Chapter 2
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“Sweetheart, have you really thought this through?” My parents‘ voices on the phone carried disbelief.
Three years ago, I’d firmly told them I wasn’t willing to marry without love.
Returning to the Greene family would mean sacrificing my own happiness.
Marrying the carefully chosen match for the family was what was best for both families.
Margaret sighed and then spoke seriously, “Even in a family alliance, you’re still our daughter.”
I looked out the window at the darkening sky, wiping away a
tear.
“Dad, Mom, I’ll need about another week to handle the remaining matters here.”
“Alright, take the time you need to say goodbye to your loved ones. You don’t need to worry about the wedding—we’ll take care of everything. No matter what, we’ll always be your support.”
My eyes started to redden. Landon and Darren had said the same thing to me once.
Chapfer 2
“Hannah, don’t be scared.”
“From now on, we’re your family, and we’ll always be by your
side.”
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The orphanage director, Lillian Harris, smiled as she looked at them. “You better take good care of her, gentlemen. A man of his word keeps his promises.”
Darren blushed, his face turning as red as a tomato.
“Of course, I’ll marry Hannah!”
From that moment on, I was moved by their sincerity.
Landon took care of me like an older brother, while Darren always thought of me first, presenting me with anything good he
came across.
They were my family, my loved ones.
So, when my biological parents found me, I didn’t tell Landon or Darren about them.
The elite world was full of complications, with too much deceit.
The simple, warm happiness I had with them made me reluctant to leave.
But it wasn’t until Xandra appeared that I realized how wrong I had been.
Chapter 2
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Xandra was the daughter of the housekeeper and had lost her father at a young age.
And her mother had passed away from illness two years ago.
During Christmas, we invited her to spend the holiday with us, feeling sorry for her being alone.
After that, she started clinging to us.
She grew closer to my “brother” and fiancé more and more.
I approached her one day, gently reminding her that Darren and I were about to get married, urging her to respect the boundaries between us.
But instead of listening, she left me a letter and went abroad by herself.
In her letter, she expressed her admiration for me and her sadness about leaving everyone.
Darren immediately grew cold toward me. “Are you really this intolerant of her?”
Landon, who had always looked after me, was also deeply disappointed in me.
“Hannah, you’re being so selfish!”
They were convinced that Xandra needed love more than I did.
Chapfer 2
So, they gave all the love I thought was mine to Xandra.
This wedding had been my dream since childhood.
The wedding dress, the ring, even the floral patterns on the invitations–I had designed them all myself.
I couldn’t help but close my eyes. Standing alone in front of the guests at the wedding, I felt the calm composure I had maintained until now finally shatter.
“What’s going on? I’ve never seen a wedding canceled halfway through!”
“Did the groom run away?”
“Why did even the bride’s family leave?”
“Who knows? If even her own family won’t stand by her, she must have done something shameful, something unforgivable!”
“Look at her face—she just doesn’t look trustworthy!”
The mudslinging came crashing down on me from all sides.
Those two men who had promised to always protect me were now like daggers piercing my heart.
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