Blayne looked down at Terri with a threatening gaze, towering over her.

Because of her movements, it now felt like he was holding her soft, delicate body in his arms.

With such a fragrant, tender warmth so close, Blayne suddenly realized his body was reacting on its own.

His grip tensed for a moment. Terri, feeling the discomfort, took the chance to turn her head and pry his hand away.

As her warmth left him, Blayne was momentarily, instinctively reluctant to let go.

But this wasn’t concern nor was it love. The possessiveness in his words was nothing more than a matter of pride and control.

She didn’t know if he had come to confront her because of some baseless rumors or if Valerie had told him something.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she forced herself to swallow the pain cutting through her chest and replied indifferently, “You’re overthinking it.”

The place where Terri lived was remote, so there was no way Blayne had come all this way just to exchange a few harsh words with her.

Of course, she wouldn’t be conceited enough to think it was because of her, either.

Sure enough, Blayne took another look at her face—one that bore some resemblance to Valerie.

He let out a cold chuckle before turning to leave.

Terri’s throat tightened as she remembered what was hidden under her blanket.

“Tomorrow, your Grandma is sending someone to examine my purity. What am I supposed to say then?”

Before leaving, the old lady had given Terri a cold warning.

“Don’t try to fool me with any tricks. I despise liars the most.”

Blayne paused. He had almost forgotten about that.

Demetria, his grandmother, was born into a prestigious Victorian-era aristocratic family and continued to uphold the feudal rules of the past.

It had been three days since the engagement. Though they weren’t married yet, Terri was already expected to fulfill wife’s duties. Tomorrow, they will come to collect the Cathedral-length wedding veil.

But Blayne didn’t care for her, much less wanted to touch her. From the moment their engagement party ended, he had completely disappeared.

She couldn’t afford to offend the old lady. Terri had no choice but to find a way to deal with it herself.

Blayne didn’t respond. Instead, he suddenly turned back and scooped her up in his arms.

The abrupt sensation of weightlessness made her chest tighten, her heart pounding wildly. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Because of her background, Terri had never truly belonged—neither in the Dartons nor in the Holzmans.

And Blayne was her only possible refuge.

At that moment, a tiny, foolish hope quietly rose in her chest.

If he was willing to touch her, did it mean she held even the slightest place in his heart?

She clutched his collar tightly and caught a faint whiff of roses.

It was the same scent her sister always wore.

A sharp, trembling pain rippled through her heart, but her face remained expressionless.

She was used to it.

Blayne placed her onto the bed and reached up to unbutton his suit.

Terri clutched the blanket tightly, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes.

Sensing her gaze, Blayne glanced up, revealing his strikingly handsome face.

But there was only mockery in his expression.

“Come on, Terri, don’t get delusional.”

Meeting her startled eyes, he reached for the scissors on the table.

Grabbing the white silk cloth from beneath the blanket, he made a swift cut across his arm.

The wound was on his forearm—somewhere discreet, unlikely to raise suspicion.

Blayne put his clothes back on and left without looking back, his expression calm, distant, and laced with unmistakable disgust.

“It’s done. Make sure it looks convincing. Don’t cause trouble for me and Vee.”

Terri listened in silence.

At the doorway, he paused for a moment.

“You’ll be attending the party tomorrow. Don’t forget. In front of others, act properly. Do what you’re supposed to do.”

Terri stood still for a long while before stepping barefoot into the bathroom.

She took out everything she had bought from the family planning store, shredded them into pieces, and tossed them into the trash.

Terri pulled up the contract on her phone.

Without hesitation, she signed it.

She put on her sunglasses as she got into the car.

She didn’t want to go, but she had no choice.

Her makeup was thick, covering the dark circles under her eyes.

After Blayne left last night, she cried herself into a daze and couldn’t sleep no matter what.

In the middle of the night, Mrs. Tilley texted her.

Blayne had gone back to get the jewelry his mother left behind.

Terri knew that necklace.

Back when Blayne was lost in the moment, kissing her with unrestrained passion, he had promised—once she married him, he would put it on her himself.

And now?

They weren’t even officially together, but even drunk, Blayne still made sure Valerie got her dignity.

Bitterness filled Terri’s chest, yet somehow, she felt a little lighter.

It didn’t matter. She had already signed the termination papers.

Five more days, and she could finally leave.

“Terri, isn’t it?”

Terri snapped out of her thoughts and turned toward the voice.

The car window on the other side rolled down—both front and back.

She finally saw who it was.

Her sister—Valerie.

And someone else.

Blayne was there too.

The two of them sat together in the backseat, their fingers tightly interlocked, leaning into each other.

Side by side, they looked straight at Terri.

She had been prepared for this, but seeing them like that still sent a sharp sting through her chest.

Then, she scoffed at herself.

Why was she even reacting?

She had known this was coming.

“You only sent a driver to take Terri? Today’s her first public appearance as your wife, after all.”

Valerie glanced at Terri, then turned to Blayne, pretending to chide him.

Her eyes were full of warmth—sisterly concern, soft and affectionate.

But she never let go of his hand.

