The moment those words left my mouth, Carina burst into tears and ran out.

Simon shoved me, his eyes burning with hatred. "Francesca, watch your mouth! If you frighten Carina, you're dead!"

With that, he stormed out without so much as a backward glance.

When Carina returned to the auction, she was cradled in Simon's arms. Her lips were swollen and red, while a vivid love bite had bloomed on Simon's neck.

In my past life, Simon had always maintained the facade of a devoted husband in public. This was the first time he had openly humiliated me. The room held its breath, waiting for my outburst.

Even after Simon carefully set Carina down, his expression seemed oddly expectant. However, minutes passed, and my silence remained.

A cold smirk twisted his lips. "Hmph. At least you've learned your place and now know that your tantrums are useless."

I had come to the auction for the ruby necklace. The intent was to gift it to myself for the wedding. Despite this, even when the event ended, the piece never appeared.

As the auction came to its conclusion, I made my way to the exit only for Simon to abruptly grab my arm.

"I don't see your chauffeur today, Miss Wilbur. I suppose I could be generous and give you a ride."

I was not about to refuse a free ride, but when I moved toward the backseat, he blocked the passenger side door.

"You take the rear," he commanded before proceeding to help Carina into the front seat.

"Sorry about this," she simpered, "Simon knows I get carsick easily."

I settled into the backseat without sparing any comment. It had been where I had intended to sit.

Their flirtatious laughter filled the entire ride. At a red light, Carina coaxed him to feed her milk, their faces drawing dangerously close until the car practically thrummed with tension.

Suddenly, Simon shoved her away, as if remembering my presence. When he saw me gazing indifferently out the window, his expression darkened inexplicably.

As I exited the car at my residence, he did something unprecedented. He grabbed my wrist again.

He shoved a set of cups he had gotten from the auction into my arms.

"Enough with this indifferent act. Consider these your wedding gift," he said, tone dripping with condescension. "I’ll give you your wedding as long as you behave. At least to the outside world, you’ll be seen as my wife."

Curiosity got the better of me. "Then who are you planning to marry legally? Your precious Carina?"

Simon’s anger flared, yet a twisted satisfaction simmered beneath it.

"Ha! I knew you were faking it. Listen here, there will not be a word of this to either of our parents. Otherwise, there won't even be a wedding.”

"What Carina and I have is beyond your understanding. She’s only working to pay off her family’s debts, unlike you with your cheap schemes. Hurt her, and you’ll regret it."

I nearly laughed. Men truly were pathetic creatures.

For millennia, they had been obsessed with "saving" fallen women as if it were some noble calling.

Without another word, I turned and walked away.

The moment I stepped inside, a notification popped up. Carina had sent a video.

The footage showed Simon fastening a necklace around her neck with reverent care. My stomach dropped, it was the ruby piece that had mysteriously vanished from the auction. The one I had wanted.

It looked like he had acquired it privately.

I glanced at the glittering jewels on screen, then at the cheap cup set in my arms, and let out a hollow laugh. Perhaps in Simon’s eyes, I really was just a tragic joke.

Their foreheads touched in the video, then their lips crashed together. The obscene, wet sounds of their kiss echoed jarringly through my speakers.

[Oops~ Just so you know, after your little wedding show, Simon will be marrying me legally. Remember, the woman without the certificate is the real mistress~]

I swiped the video away. Then it hit me. In my past life, after I married into the Smith family, their corporation had suddenly been flooded with lucrative partnerships.

Deals materialized overnight, assets skyrocketed, and within months, the Smiths topped Sea City’s wealth rankings.

The elders called me their "fortune-blessing bride," treating me like gold. Even Simon’s indifference could not shake my belief that I was happy.

It was not until I discovered Carina’s existence that I realized that his coldness toward me all those years was simply because he had already spent all his warmth on her.

Just then, my mother entered my room with news that Spencer Smith would return from abroad in a week to finalize our marriage.

The announcement caught me off guard. In my past life, Simon’s older brother had remained unmarried his entire lifetime. I had not expected our arranged union to progress so smoothly.

The next morning, I arrived at my studio early to revise the design of my wedding dress.

Art had always been my passion, and ever since I was a child, I had been sketching visions of my bridal gown. Back then, however, every stitch had been tailored to Simon’s tastes. Now, for the first time, I could design a dress for myself, for my marriage to someone else.

The day after I submitted the finalized designs to the family, I was looking through social media when Carina posted an update. There she stood in the photo, wearing my custom gown, the one I had just redesigned, now fabricated overnight and draped over her smug frame. Behind her, Simon gazed at her with infatuation.

[He had it custom-made in one night! A one-of-a-kind in the whole world hehe~ Feeling blessed.]

