Three days before my wedding, my fiancé eloped with my best friend. My best friend. Wearing my wedding dress. In my marital home. And she was “unlocking new positions” with my fiancé. I caught them red-handed, but she just shrugged it off, completely unfazed. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, daughter-in-law,” Ashley purred, a smirk playing on her lips. “My boy was just nervous about his first wedding. I was simply giving him some pointers to make your married life… more satisfying.” Blake Blackwood, my fiancé, was equally dismissive. “Don’t be so jealous, Chloe. She’s just my buddy. If there was anything serious between us, you wouldn’t be the bride.” I let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Seriously? You’d marry your ‘buddy’ then?” “Our marriage is a dynastic alliance, a mere formality for our parents’ sake,” Blake explained, as if I were too simple to grasp it. “You people from a lower background wouldn’t understand. Stop being so possessive. After we’re married, I’ll be with her on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for family appearances. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays will be all for you.” I felt like I was going to explode, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Was it just about an arranged marriage? How many other arranged marriages had I turned down for him? In fact, one of them was with his own older brother, Julian Blackwood—the Blackwood family’s designated heir!
That bed. So big. It made my blood boil. “You married her, and you still expect to marry me? Have you even read the marriage laws?” Blake picked up Ashley’s bra and tossed it to her. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, Chloe. Marrying Ashley was just a temporary solution. We’ll divorce eventually.” I laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. How dare he think that I, Chloe Hayes, the esteemed heiress of the Hayes family, would stoop to being his secret mistress? Right in front of me, Ashley stripped off the wedding dress, putting on her own lingerie. “Chloe, don’t you think this dress is a little small? Even without a bra, Blake had to squeeze me into it.” She emphasized her generous curves, and Blake’s eyes were practically glued to her. I struggled to keep calm, but tears welled up. “Blake, it’s over. We’re done.” Ashley jumped in, feigning indignation. “Chloe, you’re so ungrateful! My buddy is the son of one of the country’s wealthiest families. He’s doing you a huge favor by agreeing to marry you.” “He married me to shut his parents up. Do you honestly think a regular girl like you could ever catch the eye of someone from his family? He wouldn’t even dare introduce you to his parents, would he?” I looked at Blake, stunned. “But I… I’ve met your parents.” Ashley burst out laughing, looking at me as if I were an idiot. “Blake, your girlfriend is so gullible! She still doesn’t know those were just hired actors I found for you?” Blake didn’t show an ounce of embarrassment at being exposed, nor did he care about the tears streaming down my face. “Chloe, I love you, and I want to marry you. But I can’t introduce you to my circle. There’s just too big of a social gap between us.” Ashley saw me crying. “God, I hate it when girls cry all the time, acting like someone owes them something. You’ve certainly milked my buddy for all he’s worth over the years. He was so broke he had to live at my place for six months!” I wiped my tears away furiously. “Then let’s call off the wedding. I’m not interested in being your charity project.” Blake’s face turned cold. “You, a scholarship kid, dare to complain I’m poor? The invitations are already out! Your entire small town, from the oldest to the youngest, even your family dog, Duke, will be there to feast. Marry me or don’t, it’s your embarrassment, not mine.” Ashley grabbed Blake and pulled him away. “Forget her. I bet she’ll be back on her knees crying and begging you tonight. After all, she’s been with you for six years; she’s old news. Who’d be idiotic enough to pick up her sloppy seconds?” I wiped my tears, tossed the wedding dress into the trash, and calmly pulled out Julian Blackwood’s contact information. “This is Chloe Hayes. I’m getting married