Chapter 2

The moment I hung up, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Carter walked in, holding Chloe in his arms.

"Maddy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this beforehand. Don't blame Chloe."

Looking at their locked hands, I forced a cold smile.

"You two sneaked around behind my back and made me the laughingstock of the city. Why shouldn't I blame her? Besides..."

Before I could finish, Chloe took a step forward, looking pitifully weak.

"Maddy, we can't control our feelings... I know you and Carter have been betrothed since childhood, but he and I... we've been together for a while now."

As she spoke, she intentionally pulled down her high collar, revealing a prominent hickey on her collarbone.

I looked at Carter. He avoided my gaze guiltily.

"It's my fault. At the project celebration party the other night, we both drank too much, and then... Carter only went public because he wanted to take responsibility."

"Can't we... can't we just get along like we used to? We're still family, right?"

Under the dim light, the malice in her eyes was practically overflowing.

Before I could speak, Martha, the housekeeper who had raised me, couldn't hold back.

"You certainly have quite the tricks, Chloe. Knowing Mr. Vance was Ms. Madelyn's fiancé, you still did something so shameless. You really are your mother's daughter!"

Chloe's mother was the mistress who drove my biological mother out of her own home.

Martha's sharp words made Chloe tremble, her face twisting into a mask of pure victimhood.

Carter immediately pulled her into his embrace and barked at Martha.

"No wonder Chloe always feels so unwelcomed here! Even a housekeeper thinks she can stomp on her! I can't imagine how much abuse she’s endured!"

I watched him coldly.

Growing up, he always told me Chloe was pitiful and that I should yield to her.

Whether it was a limited-edition collectible or a rare vinyl record, as long as Chloe wanted it, he would pressure me to give it to her.

"You have everything, Maddy. Don't fight her for it."

But he never understood that Chloe didn't actually care about those things.

She just loved stealing whatever belonged to me.

Martha wanted to say more, but I raised my hand to stop her.

I stepped forward and slapped Chloe hard across the face.

"If Martha can't speak, I will!"

"The Sterlings are a family of status, and my mother came from a highly respected lineage. You expect me to step aside for the daughter of a home-wrecker? In your dreams!"

My hand brushed against a cold fountain pen on my desk.

It was the first gift Carter had ever given me.

Because it wasn't expensive, Chloe had never cared to steal it.

But I had cherished it.

I picked it up, looking at both of them.

As Carter watched in shock, I slammed it onto the floor.

The nib bent, and ink splattered across the floor like a shattered heart.

"Since it has come to this, I wish you two trash well."

"The engagement is off."

Chloe gasped, her knees buckling as she sank onto the rug.

"Maddy, it's all my fault! If... if Carter still loves you, I can step aside! I can just die!"

She grabbed a silver fruit knife from the tray on the coffee table, holding it against her wrist, closing her eyes as if she were about to slice down.

It looked dramatic, but the blade wasn't even touching her skin.

Carter's face paled with worry.

I sneered, pulled an utility knife from my desk drawer, and threw it at her feet.

"You don't seem determined enough, dear sister. Here, use this. It's much sharper."

Carter grabbed her off the floor, shielding her behind his back, glaring at me.

"Madelyn! I never knew you were such a vicious woman! She is your sister!"

"Now you remember she's my sister? When you two crawled into the same bed, did you care that she was my sister?!"

Maybe it was the first time he had ever seen me snap. He stood there, stunned.

After a long silence, he gritted out:

"I know this is unfair to you, but letting you stay by my side is already the biggest concession I can make."

"We've been together for so many years. I can't just watch you become a joke."

I glanced at Chloe. Her expression was tense, terrified I would bring up Dominic.

It seemed Carter didn't know about the backup marriage clause with Dominic Blackwood yet.

Good. There was no need to let him know.

"Our contract is void. Mr. Vance, please refrain from breaking into a single woman's room late at night. It's inappropriate."

"Martha, show them out."

Infuriated by my indifference, Carter scooped Chloe up in his arms and stormed out.

At the door, he threw a cold threat over his shoulder.

"I'll tell your father everything that happened tonight. He will get justice for Chloe."

"Great. I'll be waiting."