Terri was Valerie’s younger sister.

And Blayne was, in name at least, Valerie’s brother-in-law.

Yet here he was, sitting with her.

“One person is fine. She’ll have to get used to it sooner or later.”

Blayne shrugged, his gaze on Valerie filled with tenderness.

Even with Terri sitting right there, he didn’t spare her a glance.

In the backseat, Terri clenched her fingers together.

The spot on her waist—where Blayne had held her down last night—was still faintly warm.

The thrill of being wanted.

The sting of being ignored.

The emotions tangled together, making her legs instinctively press tight against each other as she swallowed back the aching in her chest.

“I don’t mind going alone…”

She had barely started speaking when Valerie cut in.

“We happened to run into each other. I’ll go have a chat with Terri—we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned to Blayne.

He didn’t object.

He only sat up straighter, watching Valerie step out of the car.

His warm expression shifted into something else.

A warning.

His lips moved silently.

“Stay in your place. Don’t make trouble.”

Terri suddenly felt like laughing.

Stay in her place?

Don’t make trouble?

What trouble, exactly?

Did he mean when he had almost forced himself on her after finding out Valerie had left the country?

Or when he had thrown money at her face, only to pull her into bed night after night?

Valerie was his precious jewel.

And Terri?

What was she?

A stand-in? A decoration?

For once, a faint sense of satisfaction burned in Terri’s chest.

She lowered her gaze, pretending not to see Blayne’s warning look.

“I heard Blayne went to see you last night?”

Valerie got into the car, rolling up the window behind her.

The outside world disappeared.

Her earlier warmth vanished.

Her eyes were cold as she looked at Terri.

“He didn’t come to see me. He came to warn me.”

Terri’s voice was calm, but the bitterness was impossible to hide.

Terri denied it.

Valerie’s eyes were filled with undisguised disdain.

She let out a sneer and tossed the phone over.

On the screen, only Blayne’s back was visible, but Terri’s legs were clearly wrapped around his waist.

The way their lower bodies overlapped made it look like she was begging for him.

In the world of adults, some things don’t need to be spelled out.

Terri’s expression tightened. “It’s not what you think—”

Before she could finish, Valerie’s slap landed hard across Terri’s face.

“A stray raised under someone else’s roof, and you actually think you’re a real Darton?”

Five distinct finger marks instantly appeared on Terri’s pale skin.

She wasn’t the type to just take it. Clenching her teeth, she wanted to slap back.

Her fingers curled, but then, they loosened. In the end, she held back.

Valerie sat at an angle, looking down at her, her gaze sharp with warning.

“I’ll arrange a match for you. You and Blayne aren’t legally married, so when I tell you to leave, you leave.

“Terri, be smart. Don’t covet things that aren’t yours.”

With that, Valerie stepped out of the car.

Terri froze. Her skin was fair, making the slap mark stand out even more, both in color and in pain.

Yet, as if determined to rub salt in the wound, she turned her head to look outside.

In the side mirror, she saw Valerie stepping out—and Blayne immediately following, reaching for her hand.

From beginning to end, through it all…

Despite Terri being right there, Blayne didn’t spare her a single glance.

One was a handsome, accomplished man. The other, a beautiful, elegant woman.

They were a perfect match.

Blayne could feel someone’s gaze lingering behind him. He knew it was Terri.

A voice in his head told him to turn around and look at her.

But he didn’t.

His steps hesitated for a second—just one second.

Then, he tightened his grip on Valerie’s hand and walked away without looking back.

Terri stared blankly, memories suddenly flooding back.

Everyone said Valerie and Blayne were childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven.

But after Valerie became an adult, she left the country without informing anyone—disappearing completely.

The Holzmans were powerful.

When word got out that Blayne was single, Terri’s mother forced her into his life, pushing her to seduce him.

She refused.

Clarissa, her mother, slapped her face and used her own life to threaten her, forcing Terri to comply.

Trying to change the family’s fate through her.

But Terri wasn’t cheap. She had no interest in being a replacement, in scheming her way into power as some pathetic mistress.

Yet when Clarissa pressed a shard of glass to her own wrist, Terri gave in.

She understood her place.

Valerie was the one Blayne truly cared about. She had neither the status nor the history to compare.

Even if Valerie openly said she only saw Blayne as a backup plan, even if she never intended to marry him…

Being sent to his bed was still a humiliation.

At worst, she’d just be thrown out.

Terri was used to being humiliated. If it could fulfill her mother’s dream of climbing the social ladder, so be it.

That night, Blayne had been drinking.

He pinned her against the stairwell wall, tearing her clothes, gripping her shoulders, ready to take her.

She had no experience—she broke down crying.

Her tears dripped onto his skin, scalding hot.

Maybe he pitied her. Maybe he just found it troublesome.

Either way, Blayne let go.

In the end, all he did was hold her through the night.

After that, wherever he went, Terri followed.

He was gentle with her. Attentive.

Terri loved steamers. So this high-born, privileged young master peeled them for her by hand.

He knew she had a hard time in the Dartons, so he directed a few lucrative projects their way—making it clear they had to treat her well.