in three days. Can you attend as the groom?” My parents airlifted 66 crates of dowry and flew in on a private jet amidst their busy schedules to attend my wedding. Since they were already here, this wedding had to happen. The next day. I went to try on a new wedding dress and snapped a few photos for the wedding planning group chat. Julian Blackwood replied that the gown was one he’d designed, waiting for its true owner. Not long after my message, Blake’s Ferrari pulled up outside. Ashley jokingly leaped onto his back, and the two walked into the store, practically attached at the hip. Blake’s tone was mocking. “You say you won’t marry me, but you’re still trying on wedding dresses? And deliberately posting it in the wedding group chat.” Oh, I forgot he was in the group too. But he never said a word, acting like he wasn’t even the groom. “Chloe certainly knows how to pick ’em,” Ashley whispered to Blake, her voice loud enough for me to hear. “This dress is studded with real diamonds. It must be worth hundreds of thousands, even millions. Your poor sap of a buddy, your gold-digging fiancée is finding new ways to bleed you dry!” Blake looked displeased. “You already have a wedding dress, why are you trying on another one? Take it off!” “That one? I find it dirty.” The words were barely out of my mouth when Ashley spun around and slapped me across the face. “You manipulative bitch! How dare you call my dress dirty? If you don’t like it, don’t wear it! Just get married naked!” It was the first time in my life anyone had ever slapped me. My blood boiled, and I raised my hand to strike back. But Blake grabbed my arm. “She’s my buddy! You hit her, you hit me!” I stared at Blake, my heart feeling as if it had been ripped from my chest. He used to say those words to me. When I first came to the capital city for university, Blake was instantly smitten. He pursued me relentlessly, but I never agreed, until—I was being bullied by a group of rich kids, and he saved me, getting badly injured in the process. He’d said, “Chloe is my girlfriend! You hit her, you hit me!” That was the beginning of my love for him. Now, it was time for it to end. After all, to him, his girlfriend was less important than his best friend! I slapped him hard. “I’ll hit you too!” “You dare to hit me? I’ve spoiled you too much!” Blake tore at my wedding dress, his face contorted in a terrifying expression I’d never seen before. “You don’t deserve such an expensive dress. Who do you think you are, the Hayes heiress? If I hadn’t fallen for you, I could have married some wealthy socialite with an excellent family background, just like my brother!” I screamed, desperately clutching at the dress. “I am the Hayes heiress your brother is supposed to marry!” Blake froze, but Ashley burst into laughter. “The Hayes heiress is studying abroad! You should at least do your research if you’re going to impersonate someone!” I was furious but too weary to argue. My parents were high-ranking military officials, and my brother was a rising business magnate. They deliberately spread false rumors about my background to protect me from being targeted by bad people. “Slap!” Ashley’s laughter abruptly stopped. Because my brother, Ryan Hayes, suddenly appeared, a dark expression on his face, and slapped Ashley hard! “My sister is the Hayes heiress. Do you have a problem with that?”
I hadn’t expected my brother to show up. “Ryan, what are you doing here?” He looked at the slap mark on my face. “If I hadn’t come, my sister would have been bullied to death!” He didn’t notice Blake raising a decorative sculpture nearby, ready to smash it down! I gasped, but it was too late to stop him. I watched, helpless, as my brother fell, blood staining my wedding dress. I pushed Blake away like a madwoman. “He’s my brother!” Blake, ever so loyal to Ashley, shielded her behind him. “So what if he’s your brother? Ashley is my ride-or-die! She raced on a death-defying track to save my life once!” My blood ran cold. He was willing to hurt my family for a best friend! But what he didn’t know was that when he cheated during a race and almost died, I was the one who got on that treacherous speedway and won the round for him. I pulled out my phone to call the police, but