Chapter 1

On the eve of his wedding, Aiden Pierce attended the bachelor party with his exes for the eighth time. This time, he got carried away and ended up leaving his seed inside the ex-girlfriend he had dated the longest.

When I found out, I arrived with the abortion pills as I had done seven times before. But at the mansion's doorstep, I saw his ex-girlfriend demanding through tears:

"Aiden, will you choose her, or the two lives in my womb?"

Without hesitation, Aiden pulled her into his arms.

"I choose you, and our children."

He roughly threw the medication and cash from my hands into the trash, carelessly placing even my ID on top of the garbage can lid.

"Rachel's different. She doesn't need this stuff."

I froze.

"What do you mean?"

"If the Pierce family elders hadn't looked down on Rachel's complicated family background, our first child would already be in preschool by now. But... that little life was left behind on a cold operating table."

"This time, I'll do everything in my power to protect Rachel until our children are safely born."

He stared at me, his expression deadly serious."When the kids are born, I'll have them recognize you as their godmother. After their first birthday, I'll send Rachel and the kids to live in Europe."

"After everything is settled, we'll go to City Hall to register our marriage. Then, I'll make it up to you with a grand wedding of the century. Is that okay?"

After a long silence, I suddenly broke into a smile.

"Sure, whatever you arrange. I have no objections."

That night, he immediately moved Rachel Davis into our mansion. Meanwhile, I packed my identification and dialed the number of his arch-nemesis:

"...You said you'd marry me anytime if I was willing. Still valid?"

Without hesitation, the voice on the other end replied, "Of course!"

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1

Raindrops pattered against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the balcony, washing away the last traces of gloom in my heart.

"So, shall we schedule the wedding in three days?"

I hesitated slightly, "Yes, that's fine."

"Three days from now, at City Hall. Don't forget to bring your ID."

After ending the call, I took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned my ID.

The memory of Aiden carelessly dumping it on top of the trash can lid flashed through my mind again, reminding me how little he cared about my feelings or our marriage vows.

He’d postponed our wedding with every excuse: parties, seven pregnant exes, now Rachel’s pregnancy…

I sighed deeply, a wave of indescribable bitterness washing over me.

Eleven years. I’d foolishly believed our teenage secret would culminate in tying the knot today, bringing a perfect end to the story of 15-year-old Aiden and Lily. But now...

A cold breeze stung my eyes, causing tears to fall uncontrollably.

The butler entered expressionlessly, placing a tablet in the middle of a video call in front of me.

Aiden's face filled the entire screen, his brow furrowed in a joyful smile.As the image shakes, following his gaze, a corner of pink clothing drapes over the back of his hand, veins bulging.

I avert my eyes, my voice slightly choked.

"What's the matter?"

Aiden pauses for a moment, his smile fading as he coldly turns the camera towards a pile of items on the floor.

"Rachel doesn't really like these things. I'm planning to get rid of them, but if you want them, I can have someone send them to you."

I carefully examine each item in the pile.

The handmade ceramic sculpture was from the first time Aiden celebrated my birthday, taking me to a high-end pottery studio where we make it ourselves.

The crystal butterfly-tailed wedding gown was a prized piece Aiden had won at an exorbitant price at a Paris wedding dress auction. After flying it back on a private jet, it was the first time I saw him look so delighted:

"You'll look breathtakingly beautiful in this dress at our wedding."

There were also the wedding invitations we designed together, the balloon decorations we arranged, the ivory bedside figurines we picked out...

These items I once cherished so deeply are now carelessly tossed on the floor like trash.

My heart sinks deeper and deeper.

Before I can speak, Rachel's figure suddenly bursts into the frame.

She snuggles up to Aiden, teasing in a flippant tone."Alright, so Aiden wasn't lying to me after all. Sis, your taste is really hard to understand. Who still uses these old-fashioned, stuffy decorations nowadays? It's so tacky. Only that wedding dress is somewhat acceptable, but I don't like the butterfly design on the back..."

Aiden gently pinched her cheek, his eyes full of adoration.

"I'll take you to the next auction. You can bid on whichever piece catches your eye."

"Yay! My Mr. Pierce is truly unbeatable!"

Suppressing the ache in my chest, I took a deep breath, not wanting to watch their flirtatious display any longer.

"I don't want any of those things anymore. You can do whatever you want with them."

"Also, I'm not your 'sis'."

This was the first time I had showed aggression towards them. They were stunned for a full thirty seconds.

Rachel was the first to react, tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry... Lily, I just wanted to bring us closer together."

I coldly interrupted her. "Don't bother. We won't have any relationship, now or in the future."

Hearing this, she cried even harder.

Aiden lovingly pulled her into his arms, one hand gently patting her back to comfort her, the other tenderly wiping away her tears.Through the screen, he glared at me with disapproval.

"Rachel didn't say anything wrong, nor did she do anything wrong. You're the one who's wrong, Lily. You're being too aggressive. What's gotten into you today? It's like you've suddenly become a different person. You've never been this mean before."

"Rachel's future children are supposed to have you as a godmother. It's bad enough that you're not making an effort to get closer to Rachel, but now you're responding to her kindness with hatred. You're being too arrogant!"

I curved my lips into a self-mocking smile.

He only remembers that I never give people a hard time, but forgets how many people give me a hard time.

"Aiden, her children don't need to have me as a godmother, and she doesn't need to get close to me. Also, our wedding... we don't need to have a makeup ceremony." As soon as I finished speaking, the comforting voice on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped.