Chapter 2

Dad stared at my real face, his expression complicated. "You silly girl," he sighed. "Why go through all that trouble hiding your face if it was going to end like this anyway?"

I looked at myself in the mirror. Dark eyes, fair skin. I looked just like Mom when she was young.

Mom's marriage to Dad had been arranged too. For more than ten years, her husband barely came home and never once loved her. She sank into depression, and in the end, the loneliness killed her.

On her deathbed, she gripped my hand. "Viv, never put your life in someone else's hands."

After she died, I started taking self-defense classes. If no one was going to protect me, I'd learn to protect myself.

So when I found out I was engaged to Dominic Kane, a man famous for being picky about looks, I used that against him. I got rid of every real photo of me that existed.

I didn't want that marriage. I didn't want Mom's life.

But Tyler spent three years being sweet to me, and I handed him my whole heart. In the end, he was no different from anyone else.

If real love and an honest heart were worth nothing, then why not pick a life of money and comfort instead?

I turned to Dad, who still hadn't gotten over my face. "Dad, tell the Kanes I'll marry Dominic."

The Kanes had barely heard the news before Dominic's grandmother insisted on meeting me in person.

That evening, when I walked into the Kane estate, she couldn't stop staring.

The old me would've hated being looked at like that. I would've ducked my head. Now I stood up straight, looked her in the eye, and gave her a polite smile.

She nodded and kept praising me. "Dominic is a lucky man. Look at those eyes, Vivian, and the way you carry yourself! You're prettier than any movie star!"

Beaming, she fastened a sapphire pendant around my neck. "This has been in our family for generations. From now on, you're one of us."

Once everything was settled, I got up to leave. She pulled me aside and lowered her voice.

"Sweetheart, your face gets far too much attention. Better tone it down a little until the wedding.

"My grandson doesn't like to share. If he sees how beautiful you are, he won't want anyone else laying eyes on you before you're his."

I touched the cool sapphire and thought about Dominic, the man the whole city said was obsessed with looks.

He was the only heir to the Kane empire. He was also the man I'd made myself ugly to avoid, which was how I'd ended up with Tyler in the first place.

We'd never even met. Still, to save myself the trouble, I took her advice.

The next morning, I was packing up my penthouse, the place I'd spent three years turning into our future home, when the front door clicked open.

Tyler walked in holding a bakery box and smiling like nothing had happened. "Still mad, babe? Look what I got you!"

I looked at the box. Peanut butter cupcakes.

I almost laughed. On our very first date, I'd told him I was allergic to peanuts.

Without a word, I picked up the box and dropped it in the trash.

Tyler froze. "Viv! I waited in line two hours for those! How could you—"

Then he saw the way I was looking at him. He smacked his forehead. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I forgot about your allergy."

"Don't bother. We're over anyway."

I pushed over the boxes of his stuff I'd packed up overnight, along with the wedding rings we never got to exchange. I watched the color drain from his face.

He bent down and picked up the rings with shaking fingers. "Don't do this, Viv... I know I screwed up. We'll plan another wedding—"

I cut him off. "Save it. Take your things and get out of my house. Now. We're done."

He kept staring at me until his eyes turned red. "But why, Viv? Why?"

Those red eyes only made me want to laugh. "Why? Because I'm getting married, and my fiancé doesn't want me hanging around other men."

"Married?" His eyes went wide with panic. "To who? Viv, is this about what Kyle said yesterday? You're just throwing a fit."

I smiled coldly. "A fit? Don't flatter yourself, Tyler."

Ten long seconds went by. He searched my face, then ground out through his teeth, "Fine. If you're really getting married, tell me who. There's no way any guy besides me would ever want..."

He didn't finish. He just stared at me.

Dominic's name was on the tip of my tongue when a weak little cough came from the doorway.

Chloe stood there, pale and fragile, the perfect picture of a poor sick girl.

She stepped inside, and her eyes went everywhere, greedily taking in every inch of the two-floor penthouse.

They finally landed on the wedding dress hanging on the wall. I'd spent a whole year sewing it myself, stitch by stitch.

"What a gorgeous place, Ty-baby. And that dress... it's so beautiful. Too bad a girl like me will never get to wear something like that."

I saw the smug little challenge in her eyes, and my smile only got wider.

Sure enough, Tyler pulled her into his arms, his face full of pity. Then he looked at me, his eyes begging.

"Viv..."