But a few days after Franklin’s confession, our relationship became known to the class teacher.

In order to preserve the Morris Family’s reputation, the school humiliated me, accusing me of having poor character in front of all the teachers and students. They then forced me to transfer from the city's prestigious high school to the worst one in the area.

On the day of my transfer, Franklin swore he’d wait for me, promising we’d be together after graduation.

Determined to make myself worthy of him, I worked even harder at the new school, aiming to get into the best university. I hoped to prove that my worth wasn’t tied to circumstances beyond my control.

But after graduation, he shattered my dreams. He appeared before me, holding Harriet’s hand, his face radiant with happiness.

“You liar!” he sneered. “How dare you say you got into Edinburgh or Manchester University? You can’t even get into an ordinary school and you still want to be with me? Shameless!”

His voice grew colder, cutting deeper with every word.

“Besides, with your family, how could you be worthy of me? If I marry you, where will the Morris Family’s face be?”

I cried, trying to explain. I told him the truth—that I had indeed been admitted but my admission letters were destroyed. But Franklin didn’t believe me. His eyes were filled with nothing but disgust.

That day, he walked away with Harriet, leaving me broken.

For four years, I didn’t see either of them.

I left for England under the guise of finding work. Secretly, I enrolled in university, financing my education through part-time jobs. I didn’t tell Hannah, knowing she’d never approve. By the time I graduated, I had built a new life for myself, landing a good job in finance.

One evening, I returned home to visit my biological parents. Harriet’s parents—my real parents—were surprised to see me.

“Kelly is back. We haven’t seen you for years,” they said, warmth in their voices.

Looking at them, I felt a rush of conflicting emotions. These were my real parents, yet they had been kept in the dark for so long, never knowing the truth about their daughters. I managed a bitter smile, unsure how to reconcile my feelings.

But Harriet, as usual, came over, wearing her smug expression.

“Kelly,” she said sweetly, though her tone dripped with condescension. “You must’ve worked so hard these past years.”

Then, with an almost gleeful air, she added, “To be honest, when I marry Franklin, the thing I want most is your blessing. How about you be my bridesmaid this time?”

Harriet knew better than anyone how deeply I had loved Franklin. Her request was a deliberate attempt to reopen old wounds—wounds that time had only just begun to heal.

“Oh, Harriet, don’t joke about such things!” Hannah interrupted sharply. “This damn girl isn’t worthy of being your bridesmaid. It’d be an embarrassment to you! On your wedding day, she can do the dirty work—that’s all she’s good for!”

Hannah’s words cut through the air like knives.

Harriet, however, only smiled and shook her head.

“Godmother, you don’t understand. Kelly and I were Franklin’s childhood sweethearts. We always said that whoever married him, the other would be her bridesmaid. Isn’t that right, Kelly?”

She turned to me, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed malice. It was clear what she wanted—to remind everyone, especially our high school classmates, that she had won the race to marry into wealth.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Franklin entered, holding an elaborate cake.

His cheerful expression darkened the moment he saw me.

He immediately walked over to Harriet, wrapping an arm around her protectively. “Harriet, she didn’t bully you, did she?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern.

Then, he turned to me, his gaze icy. His tone was sharp, laced with warning.

“Why did you come back at this time? Don’t tell me you still can’t let me go.”

He didn’t stop there.

“Next week is my wedding with Harriet. If you dare to cause trouble, I won’t forgive you!”

His words echoed, the final blow to a wound that would never truly heal.

I haven't seen him for four years and he scolded me as soon as we met.

I smiled coldly and replied calmly, “I let go of our affairs a long time ago.”

Franklin sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Tsk, do you think I believe that? Who doesn’t want to marry into a wealthy family like you? But don’t dream—it’s impossible. You’re not even worthy of carrying my shoes!”

Harriet pretended to smooth things over, stepping between us.

“Franklin, I asked her to be my bridesmaid. After all, that was our agreement back then.” She took my hand, her tone syrupy sweet. “Kelly, don’t take it personally. I still miss the old times. Even though you haven’t contacted me these past few years, I’ve always regarded you as my best friend.”

Hearing that it was Harriet’s idea for me to be a bridesmaid, Franklin’s frown softened slightly.

“Only Harriet would treat you so well!” he scoffed. "Anyway, I will warn you one last time, don't make trouble for me when the time comes!"

After saying that, Franklin opened the cake box and everyone celebrated an unforgettable birthday for Harriet again. It seemed no one remembered—today was also my birthday.

Years ago, Harriet and I had been born on the same day. Because of this coincidence, we were swapped at the hospital by Hannah, setting us on drastically different paths.

One life was heaven, surrounded by wealth and love since childhood. The other was hell, marked by abuse and neglect since childhood.

As Harriet was halfway through cutting her cake, she suddenly gasped dramatically and turned to me.

“Oh! Godmother, how could you be so forgetful? Today is also Kelly’s birthday!” she exclaimed with exaggerated concern.

