In the second year of her relationship with her boyfriend, Dave Ferdinand, Kate discovered he was cheating on her.

The person he was cheating with was none other than her sister.

Even though they had both been adopted into the family, everyone doted on her sister more.

Even her own husband would abandon her in the hospital to go find that woman.

Kate's heart turned to ashes. She secretly purchased a yacht without anyone knowing.

On the day of their wedding, she left and presented them with a grand gift.

"Congratulations to my sister on her wedding."

***

"Miss, this yacht is on par with the Titanic back in its day. It's the latest model, fully equipped and comes with round-the-clock service."

Kate's eyelashes fluttered as her gaze rested on the model in front of her. "Once I get on the ship, can I leave everything here behind?"

The service attendant's enthusiasm instantly surged. "Absolutely! You can sail it wherever you want. The ship has everything you could possibly need and you might never even need to step off it for the rest of your life. Plus, there's even…"

Kate interrupted him indifferently, pointing with her finger. "I'll take this one."

The attendant beamed with joy. "Got it! It’ll take a week to deliver this yacht, so you’ll need to wait a little while. If you’re planning to move aboard right away, you’ll also need to prepare properly."

Kate glanced at the card handed over by the attendant and smoothly slipped it into her bag.

Before leaving, she reminded the attendant, "I don't want anyone else to know about this."

Only after receiving a satisfactory response did she leave.

Kate had made up her mind—to go to a place where no one could ever find her, never to return. After much thought, the yacht seemed like the perfect choice.

After all, they would never suspect that she planned to hide at sea for the rest of her life.

This time, she decided not to bring anyone along.

At that moment, Kate's phone rang and Dave's name appeared on the screen.

"Darling, don't forget that today is the family dinner. Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

Hearing the concern in his voice, Kate only felt nauseated.

Not long ago, she had accidentally seen Dave's phone and discovered the truth—he had always been in love with her younger sister, Leona.

For an entire year, he had spent all his effort trying to make Kate happy.

He would show up whenever she needed him, providing her with a sense of security. Even on an ordinary day, he would create moments of ceremony just for her.

Even after being rejected 99 times when confessing his feelings, he never lost his enthusiasm.

He would promise her that his sincerity would eventually win her over.

But Kate never imagined that the person who seemed to love her so deeply actually harbored feelings for another woman.

She mocked her own two years of dedication, realizing it had all been a joke.

Kate couldn’t muster the slightest interest. If Dave hadn’t reminded her, she would have completely forgotten that today was the monthly family dinner—a day that always left her feeling miserable.

Her tone was indifferent.

"No need, I’ll go by myself."

Without hesitation, she hung up the phone.

By the time Kate arrived, the sky was already dark. Everyone at the table cast cold, judgmental gazes at her—especially her sister, Leona.

Before Kate could explain, Leona spoke up first. "Kate, don’t you know we’ve all been waiting just for you?”

“Coming in and out of home, how could you not even learn basic manners? You’re about to get married, what will you do in the future?"

Kate looked up at her parents, but their expressions toward her remained cold and indifferent.

She couldn’t understand. Weren’t they both children brought back by their parents together?

Why was Leona the center of their parents' love, while she was treated as if she didn’t matter?

Years ago, their parents had lost their biological daughter. When they found Kate and Leona, they discovered that both shared strikingly similar traits to their missing child. Thus, they decided to adopt them both.

However, to the outside world, they announced that Leona was their biological daughter, while Kate was merely an adopted child.

Kate had long grown accustomed to such treatment. Her life was a constant shadow to Leona's dazzling spotlight.

Facing Leona's questioning, Kate's expression remained indifferent, her gaze icy and detached. "I'm sorry, I'm late."

What Leona hated the most was the indifferent look on her face. "You don't have to take me seriously, after all, you've always been like this since we were kids. But how can you not respect Mom and Dad?"

She spoke as if she were defending their parents.

Before Kate could respond, Dave, who had been sitting to the side, spoke up first. "Don’t be upset, Leona. Your sister didn’t mean it. Don’t argue with her."

The first thing he said wasn’t to defend Kate, but to comfort Leona.

This wasn’t the first time. He already knew what words to use to comfort Leona.

The thousands of messages in his phone, each one expressing his love for Leona.

Kate felt utterly foolish—so foolish that it took her this long to realize that he had a secret account.

And everything in that account was about Leona.

The moments shared, the background, every little detail—none of it contained a trace of her.

It was as if they had never loved her at all.

Dave not only knew how to comfort Leona, but he also knew exactly how to please Kate’s parents.

It wasn’t just that his family was wealthy and prestigious enough to be worthy of the respected Shawn Family. It was also because he was obedient, sensible and the perfect son-in-law.

In no time, Kate’s parents were easily won over by his flattering words. They turned to Kate and said, "Alright, sit down. You’re really lucky to have Dave around."

