Chapter 2

I raise my eyes to see the receptionist placing a large bouquet of lily of the valley on my desk.

At that moment, a message from Harrington pops up on my phone.

"Brent, do you like the flowers? I'll pick you up after work."

A sardonic smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

This is nothing more than Harrington's guilt after betraying me. It's not a gift, it's compensation.

I've been moved by surprises countless times before, but I never knew how many were sincere and how many were just his guilt after a passionate encounter.

After work, Harrington is waiting for me in the car.

Seeing me come out, he immediately gets out of the car to open the door for me, raises his hand to protect my head, and fastens my seatbelt after I sit down.

Instantly, the teasing voices of my colleagues erupt at the entrance, with someone joking that Harrington and I are acting out a soap opera every day.

Harrington waves to them before taking the driver's seat.

"Brent, the wedding dress I personally designed has arrived. We can go to the bridal shop today to try it on."

"If anything doesn't fit, we still have time to make adjustments."

I nod.Stepping into the bridal shop, Harrington suddenly halted, frozen in place.

I followed his gaze.

Melody was wearing a satin off-the-shoulder wedding gown, with delicate white lily of the valley flowers adorning the neckline. A thin veil crowned her head.

In the next moment, Harrington's face darkened.

"How did the wedding dress I custom-ordered end up on her?"

The nearby shop assistant, terrified, rushed to explain.

"Mr. Langdon, this lady came in and gave your name. We assumed she was the bride, so we let her try on the dress."

I looked at Melody.

"Did you think wearing a wedding dress would make you marry the man you want?"

A flicker of guilt passed through Harrington's eyes, and he quickly snapped.

"Take off that dress right now. How dare you wear Brent's wedding gown?"

"I was just trying to help Brent by trying on the dress. I didn't mean anything by it..."

Melody ran into the fitting room, her eyes brimming with tears.After receiving the wedding dress, the stitching around the waist had burst open, and there was a vivid lipstick stain on the neckline.

Harrington consoled me, "This dress is ruined, so let's not keep it. I'll design a new one for you."

I was about to say it wasn't necessary when I received a call from my company's leadership, saying the project needed to be expedited.

Harrington drove me back to the office.

Late at night, just as I finished my work, my phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from the hospital's emergency center.

"Hello, are you a relative of Mr. Brent and Mrs. Mandy? They've been in a serious car accident and are currently undergoing emergency treatment at the hospital. Please come as soon as possible."

After hanging up, I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

How could my parents be in a car accident in the middle of the night?

When I came to my senses, I quickly opened the ride-hailing app to call a car, but due to the company's remote location, no driver was accepting the request.

I ran out of the office building while trying to call Harrington.

After more than twenty consecutive calls, there was still no answer.

I ran to the street, only to see Harrington's car parked across the road.The car was still gently rocking.

Looking through the car window, I saw Melody sitting on Harrington's lap, entangled in my wedding dress. Harrington's face was full of passion.

My phone screen lit up with my incoming call, but he ignored it completely.

I watched the scene before me in disbelief, biting my lower lip hard to keep from making a sound. The taste of blood exploded in my mouth.

I don't know how long I ran along the roadside before I finally got into a taxi.

But by the time I reached the hospital, it was too late. My parents were no longer breathing. I didn't even get to see them one last time.

The medical staff handed me my parents' phones.

Unlocking the password, the phone screen was left on the text messages. Through the cracked screen, I opened the video in the messages.

It was a scene of Melody and Harrington intertwined.

Melody sent this video to get revenge for me humiliating her at the bridal shop earlier that day.

So that's why my parents drove out in the middle of the night - to confront Harrington on my behalf.

When Harrington arrived at the hospital, I was sitting numbly in the hospital corridor.My eyes were already numb from crying, my mind completely blank, unable to hear any sound.

Harrington's mouth opened and closed in front of me, but it took a long while before I could hear his voice.

"Brent, it's okay. You still have me. I'll always be by your side. I promised your parents I'd take good care of you."