“I’ll order another cake right away so we can celebrate Kelly properly and welcome her back.”

I had to say that Harriet has mastered the art of rubbing salt into the wound. Her words painted her as a saint while subtly twisting the knife. Sure enough her suggestion was met with praise from everyone in the room. Especially Hannah, who looked at her dotingly and praised her endlessly.

"Harriet is so beautiful and kind-hearted! Even now, she’s thinking about this useless girl of mine. Kelly doesn’t deserve such a good friend!”

Then, as if to balance her praise, Hannah shot me a look of disgust.

“But she doesn’t deserve a birthday. I don’t even want to admit that this bitch is my daughter!”

Franklin joined in, his eyes full of disdain. “Kelly, celebrating your birthday? You’re not worthy of sharing a birthday with Harriet. What a joke!”

I didn't say anything and they scolded me again. I remained silent, but their words kept coming like sharp blows.

But Harriet, ever the actress, placed the remaining candles on what was left of her cake.

“How could this happen? Kelly hasn’t celebrated her birthday properly in years,” she said with mock concern. “Kelly, how about using the rest of this cake?”

When I still didn’t respond, she grabbed her bag dramatically. “No, no, this is too shabby. I’ll go downstairs and buy another one. Wait for me!”

But she kept glancing over her shoulder, clearly waiting for Franklin to stop her.

As expected, Franklin quickly grabbed her arm. “Harriet, why are you so nice to her? This leftover cake is already a gift for her!”

Then he turned to me, his expression twisted with malice.

“Kelly, are you disgusted? Don’t worry, I’ll give you a proper birthday!”

Before I could react, Franklin grabbed a piece of cake and smashed it into my face. The impact was harsh and the sharp tip of the fork stabbed near my eye, sending a jolt of pain through me.

“Haha! Smashing birthday cake is so much fun!” Franklin laughed, clearly enjoying himself.

Seeing this, Harriet let out a delighted laugh and followed suit, grabbing another piece of cake and flinging it at me.

Hannah was even more relieved to see Harriet so happy.

"Then smash the cake for fun, as long as you are happy, Harriet."

Soon, piece after piece of cake. It blew on my face again and again. My ears were filled with their unbridled laughter.

I clenched my fists tightly, trying to restrain myself from exploding. Tell myself again and again.

It was not time yet!

***

Soon, it was the day of Harriet and Franklin's wedding.

It was indeed a wealthy family's wedding. Amid the sound of salutes, I watched Harriet get into the wedding car in the envious eyes of countless people. The luxurious motorcade drove around the entire downtown area and announced their wedding to millions of people in the city.

The most luxurious hotel in Hilton City was also decorated with lanterns and flowers. There were hundreds of tables of guests at the wedding banquet, which was enough to reflect the status of the Morris Family in Hilton City.

All my high school classmates and teachers were invited. When they saw me wearing a bridesmaid dress, they all showed surprise.

"Oh my god! Isn't this Kelly? She actually has the nerve to be Harriet's bridesmaid!"

"This woman is really desperate. Mr. Morris has married Harriet. Does she still think she can please them by being a bridesmaid?"

"Hahaha, she's got no self-respect at all!"

Harriet’s goal of having me as a bridesmaid was clearly achieved.

Our old classmates stared, pointing fingers and casting contemptuous looks my way. Harriet’s smug smile nearly reached her ears.

Faced with their sarcasm and ridicule, I stayed silent, my expression calm.

Standing in the audience, I watched indifferently as Harriet and Franklin stood on stage.

Under the MC's enthusiastic guidance, they exchanged rings. Amid applause and cheers, they kissed each other.

When it was time to toss the bouquet, Harriet didn’t throw it randomly. Instead, she handed it directly to me with a beaming smile.

Taking the microphone, she looked at me warmly and said, “Kelly, we grew up together and I’ve always considered you my best friend. So, I also hope you can be happy.”

“I hope that through this bouquet, we can grow closer. Franklin has a younger brother who’s always liked you. I sincerely wish for you two to be together.”

The moment she finished speaking, Harriet glanced at the audience and all eyes landed on Franklin’s younger brother.

He smiled at me with a silly grin, drool glistening at the corners of his mouth.

I had thought Harriet invited me to be a bridesmaid to flaunt her life in front of our old classmates. But this? I hadn’t seen this coming.

Hannah jumped up excitedly, her voice brimming with joy.

“Great, great! It’s such a blessing for my little girl to marry Franklin’s brother!”

“Kelly, Harriet truly thinks of you. Why don’t you thank her?”

Hannah’s excitement only fueled the crowd’s laughter.

“Hahaha, she tried so hard to suck up and ended up with the landlord’s foolish son!”

“But hey, she’s still marrying into the Morris Family. Isn’t that her dream come true?”

“This is a win for her—mission accomplished!”

I stayed quiet, my icy gaze fixed on them.

Franklin’s face darkened as he sneered.

“What? Marrying my brother—does that feel beneath you?”