Chapter 31
Chapter 2
The light from my phone screen illuminated the dim corner of the dressing room.
Mila’s live-stream account was still running.
The camera was focused on the wedding scene.
Comments scrolled by in a relentless stream.
[Holy crap, she’s not the bride? She’s stunning p>
[So this is Mr. Hawke’s wedding? He’s so handsome! They look perfect together p>
[Wait a second, isn’t today Declan and Selena’s wedding? Why is the bride Mila p>
[Someone in the know just explained. The one in the wedding dress is his childhood friend. It’s all a prank for content. The real bride is backstage p>
[This doesn’t feel right. The real bride’s probably furious by now p>
[Furious about what? Wasn’t Selena the other woman who broke them up? If it weren’t for her, Declan would have been with Mila ages ago p>
I paused for a moment as my finger slid across the screen.
In the camera, Mila leaned in to fix Declan’s tie.
The comments exploded again.
[Someone please spill the tea! What’s the real story p>
[Back in university, they were literally inseparable! Mila brought Declan water during basketball games; he’d wait for her until midnight after her dance rehearsals. The whole school thought they were a couple p>
[Then Selena showed up. Who knows what she did, but she latched onto Declan and wouldn’t let go p>
[I was in Selena’s class. She was dirt poor back then, always eating the cheapest food in the cafeteria, her clothes worn thin and faded. Declan probably just felt sorry for her, and she took advantage of it p>
[Sounds like a real-life Cinderella story. Look at that wedding dress she’s wearing-custom-made, worth millions. Do you think she could afford that without latching onto the Hawke family p>
I dug my nails into my palm.
The camera suddenly swept across the head table,
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A society lady from some prominent family was admiring the emerald bracelet on Mila’s wrist.
Declan’s mother was holding her hand, smiling and saying something.
The comments cheered.
[This is clearly Mrs. Hawke’s approval p>
[Now THIS looks like the rightful future Mrs. Hawke p>
I closed my eyes.
I remembered last month, the afternoon when Declan’s mother handed me the bracelet.
“Selena, this bracelet has been passed down in the Hawke family. It’s supposed to be given to Declan’s wife p>
“But you’re still so young, and you have such a gentle nature. I wasn’t sure if emerald would truly suit you p>
At the time, I thought Declan’s mother was just being considerate.
Turns out, she already had a more suitable candidate in mind.
The comments were all praises, saying Declan and Mila were the perfect match, from well-matched families.
Perfect match?
I laughed out loud, the sound harsh in the empty silence of the dressing room.
My phone vibrated again. It was a message from my college roommate.
[Selena, did you see the live stream? Don’t take what they’re saying to heart! It was Declan who chased after
you back then p>
That was right.
It was Declan who chased after me.
Back in sophomore year, a sculpture professor thought I had real talent and tried hard to convince me to switch majors, but I absolutely refused.
The old professor was so annoyed that he insisted on punishing me by making me clean the sculpture
studio.
Declan, dodging a girl who was trying to confess her feelings to him, slipped into the studio and locked the
door.
Startled, I dropped the rag I was holding into the wash bucket,
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He paused, taken aback for a second, then walked over.
“It’s freezing. And you’re cleaning this whole place alone p>
I ignored him, continuing to move the heavy plaster blocks.
He watched me for a moment, then took the broom from my hand. “Let me help. You should take a break p>
Later, he always showed up around me,
He said, “Selena, why do you always eat alone? Let’s have lunch together p>
“You have such skillful hands. Anything you make must be beautiful p>
“I saw this necklace, and I thought it would look perfect on you. Here, take it p>
I turned him down many times.
But he didn’t mind.
“Selena, I won’t give up. You’re the first girl I’ve ever liked p>
My phone dimmed, then lit up again.
Someone posted a picture of me from college.
I was wearing a plain white shirt, my expression indifferent.
[See? So plain and shabby p>
[I heard her parents died young; she was raised by her grandfather. Climbing up to the Hawkes is a
rags-to-riches story for her p>
[How did the Hawke family even agree to this? They’re not exactly from the same world p>
[What can they do? Maybe they’re rushing into marriage because of a pregnancy. She’s not bad looking
though p>
The comments grew increasingly crude,
I used to think the Hawke family didn’t care about social background.
But now I realized. At her age and with her experience, Mrs. Hawke couldn’t possibly be blind to what Mila was really doing today, all under the guise of a joke.
She was simply letting it happen.
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It worked in her favor to use Mila to pressure me.
To make me understand that compared to a well-bred heiress like Mila, I was nothing.
And Declan was so certain I wouldn’t dare cause a scene or refuse to go through with the wedding over this.
So he let Mila do whatever she wanted.
Twenty years of friendship?
He never saw her as a woman?
Ah, the classic “friend” zone, a perfect little loophole to enjoy the attention of two women at once.
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Mark Twain