Chapter 4

All eyes in the room froze on me. Lady Victoria eyed me suspiciously and asked, "Are you sure?"

Before I could nod, Aiden let out a cold laugh. "She's just throwing a little tantrum. Can't you all see that?"

At his words, everyone turned their contemptuous gazes towards me.

I hurriedly tried to explain, "No, I'm not... I genuinely chose the second option!"

But no one paid attention to my explanation. No one cared whether my words were true or false.

Lady Victoria rolled her eyes and signaled for people to put down the bowl of medicine.

"She's always listened to you. Handle this yourself. As long as it doesn't affect my chances of having a grandchild or family harmony, I won't interfere further."

Aiden nodded and led me back to the mansion with the bowl of medicine. His face was stern, clearly still angry about what I had said yesterday.

"Either drink the medicine or get out and live on the streets. Think it over carefully."

He gave me one night to consider, then immediately went back to the bedroom, his arm around Rachel.

In just two days, the entire mansion had completely transformed.

The originally cold-toned furniture had all been replaced with warm colors. The walls were now covered with recent photos of Aiden and Rachel together. Aiden had even converted another guest room into a nursery.

Every single item in the house that belonged to me, down to a pair of slippers, had been thoroughly removed.Now, everything in this mansion no longer has anything to do with me.

Ignoring the bowl of cold medicinal soup on the table, I decided to reluctantly spend the night on the couch.

Just as I was starting to feel drowsy, the sounds coming from the master bedroom instantly jolted me awake.

Rachel's voice was both suppressed and wanton. Through the door, I could clearly hear the wet sounds and the creaking of the bed frame.

"Aiden... right there... harder... ah... deeper..."

Realizing what they were doing, I stumbled frantically into the bathroom.

I don't know how long it lasted, but the commotion in the master bedroom finally subsided. I opened the door and unexpectedly locked eyes with Rachel, who was sitting in the living room.

She looked at me, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

"Aiden's tired. He's already asleep."

Her words were full of provocation, but I had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with her.

Seeing my silence, she suddenly stood up and picked up the bowl of medicinal soup, walking towards me.

"Honestly, if I were you, I would have drunk this bowl of medicine immediately at the estate today... After all, for someone as lowly as you, isn't it better to enjoy even one day of luxury?"

I laughed sarcastically.

"The position of rich wife will be yours soon enough. No need to rush."

She paused, the smugness in her eyes becoming even more apparent."What are you saying? I just wanted to persuade you to be a good girl and take your medicine... Ah!"

Suddenly, she slipped and fell backwards.

I instinctively reached out to catch her.

As we fell together, Aiden rushed out of the bedroom without even putting on his shoes.

"Rachel!"

He scooped up Rachel, who had fallen on top of me, his eyes full of concern.

Rachel clutched her stomach, looking at me with terror in her eyes. "I... I just wanted to persuade Lily to take her medicine, but she suddenly grabbed it and tried to force it down my throat... Aiden, I'm so scared."

With each word she uttered, Aiden's face grew darker.

Ignoring the searing pain in my elbow, I propped myself up. "That's not what happened. She suddenly fell on her own..."

"Enough!"

He cut me off irritably, striding over to yank me up and shove me towards the door.

"Since you're tired of the good life, go out and get a taste of what it's like to be homeless!"

He snatched my phone and roughly pushed me out the door.

My back slammed hard against the hallway wall, causing me to suck in a sharp breath of pain.

The hallway light illuminated Aiden's face, and I could clearly see every vein in his right hand bulging, his fingers trembling slightly.

He was restraining his fury – he wanted to strangle me!

"Don't let this happen again. Get out! Get out and think long and hard before you come back to me."The heavy door slammed shut with a bang.

The hallway lights went out, and I felt a lump in my throat as I realized tears had already begun to fall.

They were tears of fear and sadness both.

After a long moment, I stiffly got to my feet and pressed the elevator button. As I reached the main gate of the luxury complex, warm arms enveloped me.

"I've finally found you, Lily. Are you alright?"

I looked up, recognizing the person, and my tears began to flow anew.

"Are you ready for the wedding?"

My voice was hoarse from crying as the man held me tight, one hand gently patting my back to comfort me.

"Everything's ready. We can go register at morning."

I clutched his collar tightly. "Can we wait outside City Hall? Please?"

I couldn't bear to stay in this suffocating place a moment longer.

"Of course."

As the car drove away, the mansion behind us grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. I let out a deep breath.