After receiving the praise, Dave seemed to shine, his face beaming with a smile as he looked at Kate.

But what he didn’t know was that Kate had always despised this sycophantic side of him.

She didn’t raise her eyes to look at him, but as she lowered her head, her peripheral vision caught the movement of his hand under the table—immediately reaching for Leona’s hand.

She quickly raised her head and for a moment, words failed her. All she could feel was a lump in her throat, choking her heart with an overwhelming sense of pain.

She had to pretend like she knew nothing and continued eating her meal.

She was desperately trying to control her emotions, not letting anyone see what she was feeling.

Her thoughts flashed to the date when the ship would set sail and she reassured herself that soon she would be able to completely leave this man in front of her and the suffocating home she was trapped in.

Early in the morning, Dave had called her awake. As she watched his lips coming dangerously close to hers, she immediately sat up on the bed, pushing herself away.

"What's wrong?"

Dave flashed a bright smile and pulled her into his arms.

"Did you forget? We’ve made an appointment to try on wedding dresses today."

Kate froze for a moment. So many things had happened in the past few days that she hadn’t reacted right away.

She gently nodded, realizing that there was only one week left until their wedding.

"Finally, I can marry you and bring you home, my wife. I've been waiting for this day for so long."

Even the day of their wedding had been arranged with Leona in mind.

It seemed like in this life, Kate could never escape Leona.

From the moment they were both brought home from the orphanage, Leona had never intended for there to be two daughters in this family.

She constantly targeted Kate, framing her and causing trouble in various ways.

Kate coldly watched Dave without saying a word. On their wedding day, she would definitely give them a surprise.

Looking at Dave’s smiling face, it was clear he was truly happy.

At this moment, was he happy because he had finally married Kate, or was it because he had achieved his goal with Leona?

Perhaps, none of this mattered anymore.

When Kate arrived at the wedding dress store, she found that Leona was also there.

At a glance, Leona was wearing the wedding dress that Kate had customized.

What was worse, Leona had worn it without even asking for Kate's permission. Every movement, every smile, she posed in front of the mirror, admiring herself.

Dave walked up to her, his gaze filled with admiration, as he looked at Leona and smiled lightly. "Wow, Leona, you look beautiful."

Leona lowered her eyes and smiled shyly, as if she and Dave were the ones about to get married.

"Kate, is it okay if I try on your wedding dress? I really envy you, you're about to get married. Unlike me, my parents are so reluctant to let me go."

It wasn’t just the wedding dress; the man in front of her could also be hers.

Dave looked at the lively Leona, his gaze lingering on her. "Leona, you're so adorable, of course, your dad and mom can't bear to let you go."

It sounded like a polite remark, but it was a genuine compliment from the heart.

Kate felt a surge of disgust and cast a cold glance at Leona. "Have you worn it long enough? Take it off."

Leona looked at her in surprise. Although Kate had always had a cold demeanor, she had never been so direct before.

"I'm sorry, Kate, I didn't know you cared so much about this wedding dress..."

She put on a look of grievance, but how could she not know that Kate cared? The wedding dress was designed by Kate herself, with every detail from the fabric selection to the decoration being done by her own hands.

From the proposal until now, she had placed so much importance on this love.

Dave glanced at Leona and immediately turned to Kate. "It's not a big deal, don't be angry, my dear. It's her first time wearing it, as her sister, you should be a little more understanding."

Kate turned her gaze toward him, her eyes cold. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even feel anger anymore.

He knew Kate so well, how could he not know that she disliked wearing clothes that others had worn, even if it was her own sister?

For the first time, she felt that the man in front of her was so unfamiliar. He was no longer the persistent Dave who once chased after her.

She lifted her gaze to look at Leona, not wanting to argue. Her eyelashes fluttered and her voice was light and swift.

"I'll give it to you," Kate said and immediately turned to leave the bridal shop.

Dave quickly took a step forward, grabbing her wrist. "Darling, what's wrong? Are you angry? Didn't we come here to try on wedding dresses? Please don't be mad. I'll…"

Kate felt annoyed and immediately interrupted him.

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired. I'll head back first. You can choose any wedding dress you like."

As soon as Dave heard this, a smile appeared on his face. "I knew you were the most understanding, Darling."

She left Dave alone in the bridal shop and went back home.

Before she left, she saw them playfully laughing and joking in the shop and a ripple stirred in her heart.

She turned her head away, her face devoid of any expression.

The wedding dress was meant to be worn for someone who truly mattered, but Dave was no longer worthy of seeing her wear the dress she had personally designed.

This marriage, from the very beginning, was nothing but a lie.

Leona posted a photo of herself in the wedding dress on her social media, along with a caption:

“This beautiful wedding dress seems tailor-made for me. The best part is, the person who took the photo put so much thought into it.”