalen’s voice rang out abruptly, tinged with surprise: "Elena, did you hear that? This woman keeps retching. Is she pregnant? Just my luck. If she spawns a brat, and the truth comes out later, what if I get stuck with this broke woman?"

My body went rigid.

He hadn't hung up the phone.

A stunned silence came from the other end of the line.

A chill ran instantly down my spine, and my nails dug deep into my palms.

Then, Elena's hypocritical and malicious voice drifted into my ears: "Kalen, don't be too harsh... If Ivy really is pregnant, that's a human life."

"Harsh?"

Kalen’s voice came through, cold and devoid of any warmth.

"She targeted you like that in school and almost got you killed. This is the punishment she deserves."

"As for being pregnant..."

Kalen paused, his tone becoming exceptionally cruel.

"Impossible. Even if she is, we deal with it cleanly. We can't leave any loose ends, right?"

For some reason, my heart felt an inexplicable unease.

The next second, I opened the door.

I looked at him with a pale face and hollow eyes.

Kalen's heart seemed to skip a beat. He quickly hung up the phone and stepped forward, trying to support me. "What's wrong, Ivy? You look terrible. Are you feeling sick somewhere? You aren't actually..."

I stared at him, looking at this hypocritical face, and forced the corners of my mouth into a mocking smile.

"No. Just my stomach acting up. I feel nauseous."

At noon the next day, Gavin's car stopped punctually at the estate gates.

He seemed to be in a good mood, personally getting out to open the door for me.

"Ivy, I'm taking you to lunch. To make up for the unpleasantness yesterday, I booked your favorite French restaurant."

The ride was silent.

Soft jazz music echoed in the car—Elena's favorite genre.

Gavin had a smile on his lips, his fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. He was clearly in high spirits.

As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, I saw Elena and Kalen already seated at the best window table waiting for us.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling streetscape of Manhattan.

"Ivy! Over here!"

Elena waved enthusiastically, pointing to a delicate salad already placed on the table.

"I was out of line yesterday and made you unhappy. This is the nut and quinoa salad I ordered especially for you. It's the signature dish here, very healthy. You must try it."

I looked at the salad, my pupils constricting slightly.

I had a severe nut allergy, especially to peanuts and cashews.

Just a tiny bit of powder could cause my windpipe to swell, or even send me into shock.

Elena knew this.

Gavin knew this too.

Just as I was about to refuse, Gavin pulled out my chair and gently pressed my shoulders to sit me down.

"Eat it, Ivy. Elena ordered it especially for you. Don't reject her kindness."

"She even specifically instructed the chef to use top-tier ingredients."

I looked at Gavin's trusting eyes and Elena's expectant smile.

The words of refusal stuck in my throat.

If I didn't eat it, I would be "unreasonable" and "still jealous."

I took a deep breath, picked up my fork, and poked at the salad.

It seemed to contain only vegetables and quinoa; no visible traces of nuts.

Maybe she really just wanted to apologize?

I forked a small bite and put it in my mouth.

Seconds after swallowing, a familiar, terrifying stinging sensation exploded in my throat!

Not only were there nuts, but they had been ground into a fine powder and mixed into the salad dressing!

She did it on purpose!

"Cough... cough..."

I dropped my fork and clutched my neck with both hands.

My windpipe began to close up rapidly, breathing became difficult, and a large red rash quickly spread across my face.

"Ivy? What's wrong with you?"

Gavin frowned at me, seemingly thinking I was acting again.

I struggled to grab my handbag beside me.

Inside was my lifesaver—my EpiPen.

Because my allergy was severe, I carried it with me everywhere.

Just as my fingers touched the strap of the bag.

"Ugh... Gavin... help..."

A weak moan suddenly came from across the table.

Elena was clutching her chest, her face instantly flushed red, gasping for air in big gulps, her body going limp as she fell backward.

"I feel like vomiting... I can't breathe... is it my asthma..."

"Elena!"

Kalen, who had been watching Elena, reacted quickly and caught her.

"Brother! Elena is having an asthma attack! She looks like she's in bad shape!"

Gavin's hand, originally reaching out to me, turned sharply in mid-air.

He glanced at me, struggling to breathe with a face full of rash, and then at Elena, lying in Kalen's arms as if she were about to stop breathing the next second.

In Gavin's eyes, Elena, who had saved him from the fire, was always more fragile and in need of protection than the "strong" me.

He turned without hesitation and rushed to Elena.

"Quick! Lay her flat!"

Gavin shouted anxiously, completely forgetting about me.

I was having trouble breathing now, and my vision was starting to blur.

With trembling hands, I finally fished the EpiPen out of my bag.

I pulled off the cap, lifted my skirt, and prepared to inject it into my thigh.

This was my only chance at survival.

Just as the needle was about to pierce my skin.

A dark shadow lunged at me, and a hand ruthlessly snatched the pen from my grasp!

It was Kalen!

"Hand it over! Elena is fading fast, and you only care about yourself?"

I looked up in disbelief, trying to snatch back my lifeline.

"No... that's... mine..." I forced the broken syllables from my throat. Due to the severe allergic reaction, my fingernails were already turning purple.

I looked desperately at Gavin. He was my fiancé; he knew I would die without that pen!

"Gavin... help me..."

Gavin looked at me, struggling in pain, and then at Elena.

In that moment, a flash of intense pain and conflict crossed his deep eyes.

But he didn't stop Kalen.

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his voice hoarse and agonized. "Ivy... be reasonable. Elena is frail; she can't hold on. You're a doctor. You're stronger than she is."

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes.

I watched helplessly as Kalen plunged my life-saving medicine into Elena's thigh.

And my fiancé just looked at me with anguish, making a promise that sounded incredibly hollow in that moment: "Ivy, just hold on. I promise I'll get the top medical team in New York to save you right now! I'll cure you, no matter the cost!"

The medication was administered.

Elena "miraculously" caught her breath, leaning weakly into Gavin's arms and weeping.

"Gavin... I thought I'd never see you again..."

"It's okay, I'm here." Gavin hugged her tightly, like holding a regained treasure.

He scooped Elena up and strode out of the restaurant.

Kalen followed closely behind: "Brother, I'll go get the car! I'm still worried; we should take Elena to the hospital for a check-up."

The three of them left in a whirlwind.

Just as lively as when they arrived.

In the huge private room, I was the only one left.

I collapsed on the floor, my throat completely locked, only able to make a broken wheezing sound like a damaged bellows.

In my blood-red vision, I saw their retreating backs, leaving without looking back.

From beginning to end, Gavin never once looked back at me.

Then, my consciousness plunged into darkness.