A month before the wedding, Vivienne Hartwell found out that her fiancé, Sebastian Langley, had brought a little side piece back to the country.
She had been there to drop off some documents. Through the half-open door, Sebastian was chatting with his buddy. He had an unlit cigarette between his fingers, and the smile in his voice was impossible to miss.
"Keep it quiet. Amber doesn’t like the smell of smoke on me, so now I can only satisfy the craving in my head."
Sebastian had always been a heavy smoker. It wasn’t like Vivienne had never told him to cut back before, but he’d always brushed it off, totally unconcerned, like he had nothing to worry about. Because of him, she’d been forced to breathe in plenty of secondhand smoke too.
And now, for another woman, he was actually starting to care whether he smelled like cigarettes.
Inside, Owen Davenport said something else.
"Next month is your wedding with your fiancée. Take it easy, man."
The voices inside kept going. Then Vivienne heard Sebastian’s confident, calm reply.
"Relax. She won’t make trouble in front of Xiaxia."
"In this life, being loved by someone with that kind of heat—real, wholehearted love—that’s rare in itself. Suddenly, I just couldn’t bring myself to push something that beautiful away."
"To me, Amber is like a rose in full bloom—burning, vivid, all heat and passion. But she’s not the kind of woman you marry."
"Xiaxia is different. Xiaxia is a gentle magnolia."
"All these years, she’s taken great care of my parents. My grandmother likes her a lot too. She’s the perfect kind of woman to marry, a good wife, a good mother. With her around, I never have to worry about anything at home."
Vivienne stood there in a daze, hearing every word. Tears slid silently down from the corners of her eyes. Her right hand started shaking so badly it was almost out of control. She frowned, turned around, and strode away.
Over the years, Sebastian’s position in the Langley family had only risen higher and higher.
There had never been a shortage of women chasing after him, trying to get close, throwing themselves at him.
Vivienne had thought about it before—thought that one day, maybe Sebastian might not be able to resist the temptations outside.
But she had never imagined that woman would be Amber Colton.
Vivienne reached the elevator. Just as she lifted her trembling hand to press the button, someone behind her leaned in first and pressed it for her.
"Thank you," she said on instinct.
A crisp, sugary voice rang out right beside her.
"No need to thank me, Sister Vivienne."
Vivienne Hartwell jerked her head up.
Amber Colton was standing behind her, lips slightly curved, smiling with that same pure, harmless look. "Sister Vivienne, is your hand okay?"
Vivienne stared at her. Her chest rose and fell hard. A few ugly memories flashed through her mind, sharp and fast. In the next second, she lifted her hand and slapped Amber hard across the face.
"Not really. But hitting you? Yeah, I’ve got plenty of strength for that."
She had put almost all her force into that slap. Amber’s face swelled up right away.
After the hit, Vivienne stood there tense from head to toe, fully on guard, waiting for Amber to rush at her and claw at her like she had two years ago.
But Amber didn’t move.
"I’m sorry, Sister Vivienne. I know I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again. Please forgive me."
Amber dropped to her knees and kept bowing her head, apologizing over and over.
Just then, the office door opened.
Sebastian Langley saw the commotion, his expression instantly darkening. He strode over in a few quick steps.
"Are you okay?" He stopped at Vivienne’s side, his voice carrying concern.
Vivienne said nothing. She only looked at his face in silence, and a wave of nausea churned in her stomach.
Amber was still crying as she apologized. "Mr. Langley, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have shown up in front of Sister Vivienne. Even if she hit me, I deserve it. I can take it."
The way Vivienne looked at him made Sebastian feel guilty for no reason. He avoided her gaze and turned to Amber instead.
Amber started knocking her head even harder against the floor. It didn’t take long before the skin on her forehead split.
Irritation flashed through Sebastian’s eyes. He snapped coldly, "Enough. Get out."
Amber seemed terrified of him. She scrambled to her feet and ran off in a clumsy panic.