Blake snatched it and smashed it to pieces. He looked at me as if I were insane. “Are you crazy? What’s the standing of my Blackwood family? So what if I hit your brother? No one died, why call the police? Are you really going to call the cops on your future husband?” I started crying, frantic, but my brother, struggling, tried to comfort me. “Don’t be scared, Chloe. Brother’s okay.” Our commotion alerted the store staff. They quickly came to help stop my brother’s bleeding, but they also knew Blake’s status and dared not intervene further. Ashley seemed incredibly wronged. “No one in the capital city dares to hit me, Ashley Jenkins! Your cheap relatives really have no idea who they’re messing with!” Blake pointed at my brother’s nose and cursed. “Hey, you country bumpkin, out of respect for you being Chloe’s older brother, just kowtow to my buddy and we’ll call it even.” I was so angry I almost laughed. My brother had lived his entire life, and no one had ever dared to speak to him like that. His ranches held enough cattle to trample Blake flat! As I laughed, tears started to fall. After a month of wedding planning, Blake clearly had no interest in understanding my family. So, he had no idea of the immense industrial empire my brother commanded. My brother wiped my tears, his gaze, in his peripheral vision, turning sinister as he looked at Blake. “Our entire family wouldn’t let a single tear fall from her eyes. Do you honestly think scum like you deserves to marry my sister?” My brother pulled out his phone to call the police. This time, Blake didn’t stop him, only staring at me coldly. “Chloe! Your brother is going to get me arrested! Do you still want to have this wedding? Don’t forget, you’re the one who proposed to me!” At the time, I had just graduated from grad school, and my family wanted me to marry early. To get rid of the endless stream of blind dates, I’d suggested getting married… But how was I to know that after he eagerly agreed, he would go and marry his best friend? Seeing my indifference, Blake kicked a table. “Whatever. Call the cops if you want. Do you really think the police department will actually defend poor people like you?” Soon, the police arrived. One look and I knew trouble was brewing. Leading the officers was Chad Mitchell, one of the rich kids who had bullied me before. Chad greeted Blake warmly. “Well, well? Isn’t this Blake Blackwood and his little darling? Blake nearly killed us trying to play hero back then!” After exchanging pleasantries, he didn’t even ask questions, immediately ordering my brother to be taken away. He claimed my brother had slapped Ashley, completely ignoring the blood gushing from my brother’s head! I tried to intervene, but Blake grabbed me. “Your brother called the police! Some country bumpkin from nowhere actually thinks he can sue us rich kids. If you still want to be Mrs. Blackwood, don’t you dare help him. It’s beneath you!” Watching my brother being forcibly pushed into the police car, I bit Blake hard in my desperation. He shoved me against the wall. Stars exploded before my eyes, and I vaguely saw Chad and Blake slinging arms around each other. “Keep your woman in line. Don’t let her come looking for trouble with me.” They were unsettlingly chummy! But I had no time to ponder it. Everything went black, and I passed out. No one noticed my shattered phone in the corner, conspicuously displaying a call from Julian Blackwood. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself locked in a basement. Ashley saw I was awake and grabbed my hair. “You little vixen! You’ve caused all this trouble, and Blake still insists on marrying you.” I struggled frantically, the handcuffs digging into my wrists, drawing blood. “Where’s Blake? Let that bastard come see me!” Ashley tossed a listening device at me. “He’s too busy for you. Listen for yourself. He’s having a blast at his bachelor party. He wants you to reflect on your behavior and remember your place. Don’t take his affection for granted.” After Ashley left, darkness enveloped me, and an suffocating,濒死的 feel settled in. Blake knew I had severe claustrophobia. He’d even gone out of his way to learn about it. He knew I might die, yet he cruelly locked me in this dark basement.
