Chapter 14

When the big screen lit up and photos of Lily Bennett appeared one after another, I clearly saw the color drain from her face. In the photos, she was impeccably made up and dressed in comfortable, stylish clothes. Though the background was a rural village, the self-built house—decorated like a villa—was more than enough to expose her lie of “suffering and humiliation” all these years.

Next, audio played. Lily’s calculating voice echoed through the banquet hall via the speakers: “The Jade family is so desperate to marry off their daughter? Let’s see if they can still go through with the wedding after a ‘death’… Brian Locke is such a sentimental man. After I ‘die,’ he’ll never get over it. He’ll only feel more and more guilty about me, and colder and colder toward Sophia Reed.”

Before the audio finished, Lily went crazy trying to rush over and pull the plug, but Brian held her back. Eventually, annoyed by her struggling, he simply covered her mouth. The entire hall fell so quiet you could hear people breathing. I turned away from the screen, picked up the microphone with a smile, and said, “There you go—that’s my gift. Lily Bennett had a great life during her five years of ‘disappearance’—no harm came to her at all. Let’s give her a round of applause for that!”

With that, I put down the microphone and started clapping first. Lily stared at me venomously, her eyes looking like she wanted to devour me alive. Finally, she broke free from Brian’s grip and screamed, “Sophia Reed is lying! The photos are photoshopped! The audio is faked!”

Brian looked at her calmly, his voice cold as ice, “Sophia Reed doesn’t lie—so this is true.” He paused, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger, “Lily Bennett, you faked your suicide to make me feel guilty for five years. You’re proud of that, aren’t you? Watching me torture myself with guilt, watching Sophia and me tear each other apart—you laughed about it every day while hiding in the countryside, didn’t you?”

Lily tried to grab his hand, but he dumped her roughly again and again. “Stay away from me!” Brian’s voice dripped with disgust.

“Brian Locke! Brian Locke!” Lily cried hysterically, “I did this for you! Didn’t you want to be with me? I did all this so we could be together!”

Brian gritted his teeth and said word by word, “I told you back then—I had to marry Sophia Reed for the sake of the Locke family. But once I decided to marry her, I was going to let go of my feelings for you. So there was never a chance for us. Wasn’t that clear enough?”

“But you truly loved me!” Lily made one last desperate attempt.

Brian looked at her indifferently, his voice flat, “I don’t love you anymore. I haven’t for a long time—maybe I never did, just a passing fancy. If I’d loved you so much that I couldn’t live without you, I would’ve never compromised and married Sophia Reed for the Jade family’s investment.” With that, he pushed Lily away forcefully once more.

Lily fell to the ground. Her luxurious wedding dress only made her look more pathetic. The bridesmaids and groomsmen who were supposed to witness her “happiness” had all become spectators to this joke. She buried her face in the floor, like a defeated beast—probably not even knowing where to go next.

It took Brian great effort to compose himself. He picked up the microphone, his voice trembling as he tried to stay in control, “Everyone, thank you for coming. I’m sorry, but the wedding is canceled. Please leave.”

The guests filed out one by one. In the end, only Justin Cole, Brian, and I remained in the huge banquet hall. I picked up my chopsticks and ate the food on the table slowly. Turning to Brian, who stood nearby, I said, “The food at this five-star hotel is pretty good.”

Brian’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with exhaustion, “You chose today on purpose. You knew all along that Lily faked her death, didn’t you?”

I put down my chopsticks, took a tissue to wipe my mouth, and looked up to meet his gaze, admitting it frankly, “Yes.” After a pause, I looked at his dejected face and said softly, “Only this way can I feel happy.”

For five years, I’d suffered through his coldness and misunderstandings, struggled against Lily’s schemes. Now that the truth was out and I watched them get what they deserved, the weight that had hung over my heart for five years finally lifted. In the end, I’d won this farce.