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.

I lay in the ICU, unconscious for a full day.

When I woke up, my throat burned like I had swallowed a handful of razor blades.

Gavin sat by the bed, suited up and looking as dignified as ever. Seeing me wake up, he reached out to hold my hand, his face wearing just the right amount of concern.

"Ivy, you're finally awake. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

I snatched my hand back as if I'd been electrocuted and closed my eyes, refusing to look at his hypocritical face.

Gavin didn't get angry. He patiently tucked the quilt around me, a hint of helpless explanation in his tone.

"Ivy, I know you're angry with me. But the situation was critical. Elena has a history of asthma; if we didn't medicate her immediately, lives would be at risk."

"And you... you're a doctor. I knew you understood how to save yourself, and your physical constitution is better than hers. I thought you were just acting that severely to spite me."

"We're getting married soon; we're a team with shared interests. You should understand my difficulties, right?"

At that moment, Kalen leaned against the doorframe, twirling his car keys, his slouching posture and tone full of mockery.

"Yeah, sister-in-law, my brother had no choice. Who told you to always be so jealous? If you hadn't put on that show, we wouldn't have misjudged the situation."

My hands clenched tightly under the covers, nails nearly breaking.

Listen to them.

They almost killed me, stole my life-saving medicine to save someone faking illness, and in their mouths, *I* became the one who was insensible and ignored the big picture.

I felt sick at heart, but I didn't argue anymore.

"I want to rest."

Seeing my attitude soften, Gavin let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, get some good rest. I'm going to check on Elena. She's fine physically, but she was terrified."

Only when their footsteps completely faded did I snap my eyes open.

I quickly pulled my phone out from under the pillow and dialed a number. "Hello, is this 'Truth Livestream Studio'? I want to book a global livestream order for next week... Yes, the Johnson family wedding."

Hanging up, I subconsciously reached for my chest.

It was empty.

My heart stopped.

The silver pendant necklace containing Grandma's hair and ashes was gone!

That was the only memento Grandma left me!

I panicked instantly, ignoring my physical weakness, rummaging frantically through the bed and under the pillow like a madwoman.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Elena.

A video.

The background was the hospital's luxury VIP bathroom.

Elena's manicured hand was holding my necklace, hovering over the toilet bowl.

The lid of the pendant had been unscrewed.

"Oops, are these the old hag's ashes? They look so dirty."

With her malicious laugh, she tilted her wrist.

The gray-white powder drifted down into the swirling water of the toilet, instantly swallowed by the flow and disappearing without a trace.

The video ended with the loud roar of the toilet flushing and Elena's smug voiceover:

[Want to find your grandma? Go look in the sewer.]

"Ah—!!!"

I stared at the screen and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Overwhelming anger and despair made my vision go black. I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand and rushed out of the ward barefoot.

I ran all the way to the VIP ward upstairs.

The door was ajar.

I pushed it open and saw Elena touching up her makeup in the mirror by the sink, still toying with the now-empty silver pendant.

"Elena! How could you!"

I roared and lunged at her, trying to snatch back the pendant.

Elena saw me through the mirror.

She didn't dodge; instead, the corners of her mouth curled into an eerie smile.

Just as my hand was about to touch her, she suddenly screamed and threw herself backward violently, slamming into the sink.

"Ah! Ivy, don't hit me!"

At the same time, the door behind me was pushed open with force.

"Ivy! What are you doing!"

Gavin's commanding roar rang out.

Immediately after, a powerful hand clamped down on my wrist. He didn't hit me, but the immense resistance made it impossible for me to move an inch.

Gavin forcibly pulled me away, shielding Elena behind him.

Kalen rushed over to help the "trembling" Elena up, looking nervous. "Elena, are you okay?"

Elena shrank into Kalen's arms, weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain, still clutching the empty pendant tightly.

"Gavin... I just wanted to return the necklace I found to Ivy... but she started cursing me as soon as she came in and tried to push me..."

"I don't know what I did wrong... Is it because of me that you guys left her at the restaurant? Is she blaming me..."

What a perfect victim.

I trembled with rage, pointing at Elena's hand, my voice so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

"She's lying! Gavin, she is lying!"

"She poured Grandma's ashes into the toilet! She flushed Grandma's ashes away!!"

I cried and shouted, trying to rush over to show Gavin the empty pendant, trying to take out my phone to show him the video.

"Enough!"

Gavin grabbed my shoulders, pinning me firmly to the spot.

He looked down at me, his deep eyes now filled with disappointment and disgust.

"Ivy, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

"Ashes? That is clearly just an ordinary decorative necklace! To frame Elena, you'd even make up such a vicious lie...and even use your grandmother to make such a sick joke? "

I froze.

Trembling, I took out my phone. "I have a video... she sent it to me..."

I opened the chat window.

It was blank.

Retracted.

Elena had retracted that video long ago.

"What video?" Gavin glanced at my phone screen and sneered. "It's blank. Ivy, are you hallucinating?"

"No... it's not..."

I looked at him in despair. "Gavin, believe me just this once... it really was her..."

"Gavin, don't blame Ivy..."

Before I could say a word, Elena, hiding behind them, suddenly interrupted. Her rims were red, and her voice dripped with grievance.

"Actually, I can understand her. She's just jealous of the bond we share from growing up together, jealous that you treat me so well. She feels like I stole your attention, that's why she hates me so much. She'd even go as far as fabricating such terrible things to slander me..."

"But I really didn't..."

What terrible acting. What obvious manipulation.

I stared dead at Gavin, waiting for his rebuttal, waiting for him to defend me like he used to.

Even if it was just one sentence: "Ivy isn't that kind of person."

But there was nothing.

Gavin stood there in silence. He didn't stop Elena's accusations, nor did he refute a single word.

He just looked at me quietly with those deep eyes that had once professed love to me.

There was no trust in that gaze, only a silent acquiescence and disappointment.

"Sister-in-law, making up such lies just to fight for favor, cursing your own grandmother's ashes, and even trying to hit someone. Your heart... tsk tsk."

I looked at these two men in front of me.

One was the fiancé I had loved for seven years, speaking of morals and justice but stabbing me with every word.

The other was the devil who had possessed my body for three years, full of mockery, kicking me while I was down.

And the real murderer, Elena, was hiding behind them, flashing me a triumphant, vicious smile.

In that moment, I felt the blood in my body turn ice cold.

I stopped explaining, and I stopped crying.

I just stared fixedly at the empty pendant, stared at Elena's face.

"Fine."

I heard myself say in a dry voice.

"I saw it wrong. It was my jealousy acting up."

"I apologize."

Gavin let out a sigh of relief, the knot in his brow finally loosening.

He stepped closer and gently smoothed my messy hair. His tone softened, oozing with a performative "kindness."

"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, Ivy."

"Elena truly has a good heart. She never intended to come between us. You both mean the world to me, and I really hope you can let go of your prejudice and just get along with her. Okay?"

"Be a good girl. Stop being so difficult."

"Kalen, take her back. Find two nurses to watch her; don't let her run around again."

I was taken back to that cage filled with the smell of disinfectant.

This time, I didn't struggle.