I stormed to the location tagged in her post.

There, Carina was in my wedding gown with Simon’s hands groping her waist through the delicate fabric that was part of my design.

"That’s my design!" I seethed. "How dare you have it made for her! You even embroidered her name on it!"

Carina instantly burst into performative tears. "Oh, did I do something wrong? Boohoo... I just wanted to wear something pretty..."

Simon shoved her behind him, glowering. "Francesca, have you gone mad? It’s not like you weren’t going to wear this for me anyway. Letting Carina try it on first is no big deal. God, you’ve gotten so petty."

The audacity choked me. "Who said this was for you? This was for my wedding!"

Simon simply shook his head and sneered, "Cut the act, Francesca. I’m giving you the ceremony, aren’t I? Quit being dramatic."

Then I saw it, the handheld mirror on the side table.

In one fluid motion, I smashed it against the edge and slashed the jagged shard across the gown’s hem in his grip.

"Look closely, Simon." My voice was ice. "I don’t keep dirty clothes, and I sure as heck don’t keep dirty men."

In my past life, he had ended me with broken glass.

This time, I used it to sever the last thread between us.

Simon was stunned when he saw my resolution. After all, no matter how much I had acted out before, it had always been in a coquettish manner. He had never seen me so stern.

Instinctively, he stood up to reach for me, only for Carina to burst into sobs at that moment.

"Boohoo... Simon, my skin feels like it’s been scraped raw... It hurts so much…”

"But it's fine, really. It's all my fault. Please don’t be angry or I’ll feel even worse!"

Simon hesitated briefly before finally scoffing coldly, "A woman as jealous and unreasonable as her deserves to be taught a lesson. Let her reflect on her behavior!"

After the wretched pair left, I glanced at the wedding dress still tangled in my hand and silently wiped away my tears. What a waste of my efforts.

Still, tonight was the family banquet, my first official meeting with Spencer Smith. I needed to make a good impression.

After freshening up and steadying my emotions, I headed to the underground garage.

From a distance, I spotted a car shaking.

As I got closer, I realized it was Simon’s sports car. The driver’s side window was half-open, and Simon had Carina straddling his lap. The woman’s breathy moans and the man’s muffled groans soon reached my ears.

Peering through the window, I saw the two of them entangled in the passenger seat, completely naked, a scene so indecent.

Carina’s gaze was dazed as she rocked up and down relentlessly.

Though I had long known Simon did not love me, the sight of this scene, so eerily similar to my past life, still made my heart clench involuntarily.

A moment later, Simon brushed aside Carina’s hair and kissed her deeply, his movements growing increasingly unrestrained. Carina’s breathy moans echoed through the entire garage. Before I could flee, my eyes met hers as she rode atop Simon.

Her gaze was filled with the confidence of a predator who had claimed her prey.

I lowered my lashes, turned away, and got into my car.

I stopped to pick up the gift I had prepared for Spencer, so by the time I arrived at the Smith family home, Simon and I pulled in at the same time. When he opened his car door, I caught sight of used condoms scattered across the passenger seat.

When he noticed the gift in my hands, the faint embarrassment on Simon’s face instantly twisted into smug satisfaction.

“Tch, you even bought me a gift?”

Afraid he might snatch it away, I quickly hid it behind my back. “It’s not for you!”

Simon let out a soft, mocking laugh, as if he could not be bothered to argue. He exhaled a

slow stream of smoke.

He said, “I know you saw everything in the garage.”

“And I know you’re in love with me, that’s why you’re so desperate to marry me. However, I’ve made myself clear before: I can give you the wedding, but the marriage certificate will only ever have Carina's name on it.”

"As such, it's perfectly normal for me and Carina to do these things. As for the marital home your parents provided as dowry, she'll probably stay over occasionally too. You'd better get used to it.”

"Honestly, Carina is the one making sacrifices here."

Even though I had long decided not to marry him, I never expected him to be this shamelessly brazen in front of me.

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm and warned, "Francesca, listen carefully. If the family asks about the marriage certificate, the moment you go inside, you tell them we've already registered in private.”

"Otherwise, I can still call off the wedding before it even happens!"

With that, Simon strode ahead into the Smith family dining room.

I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.

It did not matter. Soon enough, he would find out exactly who I intended to marry.

Following the butler into the dining room, I noticed Spencer had not arrived yet, while the other elders were already seated.

I deliberately avoided Simon, choosing instead a seat that would leave space beside me for Spencer.

However, Simon frowned and stood up, moving to sit right next to me.

"Are you trying to cause trouble in front of my family? I saved you a seat, and now you’re putting on airs?"