I forced myself to calm down. Ryan would come save me. Even though he was taken to the police station, once he notified his legal team, not even God himself could keep him there… Just then, Chad’s voice crackled through the listening device. “Blake, that guy you told me to lock up, isn’t he a lunatic? He claims to be some big shot, showing me his ID, demanding to contact his legal team.” Blake burst into laughter. “Hilarious! He’s probably some pathetic loser who’s been watching too many B-grade action flicks. Just hold him for 48 hours to make Ashley feel better.” Laughter erupted from the device. My whole body trembled with rage. Blake wasn’t just bullying me; he was going after my family! My brother was injured. What if something happened to him? I struggled to my feet, slamming my body against the heavy basement door… No matter how hard I crashed into it, drawing blood, the door didn’t budge an inch. Chad’s voice came again. “Aren’t you worried Chloe will get angry? You even staged that hero rescue with me when you were chasing her. I thought you were just playing around, but you ended up dating for six years and now you’re dead set on marrying her. I wonder what good fortune she accumulated in her past life.” Blake laughed smugly. “She was famously hard to get back then. If Ashley hadn’t told me to chase her, I wouldn’t have bothered with such a poor woman acting all high and mighty!” I collapsed against the door, sliding down, utterly powerless. So—even my initial feelings were a lie. I screamed and screamed in fury, but no one could hear me. Only their laughter echoed from the listening device. “After I got her, she was quiet, pretty, and not clingy, so I figured, why not just go with it? But now she’s so annoying, pressuring me to get married, to be more ambitious. She has no idea what her place is.” Someone else asked Blake, “So you’re still marrying her?” “Aside from being poor, she doesn’t have many flaws. The main thing is, she’s absolutely crazy about me. She knew I married Ashley, but she still went to try on wedding dresses the very next day. Don’t mind me locking her in the basement now; she’ll definitely show up for the wedding…” I curled up in the corner, feeling swallowed by the darkness, my breathing growing harder. Blake was so confident. I wasn’t desperate to get married. Why would I willingly let myself be trampled and marry him? For the past six years, Blake wore a mask, and I was engrossed in my studies. We were like a pseudo-intimate couple, never truly delving into each other’s lives. I didn’t know his intentions were so malicious, and he had no idea of my immense wealth. I gasped for breath in the basement, while he was having a wild bachelor party above me. My parents would arrive tomorrow. They would surely come to save my brother and me. And Julian Blackwood, we had agreed to marry. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t sleep. The next day. I was incredibly weak. Until I heard my mother’s furious voice through the listening device. “Blake Blackwood! Who is this woman? And why is she lying in bed with you in her lingerie?” Blake yawned loudly. “Aunt and Uncle, you’re here early. She’s just my buddy. We’ve been practically attached at the hip since childhood.” Ashley scoffed. “Seriously, what’s the big deal? Men can go shirtless, why can’t women? Are you old fogies being sexist?” I felt the ground vibrate, probably my father angrily slamming his cane. He’d been in the military for years, terrifyingly powerful. “Where is my daughter!” Blake seemed at a loss for words, but Ashley quickly interjected. “She’s not here. She argued with my buddy yesterday. I don’t know how you raised your daughter, but she shamelessly wanted to buy a million-dollar wedding dress…” My mother sharply cut her off. “What’s wrong with a million-dollar wedding dress? My daughter deserves even a ten-million-dollar one!” Ashley laughed. “Like mother, like daughter. Blake, your Hayes family is really milking you for everything they can.” Through the listening device, my mother cursed loudly, but my father stopped her. He was a busy man and usually too lazy to bother with such trivial matters. “Since my daughter isn’t here, we’ll take our leave. I suppose we won’t be seeing each other again.” My father’s words meant he was rejecting the marriage. But I was here! I heard them turn to leave. I struggled to open my eyes, desperately banging on the wall. Just then, a dog barked through the listening device. The sound seemed to be getting closer… “Woof!” Right outside the door! Duke, the guard dog Blake had mentioned, had followed my scent and found me. He was a top military-trained dog! “Mom, Dad—” I cried out. The next second, my father kicked open the door. When the light from outside streamed in, I instinctively recoiled, like something that couldn’t bear the light. In the basement, I was clad only in my undergarments, chained by the neck with a dog leash, my wrists raw and bleeding from the handcuffs, my body bruised and discolored, my face deathly pale. I looked like I was at death’s door. In that moment, my parents’ eyes were blazing, filled with a murderous rage! Blake’s legs gave out, and he almost knelt. My father’s palpable fury pressed down on everyone in the room!
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