Longlin City.
On the third floor of a high-end hotel, inside an oversized bathroom, a woman sat submerged in a bathtub. She was wearing a white, curve-hugging wedding gown, now soaked and glued to her skin.
Just beneath her smooth forehead, a bloody streak slid down her pale cheek, like a crimson thorn blooming on a fragile petal.
“You're finally awake?”
Sophia Richards slowly opened her eyes, her head spinning and limbs weak. In her blurred vision, she saw her half-sister—Isabella Richards.
What truly shocked her was the identical wedding dress Isabella had on.
“Isabella... w-where are we? It’s freezing...” Sophia tried to move but realized she was sitting in a tub filled with not water, but piles of small ice cubes. “What time is it? Help me up... I need to get to the ceremony or I’ll miss it.”
She tried to stand multiple times, but her body had gone limp, making the attempt useless. The ice numbed her bones.
Her last clear memory was being in the dressing room. Then the lights were cut. Someone tried to grab her. She struggled. A heavy blow landed on her head—and then, nothing.
“Why would I help you get up? So you can marry Ethan? You actually think you’re good enough for a guy like him?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Isabella's voice turned cold. “Let me spell it out. Today, I’m Ethan’s bride. Only I deserve to become part of the Nelson family. You? Don’t even think about getting close to him ever again.” She casually picked up a diary from beside the sink. “Wow, you really had dreams with him, huh. You even picked names for your future kids. That desperate to have his baby?”
“That’s mine—give it back!” Sophia clutched the edge of the tub, trying to lunge for her diary. “Give it back, Isabella... I’m your sister! Why would you do this to me? What do you even want? You dressed like this, just to marry Ethan? He's your brother-in-law!”
“Brother-in-law? Please.” Isabella laughed, sharp and mocking. “The baby in my belly? It’s his. We’re getting married soon. So from now on, he’s your brother-in-law, not husband material—don’t get it twisted.”
“You’re pregnant…” Sophia’s voice cracked. Her hands curled into fists, knuckles turning white, veins bulging.
“Yep. Two months already.” Isabella flashed a sonogram report. “Face it—your whole worthless life will amount to admiring someone else’s pregnancy scan. You’ll never have that chance for yourself. Ever. Ha—ha—ha!”
Her laughter was shrill, echoing like something out of a nightmare in the cold tiled room.
Sophia’s whole lower back throbbed, followed by a sharp pain spreading through her abdomen. She looked down and saw the pure white wedding dress turning crimson, dyeing even the icy water beneath her.
“You monster…” Sophia gasped harshly, barely holding back a scream. She wanted so badly to slap the smug smile off Isabella’s face—but her arms felt like jelly.
Instead, what she got was a loud *smack* across the face—Isabella didn’t hold back. “Trying to steal my man? In your dreams.”
